Riverwood Poetry Series at Real Art Ways

The Riverwood Poetry Series continues with Rhonda Ward

Rhonda M. Ward, New London, CT Poet Laureate, has organized poetry readings for 17 years. Her poetry has appeared in print and online, most recently in the Cape Cod Poetry Review and the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day project. Appearances include UMass Dartmouth, Bowery Poetry Club, UConn Avery Point, and the International Women’s Arts Festival in Kendal, Cambria UK. Art/Poetry Collaborations include Pamela Gordinier, The Question; and Ana Flores and Diane Barcelo, Poetry of the Wild.

Ms. Ward was selected by the Foundation as an artist-in-residence for their Bulgaria artist exchange in 2015.

An open mic will start after the reading by Rhoda Ward. To sign up, please send an email to riverwoodpoetry@yahoo.com

[ Register HERE]

Join us online on the Second Tuesday of the month through May 2021. Each night has an open mic and a poetry reading featuring regionally – or nationally – known poets.

Coded Bias

A new documentary that explores the implications of MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini’s startling discovery that racial bias is written into the code of facial recognition algorithms.

The new critically acclaimed documentary will be available to rent through our Virtual Cinema starting Wednesday, November 18.

Free Online Q&A Event:

Thursday, November 19 at 8:30pm EST, join the livestreamed discussion hosted by the Coolidge Theatre and moderated by CNN Commentator Van Jones. The discussion is available on the Coolidge Theatre YouTube Channel.

The panel will feature:

Joy Buolamwini, Founder, Algorithmic Justice League

Dr. Safiya Umoja Noble, Author, Algorithms of Oppression

Clare Garvie, Researcher, The Perpetual Lineup

Shalini Kantayya, director of Coded Bias

Kade Crockford, Director, Technology for Liberty Program, ACLU

Alvaro Bedoya, Founding Director, Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law

Coded Bias Synopsis:

Modern society sits at the intersection of two crucial questions: What does it mean when artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly governs our liberties? And what are the consequences for the people AI is biased against? When MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini discovers that most facial-recognition software does not accurately identify darker-skinned faces and the faces of women, she delves into an investigation of widespread bias in algorithms. As it turns out, AI is not neutral, and women are leading the charge to ensure our civil rights are protected.

“This clear-eyed documentary explores how machine-learning algorithms can perpetuate society’s existing class-, race- and gender-based inequities.” – Devika Girish, New York Times

“Shalini Kantayya’s Coded Bias effectively brings to light a modern civil rights issue that can be proven with data.” – Nick Allen, RogerEbert.com

Riverwood Poetry Series

The Riverwood Poetry Series continues with Sean Frederick Forbes

Forbes’ themes will include poetic narratives about the immigrant experience, writing in poetic forms and traveling. He’ll read from his book Providencia as well as providing context for the virtual audience.

Sean Frederick Forbes is an Assistant Professor-in-Residence of English and the Director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Connecticut. His poems have appeared in Chagrin River Review, Sargasso, A Journal of Caribbean Literature, Language, and Culture, Crab Orchard Review, and other publications. In 2009, he received a Woodrow Wilson Mellon Mays University Fellows Travel and Research Grant for the travel to Providencia, Colombia. Providencia, his first book of poetry, was published in 2013. He serves as poetry editor for New Square, the official publication of The Sancho Penza Literary Society for which he is a founding member. In 2017, he received first place in the Nutmeg Poetry Contest from the Connecticut Poetry Society.

An open mic will start after the reading by Sean Frederick Forbes. To sign up, please send an email to riverwoodpoetry@yahoo.com

[ Register HERE]

Join us online the Second Tuesday of the month through May 2021. Each night has an open mic and a poetry reading featuring regionally – or nationally – known poets.

Mario Pavone Trio
Livestream Concert

Mario Pavone is an important friend of Real Art Ways. Pavone has been performing with us for almost as long as our doors have been open, and he is going strong!

