Cultural Experience

Green Street’s New Mural Brings The Community Together

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“It’s fun.  It’s different.  We’re starting with nothing and making something beautiful.” – Gary Cain, volunteer

Green Street is surrounded by revitalization this summer.  More than 5 neighboring houses are being remodeled, gardens are being planted, and across the street at St. Vincent DePaul Place, the community is coming together to bring color and meaning to the North End.

In 2009, Green Street partnered with Citizen’s Bank to put a mural on the corner of Green and Main Street.  With this success, Green Street and mural artist Marela Zacarias were eager to continue beautifying the community.  When Ron Krum of St. Vincent DePaul Place expressed interest in the project, funding was secured from Lego’s Children Fund and the design process began.

In preparation for the project, Marela held four educational workshops for Green Street students in which she discussed the importance of murals.  Ron then gave the kids the background of St. Vincent DePaul Place and its impact on the community.  It was obvious that the students had been inspired; at the next mural meeting, there were dozens of design ideas.  The final mural design is a culmination of Green Street student drawings, St. Vincent DePaul Place’s vision, and Marela’s artistic guidance.

It’s not just the familiar images of North End landmarks that make this mural a community collaboration; St. Vincent de Paul volunteers Gary, Bill, and John have been working tirelessly alongside Marela throughout the painting process.  These three men, all with their own story, have come together to give something back to the community and, in doing so, have formed friendships.  This dedication has inspired Marela to include their faces in the mural to give the community a stronger sense of ownership.

Marela sees the Community Mural Project as an act of kindness, something to show community support.  “That corner is the corner where hardship lives,” she says, “and the fact that we’re making that corner, specifically, beautiful and colorful and full of hope, is bringing healing to the community.”

If you are interested in supporting and helping our community revitalization efforts please contact us at (860) 685-7871 or gsac@wesleyan.edu

Submitted by Lisa Bruno, Development Assistant

A Community Gathering Around Internationally Inspired Art

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For those who love art and gathering with new friends, Green Street hosts A Trio of Solos, a community event featuring three local artists with amazing talents.  You can enjoy live music from Ceol Go Maidin (formerly The O’Rourke’s Irish Session Band), fabulous food, and art on display and for purchase.

Meredith Arcari, Susan Aranoff, and Jennifer Theokary will fill three of Green Street’s spaces with their paintings, printings, and jewelry.  We invite you to fill the rest of the space with other community members as we kick off our summer session in style.

"Shining Orchestra" by Meredith Arcari

These three dynamic artists are all friends of Green Street and the Middletown community.  Meredith’s stunning paintings are based on photographs that she has taken during her travels around the world.  In an expressionist style, she uses exaggerated colors and gravitates toward small, special moments such as the orchestra playing at 2am in her father’s town of Sepino, Italy.

Susan is a proud resident of Middletown’s North End.  Much of her work features a linoleum block entitled “Sitting.”  This block reflects the constancy of self and the reality of change and impermanence.  Susan explained this saying “I can sit the same way, in the same place, everyday for a hundred years and the ‘I’ who is sitting is constantly changing and is never the same for very long.  I have printed “Sitting” over 100 times and no two will ever be the same.”

Jennifer is a designer and Computer Aided Design artist who creates unique wearable objects (see picture above).  Her recent work is inspired from her experience living and working in the Muslim country of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Jennifer’s work shows how cultural differences, religion, and Islamic architecture become inspiration for decoration and creation of wearable sculpture seen through a westerner’s eyes.  All of her works will be available for sale at this event.

This combination of fascinating artists, great entertainment, and delicious food is sure to make A Trio of Solos an unforgettable event.

"Sitting" by Susan Aranoff

We hope to see you there!

A Trio of Solos
Thursday, July 8, 2010
7-9pm
Regular Price $8; Member Price $5

For tickets call (860) 685-7871 or email gsac@wesleyan.edu.

Submitted by Rachel Roccoberton Griffin, Administrative Assistant

Creating Community: The Stories of Little Caughnawaga

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What makes a community?  It is not the buildings and roads of a place, but

Filmmaker Reaghan Tarbell
Filmmaker Reaghan Tarbell

the bonds between people, that create a community.  This is apparent in Reaghan Tarbell’s film, To Brooklyn and Back: A Mohawk Journey.  The film tells the story of the Mohawk people of Kahnawake, Quebec, who, for over 50 years, have occupied a 10 square block neighborhood in the North Gowanus section of Brooklyn called Little Caughnawaga.

A chance for employment is what led the skilled ironworkers of Kahnawake to Brooklyn, and their wives and children followed.  The women, too, often sought work opportunities in the “golden” city of New York.  The women were instrumental in keeping the community strong and Mohawk culture alive in the Brooklyn neighborhood.  But the people of Little Caughnawaga never forgot where they came from, and often travelled the long journey between Brooklyn and Quebec to visit their extended families.  The film also covers the tragic Quebec Bridge collapse of 1907, a catastrophe which killed 75 people, including 33 men from the Kahnawake community.

Reaghan now works in New York City and lives in Brooklyn, just a few blocks away from the Mohawk community that she heard stories about while growing up in Kahnawake.  The women who built this community were her grandmothers, aunts and other relatives.  Reaghan explains, “Never have I thought more about them than during my own time living in Brooklyn.  Although many years have passed I had a feeling, based on my own experiences, that deep down not much has changed for Mohawk women.  I wanted to learn about their experiences.  I wanted to hear about the issues they faced and I wanted to hear it from the women in whose path I was now walking.”

To screen the film and learn more about Reaghan Tarbell, come to Green Street on Friday, May 14 at 7pm. Suggested donation is $5.

Submitted by Stephanie Elliott, Friend of Green Street and Publicist at Wesleyan University Press

Upcoming Green Street event: Music and Dance of Bali

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Come to Green Street for a musical journey to the tropical island of Bali! This Friday, Green Street Arts Center of Wesleyan University will host an evening of Balinese music and dance with performances by traditional Balinese ensembles. This dance is characterized by expressive hand gestures and intense emotion conveyed through the face as the dancers act out a story or series of events. In Bali, birthdays, weddings, and temples festivals are all occasions for dramatic performances and dance, as they are inextricably linked with the Balinese religion.

About the performers:

Dharma Swara is comprised of about 40 individuals who come from a variety of academic, professional, and artistic backgrounds.  They study a variety of forms, from ancient dances once performed to entertain the rajas in their palaces, to the contemporary kebyar ensemble.  For this concert we are joined by Green Street teaching artist Shoko Yamamuro, dance coordinator for Gamelan Dharma Swara, Noopur Singha, and students of Wesleyan’s Balinese Dance class led by Urip Sri Maeny.

Wesleyan’s Balinese Gamelan Angklung group performs under the direction of Gamelan Dharma Swara’s music and education coordinator Peter Steele. Steele is a musician, scholar and composer working primarily on Balinese Gamelan music, which he teaches at Wesleyan. With an M.A. in ethnomusicology, he is also an active performer and composer, having several of his works performed by Balinese ensembles at the annual Bali Arts festival.

Music and Dance of Bali takes place on Friday, April 30 at 7pm. Tickets are $10 for non-members; $8 for members, students, and seniors; $5 for Wesleyan Staff, Students and Faculty w/ID.

For more information visit www.greenstreetartscenter.org. To purchase tickets call us at 860-685-7871.

Submitted by Lisa Bruno, Development Assistant