On Saturday March 10, from 2-5 PM, the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History, 1 Elizabeth St., Hartford, will host an open house to celebrate the Passing It On: Southern New England Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program exhibit. The exhibit, which presents the work of master teachers and students who work in a wide variety of ethnic and occupational traditional art forms, closes after March 10.
The event will feature artist demonstrations by participants in the Apprenticeship Program, including wampum carvers Allen Hazard and Josh Carter, Tibetan weaver Tentso Sichoe, Tibetan painters Jampa Tsondue and Tsering Yangchen, and National Heritage Fellow Eldrid Arntzen, a Norwegian rosemaler (painting on wood). Performers will include National Heritage Fellow Kevin Doyle (Irish dance), Irish fiddler Dan Foster, and Mariachi Mexico Antiguo featuring apprentice Citlalli Hernandez.
There will also be a book signing with the authors of Folk Masters: A Portrait of America, a new book from Indiana University Press about the National Heritage Fellows, traditional artists who have received this high distinction from the National Endowment for the Arts. Two New England-based NHFs will be with us on March 10, as they have been master teachers in our apprenticeship program. Co-authors Documentary Photographer Tom Pich and folklorist Barry Bergey, former Director of Folk and Traditional Arts at the National Endowment for the Arts, will speak about their work compiling the stories and images for the book.
The exhibit and public events are supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Connecticut Office of the Arts/DECD, and the Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation. Admission is free for everyone, and there will be light refreshments. More information can be found here: https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/passing-exhibit-closing-event/ or contact Lynne_Williamson@chs.org for more information. Please RSVP at rsvp@chs.org