We are celebrating the master musician, bassist, and composer’s 80th birthday with our friends at the Litchfield Jazz Festival. Pavone will be joined on stage by pianist Matt Mitchell and drummer Tyshawn Sorey. The performance is free to the public, accessible through the Litchfield Jazz Festival Facebook page.

Photo by Steve Laschever

River City Drumbeat
Q&A with the Filmmakers

We invite you to join us for an online conversation with the film directors, Marlon Johnson and Anne Flatté, film participant Albert Shumake, and Real Art Ways Cinema Coordinator, Ian Ally Seals. At the heart of this documentary is a drum line in Louisville, Ky., that offers children a chance to engage with Black art and history. Together our panelists will discuss music and mentorship in the African American community.

Panelists:

Marlon Johnson is a nine-time Emmy award-winning producer and director. He has worked on award-winning documentary films exploring music and cultural issues like Symphony in D (2017) and Emmy- winning Sunday’s Best (2010). The Ford Foundation commissioned Marlon to direct the documentary Breaking the Silence (2006) which chronicled the rise of HIV infection in the Black-American South.

Anne Flatté is a filmmaker whose work highlights stories about music and community. She is director and producer of Symphony for Nature (PBS, 2018), the web series Music Makes A City Now (YouTube/PBS.org), and producer of Serenade for Haiti (World premiere, DOCNYC 2016). She co-produced and edited Music Makes A City (2010), and the TV version for broadcast (PBS, 2014).

Albert Shumake is the River City Drum Corps Executive Director and has been involved in the drum corps since his own childhood. He is featured in the film.

“We believe every child needs the chance to connect with the arts, and this film tells the story of what results when that connection is fostered.”

– Marlon Johnson and Anne Flatté

About the Film:

NY Times Critics Pick

Edward “Nardie” White devoted his life to leading the African-American drum corps he co-founded with Zambia Nkrumah in Louisville, Kentucky three decades ago. RIVER CITY DRUMBEAT follows this creative community of mentors, parents, and youth making their way in a world where systemic forces raise obstacles to fulfilling their dreams.

“The film listens for this community’s heartbeat, finding its steady pulse just as expected: healthy and strong.” – New York Times

River City Drumbeat is available to rent in our Virtual Cinema.

Family Reunion

Livestream performance on Real Art Ways Facebook Page

Exhibiting artist Shannon VanGyzen’s sculptures contort furniture to contain movement, kind of like dancers.

We reached out to the Hartford Dance Collective and drag artists Coleslaw and Severity Stone to introduced them to Shannon’s work and to see what would happen.

The dancers, in various combinations and with an array of dance styles, will perform with each of Shannon’s sculptures.

This performance is supported in part by an Artist Engagement Fund from the National Performance Network.

In addition to a Livestream, the performance will also be documented in an edited format by filmmaker and artist Laine Rettmer.

Please Note:

All performers have recently tested negative for COVID-19, specifically for this performance. Those who are performing in groups have been in quarantine “pods” in the time leading up to the performance. Hartford Dance Collective and Real Art Ways have worked together with the safety of staff and artists during the filming of this performance in mind.

Riverwood Poetry Series

Riverwood Poetry Series opens its new season (online) with readings and conversations from the anthology Take A Stand: Art Against Hate.

[ Register HERE]

New England poets and community leaders who will read poems from the collection and share their responses, include:

· Anthony Bennett—Pastor at the Mt. Aery Baptist Church in Bridgeport, CT

· Steven Hernandez—Director of Connecticut Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity

· Mike Keo– Photographer and Founder IAMNOTAVIRUS Capaign

· Frederick-Douglass Knowles II— Professor of English at Three Rivers College and current Poet Laureate of Hartford, CT

· Marilyn Nelson—Poet, University of Connecticut Professor Emeritus, and former Connecticut Poet Laureate

· Elizabeth Neptune—President, Neptune Advantage serving Passamaquoddy and other Native American tribes

. William Tong, CT State Attorney General

· Taylor Bryan Turner-Assistant Regional Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Boston, MA

· Representative Mary Jane Wallner-New Hampshire State Representative

· Elaine Zimmerman—Poet and U. S. Region 1 Administrator of Children and Families Boston, MA

Poems will engage with legacy, presence, questions, evidence and/or resistance. There will be time for discussion with our readers following the presentation.

