The American Slave Coast at Real Art Ways

With Authors Ned & Constance Sublette

Slavery went beyond free labor; domestic slave breeding practices were a deeply entrenched economic system in United States history. By showing that enslaved people functioned as very expensive commodities whose value depended not only on how much they could produce but on how much they could reproduce, the Sublettes’ narrative reveals that the majority of the South’s wealth lay not in land, cotton or rice, but in slaves – specifically, in what they term the “capitalized womb.” Along the way, they describe the roles of major figures of colonial and US history – Jefferson, Jackson, Polk, and many others — in creating and defending the slave-breeding economy, which expanded along with the growing nation, while others – most especially the enslaved themselves – resisted it.

This event is free and open to the public.

Trans: Beyond the Tipping Point

With Laverne Cox on the cover of Time magazine, and Jazz Jennings with her own television show, it’s clear that the world of transgender is itself in transition. Kate Bornstein speaks to the changing language of trans, the clear division that runs through almost every trans community, and a strategy for unifying all our new and disparate trans identities without “invisibilizing” anyone.

Author, activist, performance artist, and gender theorist Kate Bornstein is one of the most influential voices in the discussion of gender and trans issues. She has created performance pieces and theater works, led workshops, and written several award-winning books in the field of Women and Gender Studies which are taught in over 120 colleges and universities around the world.

Bornstein recently spent two months with Caitlyn Jenner and six other trans women filming season two of “I Am Cait.” She is also about to release a 25th anniversary edition of her first book, Gender Outlaw, and is working on her sixth book, Trans: Just for the Fun of It.

Photo by Virginia Hamrick.

When walking through a museum it is easy to forget that the perfectly hung paintings and well-lit sculptures are products of a long and arduous process. They are the end result of creative inspiration, but also a myriad of physical and logistical details. It is these details—aspects of an artist’s daily routine—that motivated Joe Fig to embark on a life-long exploration of the working lives of his fellow professional artists. Over the years he has interviewed more than 120 leading contemporary artists. On Thursday, October 22 starting at 6 PM, Joe Fig will be speaking about the evolution of his work and the insights he has gained which are published in his new book Inside the Artist’s Studio. A book signing will follow the lecture.

Joe Fig is an artist and author known for his works that explore the creative process and the spaces where art is made. His paintings and sculptures are exhibited internationally and can be found in numerous museums and leading private collections. He is represented by Cristin Tierney Gallery in New York. Fig works and lives in Connecticut’s Farmington River Valley.

This event is free and open to the public.

Other People’s Stories celebrates the way that our favorite tales evolve with every telling, whether they’re stories our parents told us about their parents, stories our friends told us about ourselves, or the far-fetched boasting of a neighborhood raconteur.

There are only two rules for Other People’s Stories: (1) No notes! Tell it as you remember it; make up the parts you forget. (2) No first-hand knowledge! Tell something that someone else told you.

Who will be telling these stories? A revolving crowd of Hartford area regulars, first timers, and maybe YOU!

If you’ve got someone else’s story that you love to tell, we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a message at otherstorieshartford@gmail.com. We’re definitely looking for submissions.

Even if you have no interest in telling a story, put it on your calendar now, then come to listen. You won’t want to miss it.

The event is free, and open to all.

Curator musicians Joe Morris and Stephen Haynes join their invited guests for freely improvised music, created in real time. The listening environment encourages intimate and deep contact with the music, the musicians, and other audience members.

On Sunday, November 15 we continue our fifth Improvisations music series with fresh talent under the title Improvisations::Arcade. Sunday’s event features Brad Barrett (bass) and Andria Nicodemou (vibes).

BRAD BARRETT is a bassist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator born in Florida, raised in Texas, and currently residing in Boston Massachusetts. He is involved in projects ranging from jazz, bluegrass, folk, flamenco, and a variety of world musics. Brad is also an active member of the international avant garde/improvised music community and has performanced with Jason Moran, Julian Lage, Joe Morris, Kenwood Dennard, Bob Moses, Nate Wooley, Ingrid Laubrock, Agusti Fernandez, and Peter Evans.

ANDRIA NICODEMOU is an important emerging musician in the avant-garde, experimental, improvised, free jazz music idioms in the USA and Europe having worked with musicians such as Joe Morris, Anthony Coleman, Ikue Morri, Tayler Ho Bynum, Tatsuya Nakatani, Ab Baars, Anne La Berge.

Future Events:

SUNDAY DEC 13 | 3 PM: Dan Blacksberg (trombone), Daniel Levin (cello), Brandon Lopez (bass), Stephen Haynes (cornet), Joe Morris (guitar).

SUNDAY JAN 24 | 3 PM: Yasmine Azaiez (violin), Adam Matlock (accordion), Stephen Haynes (cornet), Joe Morris (guitar).