Thank you for joining us to forward a climate of respect, diversity and dignity. We reach out virtually for the safety and health of all.

Riverwood Poetry Series will resume its open mic next month, Tuesday, November 10th.

RBG

Women’s Night Out

We invite our women members to come together to mark the life and legacy of the Notorious RBG.

We are presenting a free outdoor screening of the critically acclaimed documentary RBG and are honored to have our Secretary of State Denise Merrill introduce the film.

Event Details:

We have converted our parking lot into space for socially distanced gatherings.

“Doors” will open at 6:30 followed by the film at 7:00.

Bring your own blanket or chairs. We will have drinks and light concessions for sale inside our cafe. Our galleries will be open with limited capacity.

Seating will be limited according to state guidelines and advance reservations are required to attend.

Reservations:

This is an event for Real Art Ways women members. When making reservations, you will need to reserve one ticket per person in your party. Seating will be socially distanced in pods, with a maximum of 4 people per pod. There must be at least one member per pod.

To make your reservation email: reservations@realartways.org

Since this event has limited capacity, please inform us through email or by phone if you need to cancel your reservation.

Parking:

For this event, the parking entrance is on Orange Street (not Arbor Street). There will be accessible parking spaces available.

Health and Safety:

We have updated our health and safety protocols to welcome you into our space. You can read more about them HERE.

94 % on Rotten Tomatoes

Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary, 2019

“Moving”- Kenneth Turan, L.A. Times

“Vital, a fist-pumping, crowd-pleasing doc…reminds people of Ginsburg’s vitality and importance, now more than ever.” – Kate Erbalnd, Indiewire

Synopsis:

An intimate portrait of an unlikely rock star: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. With unprecedented access, the filmmakers explore how her early legal battles changed the world for women.

Lit Talks: Wally Lamb

The Connecticut Literary Festival and Real Art Ways are working together to offer virtual “Lit Talks.”

Up next, local treasure Wally Lamb, will give a reading and be in conversation with our own Will K. Wilkins.

Wally Lamb is the author of six New York Times bestselling novels and also edited Couldn’t Keep It to Myself, I’ll Fly Away, and You Don’t Know Me, three volumes of essays from students in his writing workshop at York Correctional Institution, a women’s prison in Connecticut, where he was a volunteer facilitator for 20 years.

All Together Now
2020 Fundraiser

We made our goal!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our Fall Fundraiser.

And thank you to the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, for their matching gift.

If you would still like to contribute it is not too late.

Together, we make Real Art Ways possible.

Thank you,

& The Real Team

Why I support Real Art Ways:

“I found my mentors, my role models, and now my life-long friendships.”

– Our newest board member, Yedalis Ruiz

“Walking into Real Art Ways is like walking into the arms of an old friend.”

-Artist Hong Hong

“The best thing about Real Art Ways is how they bring our communities together in a really beautiful and colorful way.“

-Travelers executive, supporter of arts and culture in Hartford, and Realie Award recipient Tara Spain.

“Since 1975 when the doors opened I have been coming to Real Art Ways…”

– Maurice Robertson, WWUH radio host, photographer, jazz maven, and Hartford Jazz Society stalwart.

“I wouldn’t be a filmmaker if it weren’t for Real Art Ways”

– Local filmmaker wunderkind TJ Noel-Sullivan.

All Together Now 2020 Sponsors

PRESENTING SPONSOR

The Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving

ADDITIONAL SPONSORS

Cohn Birnbaum & Shea P.C.

Hartford Hospital

Ironwood Capital

Locke Lord LLP

MacDermid, Reynolds & Glissman, P.C.

Marketing Solutions

Judith & Brewster Perkins & Smith Brothers

Jon L. Schoenhorn & Associates, LLC

TD Bank

Ten Minutes to Midnight

Event Details:

We are converting our parking lot into space for socially distanced gatherings and we invite you to join us for the outdoor premiere of Erik Bloomquist’s new film, Ten Minutes to Midnight.

“Doors” will open at 7:00 and the film will begin at 7:30.

Bring your own blanket or chairs. We will have food and drinks for sale inside our cafe. Our galleries will be open with limited capacity.

Seating will be limited according to state guidelines and advance reservations are required to attend.

Reservations:

When making reservations, you will need to purchase one ticket per person in your party. Seating will be socially distanced in pods, with a maximum of 4 people per pod.

Parties that do not check in ten minutes before the film begins will have their reservations voided.

Since this event has limited capacity, please inform us through email or by phone if you need to cancel your reservation.

Parking:

For this event, the parking entrance is on Orange Street (not Arbor Street). There will be accessible parking spaces available.

Rain Date:

Thursday, September 24

Health and Safety:

We have updated our health and safety protocols to welcome you into our space. You can read more about them HERE.

In TEN MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT, scream queen Caroline Williams returns to the DJ booth for the first time since her star-making turn as Stretch in 1986’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Williams plays Amy Marlowe, a veteran late-night radio host on the eve of forced retirement trapped inside the station by a violent storm after being bitten by a rabid bat.

The film also stars Nicole Kang (Batwoman), Alice Kremelberg (Orange is the New Black), and late genre-favorite Nicholas Tucci (You’re Next) in one of his final performances.

GOZA and
“Cinema Paradiso”

This event has sold out.

Event Details:

We are converting our parking lot into space for socially distanced gatherings.
“Doors” will open at 5:30. Music will begin at 6:00 followed by the film at 7:15.

Bring your own blanket or chairs. We will have food and drinks for sale inside our cafe. Our galleries will be open with limited capacity.

Seating will be limited according to state guidelines and advance reservations are required to attend.

Reservations:

When making reservations, you will need to reserve one ticket per person in your party. Seating will be socially distanced in pods, with a maximum of 4 people per pod.

Parties that do not check in ten minutes before the band begins will have their reservations voided.

Since this event has limited capacity, please inform us through email or by phone if you need to cancel your reservation.

Parking:

For this event, the parking entrance is on Orange Street (not Arbor Street). There will be accessible parking spaces available.

Rain Date:

Friday, October 2

Health and Safety:

We have updated our health and safety protocols to welcome you into our space. You can read more about them HERE.

Music:

GOZA (Spanish for Joy) – An engaging Latin musical ensemble comprised of Connecticut’s most seasoned and versatile musicians. They perform exciting music and dance rhythms from Latin America, Brazil, and Spain with guitar, violin, horns, Latin percussion, and beautiful, romantic vocals.

Goza rhythms include samba, salsa, bachata, rumba, cha-cha, cumbia, flamenco, tango, and bolero.

Their covers include many Latin standards plus music of Jobim, Tito Puente, Gipsy Kings, Buena Vista, Selena, Beatles, Santana, Stevie Wonder, Van Morrison, Guns & Roses, and many originals.

Support of this concert comes from the Evelyn W. Preston Fund

Movie:

Cinema Paradiso

Academy Award Winner, Best International Feature, 1990

“Still rapturous after all these years, Cinema Paradiso stands as one of the great films about movie love.”- Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

Synopsis:

Cinema Paradiso offers a nostalgic look at films and the effect they have on a young boy who grows up in and around the title village movie theater in this Italian comedy drama that is based on the life and times of screenwriter/director Giuseppe Tornatore.

The story begins in the present as a Sicilian mother pines for her estranged son, Salvatore, who left many years ago and has since become a prominent Roman film director who has taken the advice of his mentor too literally. He finally returns to his home village to attend the funeral of the town’s former film projectionist, Alfredo, and, in so doing, embarks upon a journey into his boyhood just after WWII when he became the man’s official son. In the dark confines of the Cinema Paradiso, the boy and the other townsfolk try to escape from the grim realities of post-war Italy.

Nelson Bello and Friends
“Buena Vista Social Club”

This event has sold out.

Event Details:

We are converting our parking lot into space for socially distanced gatherings.
“Doors” will open at 6:00. Music will begin at 6:30 followed by the film at 7:45.

Bring your own blanket or chairs. We will have food and drinks for sale inside our cafe. Our galleries will be open with limited capacity.

Seating will be limited according to state guidelines and advance reservations are required to attend.

Reservations:

When making reservations, you will need to reserve one ticket per person in your party. Seating will be socially distanced in pods, with a maximum of 4 people per pod.

Parties that do not check in ten minutes before the band begins will have their reservations voided.

Since this event has limited capacity, please inform us through email or by phone if you need to cancel your reservation.

Parking:

For this event, the parking entrance is on Orange Street (not Arbor Street). There will be accessible parking spaces available.

Rain Date:

Friday, September 11

Health and Safety:

We have updated our health and safety protocols to welcome you into our space. You can read more about them HERE.

Music:

Nelson Bello & Friends

Nelson Bello, a Connecticut based percussionist, began his musical studies at the Hartford Conservatory Jazz Summer Program at the age of 13 and the Performing Arts Academy in Hartford Connecticut. At the age of 15 he traveled to Cuba for the International Jazz Festival (with Latin Flavor now better known as INSIGHT) and invited guest Pianist Chucho Valdez. Through his range of music Nelson has been able to perform with the likes of Andy Gonzalez, Cheo Feliciano, Ismael Miranda, Tony Vega, Charles Flores, Zaccai and Luques Curtis among others. Nelson is co-founder of the Latin Jazz band TROMBEATZ and they are working on their first musical recording titled “A Caribbean Thing”.

Support of this concert comes from the Evelyn W. Preston Fund

Movie:

Buena Vista Social Club

91% on Rotten Tomatoes

“Being able to hear this kind of playing is a special moment in time, one we don’t want to end and one that we’re privileged to experience.”

-Kenneth Turan, L.A. Times

Synopsis:

In 1996 Ry Cooder gathered together some of the greatest names from the history of Cuban music to collaborate on the best selling and Grammy-winning album The Buena Vista Social Club. This ground-breaking documentary, inspired by the album, includes appearances by legendary performers Ry & Joaquim Cooder, Ibrahim Ferrer, Ruben Gonzales, Eliades Ochoa, Omara Portuondo, Compay Segundo, and many other renowned Cuban Musicians.

Cuatro Puntos Ensemble and
“The Music of Strangers”

This event has sold out.

Event Details:

We are converting our parking lot into space for socially distanced gatherings.
“Doors” will open at 5:30. Music will begin at 6:15 followed by the film at 7:30.

Bring your own blanket or chairs. We will have food and drinks for sale inside our cafe. Our galleries will be open with limited capacity.

Seating will be limited according to state guidelines and advance reservations are required to attend.

Reservations:

When making reservations, you will need to reserve one ticket per person in your party. Seating will be socially distanced in pods, with a maximum of 4 people per pod.

Parties that do not check in ten minutes before the band begins will have their reservations voided.

Since this event has limited capacity, please inform us through email or by phone if you need to cancel your reservation.

Parking:

For this event, the parking entrance is on Orange Street (not Arbor Street). There will be accessible parking spaces available.

Rain Date:

Friday, September 18

Health and Safety:

We have updated our health and safety protocols to welcome you into our space. You can read more about them HERE.

Music:

Cuatro Puntos Ensemble

Hartford’s Cuatro Puntos Ensemble has earned international acclaim for its genre-defying projects, recordings, and programs that activate music as a pragmatic and universally accessible stimulus for social change, cultural awareness, and empowerment of the underserved.

Support of this concert comes from the Evelyn W. Preston Fund

Movie:

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble

“Strangers” is only superficially about music. It’s also about cultural identity; the meaning of home; the debt we owe our ancestors (and fellow humans); and the source of creativity.” – Stephanie Merry, Washington Post

“Lovely to watch, it’s even more beautiful to hear.” – Ken Jaworowski The NYTimes

Synopsis:

From the director of the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom and the critically acclaimed Best of Enemies, the film The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble tells the extraordinary story of the renowned international musical collective created by legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

The feature-length documentary follows this group of diverse instrumentalists, vocalists, composers, arrangers, visual artists and storytellers as they explore the power of music to preserve tradition, shape cultural evolution and inspire hope.

Haneef N. Nelson Quartet and
“Jazz on a Summer’s Day”

Event Details:

We are converting our parking lot into space for socially distanced gatherings.
“Doors” will open at 6:00. Music will begin at 6:45 followed by the film at 8:30.

Bring your own blanket or chairs. We will have food and drinks for sale inside our cafe. Our galleries will be open with limited capacity.

Seating will be limited according to state guidelines and advance reservations are required to attend.

Reservations:

When making reservations, you will need to reserve one ticket per person in your party. Seating will be socially distanced in pods, with a maximum of 4 people per pod.

Parties that do not check in ten minutes before the band begins will have their reservations voided.

Since this event has limited capacity, please inform us through email or by phone if you need to cancel your reservation.

Parking:

For this event, the parking entrance is on Orange Street (not Arbor Street). There will be accessible parking spaces available.

Rain Date:

Friday, September 4

Health and Safety:

We have updated our health and safety protocols to welcome you into our space. You can read more about them HERE.

Music:

Haneef N. Nelson Quartet:

Featuring:

Haneef N. Nelson-trumpet

Andrew Wilcox-keyboard

Matt Dwonszyk-bass

Jonathan Barber-drums

Haneef graduated from The Hartt School with a degree in African-American music study and has been involved in the Hartford arts scene for over 21 years. A prolific musician, businessman, and educator, his passion for music is displayed in every aspect of his professional career as a performer, composer, master class teacher, and in his work in leadership development. He continues to strive for excellence in expanding arts-based training for the next generation of creatives in business.

Support of this concert comes from the Evelyn W. Preston Fund

Movie:

Jazz on a Summer’s Day

100% on Rotten Tomatoes

‘As generous a dish of top jazz music as any cat could take in one gulp.”

-Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Synopsis:

Filmed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival and directed by world-renowned photographer Bert Stern, Jazz on a Summer’s Day features intimate performances by an all-star line-up of musical legends including Louis Armstrong, Thelonius Monk, Gerry Mulligan, Anita O’Day, Chuck Berry, Dinah Washington, and closes with a beautiful rendition of The Lord’s Prayer by Mahalia Jackson at midnight to usher in Sunday morning.

The New Mosaic and
“Standing in the Shadows of Motown”

This event has sold out.

Event Details:

We are converting our parking lot into space for socially distanced gatherings.
“Doors” will open at 5:30. Music will begin at 6:15 followed by the film at 7:30.

Bring your own blanket or chairs. We will have food and drinks for sale inside our cafe. Our galleries will be open with limited capacity.

Seating will be limited according to state guidelines and advance reservations are required to attend.

Reservations:

When making reservations, you will need to reserve one ticket per person in your party. Seating will be socially distanced in pods, with a maximum of 4 people per pod.

Parties that do not check in ten minutes before the band begins will have their reservations voided.

Since this event has limited capacity, please inform us through email or by phone if you need to cancel your reservation.

Parking:

For this event, the parking entrance is on Orange Street (not Arbor Street). There will be accessible parking spaces available.

Rain Date:

Friday, September 25

Health and Safety:

We have updated our health and safety protocols to welcome you into our space. You can read more about them HERE.

Music:

The New Mosaic

Following the 2017 release of her debut solo EP, “Young”, Erica T. Bryan of West End Blend brings her powerhouse vocals to a fresh neo-soul project. Together, with Tom Sullivan (West End Blend), Mike Carabello (The Lost Tribe), and Dwayne Keith (The Dwayne Keith Project, Therabeat) the quartet lays down a collage of R&B, funk, and jazz-inspired by the artistry of Erykah Badu, Chaka Khan, Sade and more. Erica T. Bryan and friends present: The New Mosaic.

The group released their debut single, “Out of Body” on February 11th, 2020, available digitally everywhere.

Erica T. Bryan | Vox

Tom Sullivan | Electric + Synth Bass

Mike Carabello | Keys

Dwayne Keith | Drums

Support of this concert comes from the Evelyn W. Preston Fund

Movie:

Standing in the Shadows of Motown

91% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

In 1959, Berry Gordy gathered the best musicians from Detroit’s thriving jazz and blues scene to begin cutting songs for his new record company. Over a fourteen year period they were the heartbeat on “My Girl,” “Bernadette,” “I Was Made to Love Her,” and every other hit from Motown’s Detroit era. By the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number ones hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined – which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music. They called themselves the Funk Brothers.

Forty-one years after they played their first note on a Motown record and three decades since they were all together, the Funk Brothers reunited back in Detroit to play their music and tell their unforgettable story.

Outdoor Music & Movie Night

This event has sold out.

Real Art Ways will be hosting more outdoor movie nights during the summer and we hope to see you there. To stay in touch, sign up for our weekly Enews letter.

Event Overview:

Music with Erica T. Bryan and Tom Sullivan (members of West End Blend and The New Mosaic)

followed by

I Am Not Your Negro (a profound film, based on the words of James Baldwin)

Our first live event since the shutdown!

Outdoors at the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington.

Bring a blanket, chairs, and a picnic to the Hill-Stead Museum West Lawn. Order beverages online through The Wise Old Dog using this link or bring your own. Seating is limited according to state guidelines.

We will sell out.

Tickets: $25 /$20 for Real Art Ways Members (You will need your Member ID number.)

Advance tickets only. No ticket sales at the door.

Music:

Erica T. Bryan and Tom Sullivan, of West End Blend and The New Mosaic, bring their superb musical skills for an intimate, outdoor experience. They’ve played Real Art Ways several times. They are outstanding!

Movie:

99% on Rotten Tomatoes

NY Times Critic’s Pick

Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary, 2017

“Raoul Peck’s documentary is an important introduction to James Baldwin’s work and an advanced seminar in racial politics.” –A.O. Scott The NYTimes

Synopsis:

In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, Remember This House. The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and successive assassinations of three of his close friends-Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.

At the time of Baldwin’s death in 1987, he left behind only thirty completed pages of his manuscript. Now, in his incendiary documentary, filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished. The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race in America, using Baldwin’s original words and a flood of rich archival material. I Am Not Your Negro is a journey into black history that connects the past of the Civil Rights movement to the present of #BlackLivesMatter. It is a film that questions black representation in Hollywood and beyond. And, ultimately, by confronting the deeper connections between the lives and assassination of these three leaders, Baldwin and Peck have produced a work that challenges the very definition of what America stands for.

Crip Camp: Why the Disability Revolution is Good for Everybody

You are invited to join us online for a conversation about the new documentary “Crip Camp.”

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

We will be joined by:

Judith (Judy) Heumann is a lifelong advocate for the rights of disabled people and is featured in Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution. President Obama appointed her as the first Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the US Department of State (where she served from 2010-2017.) Judy was featured on the Trevor Noah show, and her memoir “Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist,” was recently published by Beacon Press.

Lionel Je’Woodyard, worked at Camp Jened as a Teen Counselor, Adult Camp Director, Field Trip Coordinator, Swimming Instructor, and many other “get the job done capacities”. In 1972 after graduating from college, Lionel moved to New York City from his hometown of Moblie, Alabama. He has worked for The Camp Jened Foundation, United Cerebral Palsy, and has continuously been involved in Disability advocacy for many years. The Camp Jened experience left a LIFE-LONG positive impression on Lionel. He also appeared in the award-winning documentary film “Crip Camp.”

and

Sheldon Koy, a counselor and later Co-Director of Camp Jened. Both of Koy’s parents attended Camp Jened, and encouraged their children to become involved. He is currently the Educator and Administrative Director of the Hebrew Tabernacle Congregation in Washington Heights, New York City.

Accessibility: Closed captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided.

For questions please contact:

Megan Bent

Marketing and Communications Coordinator

mbent@realartways.org

About “Crip Camp”:

Available to stream on Netflix

Audience Choice Award, Sundance 2020

100% on Rotten Tomatoes

NY Times Critic Pick

“The movie is both a profile of people who declared they would be no longer invisible and a celebration of the activist culture that supported and sustained them. ”

–David Edelstein, Vulture

Film Synopsis:

In the early 1970s, teenagers with disabilities faced a future shaped by isolation, discrimination and institutionalization. Camp Jened, a ramshackle camp “for the handicapped” in the Catskills, exploded those confines. Jened was their freewheeling Utopia, a place with summertime sports, smoking and makeout sessions awaiting everyone, and campers felt fulfilled as human beings. Their bonds endured as they migrated West to Berkeley, California — a promised land for a growing and diverse disability community — where friends from Camp Jened realized that disruption and unity might secure life-changing accessibility for millions.

John Lewis: Good Trouble A Community Conversation

You are invited to join us on Zoom for a community conversation.

We will reflect on Lewis’ philosophy “When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just…say something! Do Something! Get in trouble, good trouble, necessary trouble!”

Rent “John Lewis: Good Trouble” HERE

Panelists:

Bishop John Selders is an ordained minister serving in the United Church of Christ, the Organizing Pastor of Amistad United Church of Christ, Hartford, CT, former Associate College Chaplain and currently Assistant Dean of Students, Trinity College, Hartford, CT and one of the leaders of Moral Monday CT.

Rev. Dr. Shelley D. Best is a visual artist, equity warrior, yogini, creative place maker. Through her two decades of community building ministry, she has inspired the lives of thousands of leaders across the country.

Iran Nazario is an expert in Gang Prevention and Mediation and provides training to many groups serving youth who are deemed at risk. In 2016 he founded the Peace Center of Connecticut where he serves as President/CEO.

March Riverwood Poetry Series

Riverwood Poetry is a FREE series that takes place on the second Tuesday of the month September 2019 – May 2020. Each night begins with an open mic, followed by a poetry reading featuring regionally-or nationally-known poets.

March Poet | Elizabeth Thomas

Elizabeth Thomas is a widely published poet, performer, advocate of the arts and teacher. She has read her work throughout the United States, in other parts of the world, and has been a member of three Connecticut National Poetry Slam teams. She is the author of two poetry books: Full Circle and From the Front of the Classroom. Thomas is an arts educator who has taught all ages from pre-K to senior citizens. She has taught in most of the Hartford schools, and is a master teaching artist for the Connecticut Commission of the Arts and the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts. Elizabeth says “…poetry helps us understand who we are in relation to the world around us…”. Thomas has recently completed a memoir.

About Riverwood Poetry Series
The Riverwood Poetry Series, Inc. is a non-profit arts organization committed to the promotion and appreciation of poetry in Connecticut. RPS, Inc. is invested in providing entertaining and thought-provoking programming while responding to the needs of our neighbors through community outreach and collaboration. Learn more at their website.