Guest Author

Upcoming Native Arts & Events Series Not to be Missed

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Native Dance

I find that Native American dance is usually misunderstood by the general public, if not entirely overlooked.  Knowing that Green Street offers a number of dance classes and workshops, and that Wesleyan has a vibrant Dance Department, I thought there would be plenty of interest to hold a workshop on Native American dance.  Join Rebecca Perry-Levy (Pequot/Narragansett) and her family in an exploration of a number of different Native American Dance traditions, in full regalia. This workshop includes a question and answer forum, in depth explanation, and teaching of social dances.  Participation is welcome, but not necessary.  Please join us on Saturday, September 25th, 2-4pm whether you want to dance or simply sit back and enjoy!

Be sure to join us for other events in this fantastic series:

File Under Miscellaneous StillThe next event in the series is a special Halloween-themed film screening on Friday, October 29th, at 7pm.  Montreal-based writer and director Jeff Barnaby (Mi’kmaq) will discuss The Colony and his new film, File Under Miscellaneous, both of which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.  File Under Miscellaneous received a warm reception at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and has been called “a dark SciFi gem” by critic Todd Brown. Barnaby’s psychological thrillers will make you reconsider stereotypes of what Native/First Nations art “should be.”  In addition, there will be a screening of Bruce Curliss’ (Nipmuc) short film Survivor, which deals with the atrocities committed against the Nipmuc at Deer Island.  On October 30, 1675, Native people from what is now South Natick were removed to Deer Island in Boston Harbor.  Without adequate food, clothing, or shelter, the majority of the people—mostly women, children, and elders—perished. (Viewers should note that The Colony and File Under Miscellaneous are not suitable for viewers under the age of 18 without parental accompaniment.)

On Friday, November 12, at 7pm, Green Street will be hosting a panel moderated by anthropologist and UMass Boston professor Amy Den Ouden. Panelists will include Schaghticoke elder Trudie Lamb Richmond and Ruth Garby Torres, also a member of the Schaticoke Nation, and representatives from the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation and the Golden Hill Paugussett Indian Nation. Our knowledgeable panelists will discuss issues facing their tribes, including federal recognition. They will happily answer questions from the audience, with the hope that the event will be an open, informative dialogue.

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

To reserve your spot for any of these events, call 860-685-7871 or email gsac@wesleyan.edu.Native Dance

Native American Dance Workshop

Saturday, September 25 | 2pm

General: $10; Members/Students/Seniors: $8

This event is co-sponsored by the Wesleyan Dance Department.

File Under Miscellaneous: Short Films

Friday, October 29 | 7 pm

Suggest donation: $5

The State of Native Connecticut

Friday, November 12 | 7 pm

Suggest donation: $5

Keeping the Beat: Green Street Encourages Life-Long Students

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A Note of Thanks

Thank you to everyone who attended our Opening Evening on September 10th; the night was a great success and we enjoyed meeting new friends and seeing familiar faces.  We’d like to thank Michael Roth, Wesleyan University President, Sonia Mañjon, Wesleyan University Vice President for Institutional Partnerships and Chief Diversity Officer, and our incredible Green Street Advisory Board members and Wesleyan Trustees who joined in the festivities and showed their support for GSAC.  We hope you all experienced some of the great offerings, like the salsa workshop, West African Drumming and Dancing, and family art projects.  Green Street is fortunate to have fantastic advocates like you.  Buster and Paola, two of our supporters, have shared their Green Street experience with us below.

Keeping the Beat

Green Street Arts Center is an essential part of our lifelong learning process.  Buster and I are both teachers. He teaches fourth grade at Macdonough School in Middletown and I teach sixth grade at Sunset Ridge Elementary Academy for Arts and World Languages in East Hartford. He is a Middletown native and I live in Glastonbury, which makes for a convenient commute to Green Street for both of us.  Last spring, we participated in the West African Drumming: Djembe Orchestra class led by expert instructors Jocelyn Pleasant and Aaron Greenberg, who teach with humor and patience. We not only practiced drum technique, but also learned about the various rhythms and cultures of West African countries with our diverse, energetic, and good-natured classmates.

In addition to expert instruction and welcoming classmates, another key feature of the Green Street Arts Center is its partnership with the greater Middletown community.  As a culmination to our drumming course, many class members joined the instructors and younger Green Street students to perform at a community festival celebrating the arts open to all.  For a novice musician such as me, performing a public concert for an intergenerational audience was thrilling!

Buster and I always look forward to Green Street’s new course offerings because they stretch our minds and rejuvenate our spirits.  In the future, we hope to explore Salsa dancing, creative writing, martial arts, and of course, more drumming.

Thank you, Green Street Arts Center for helping us stay bright and lively!

Sincerely,

Paola Maina and Buster NelsonFall Catalog Cover
Submitted by Paola Maina and Buster Nelson, Green Street students and After School support staff

If, like Paola and Buster, you are interested in staying bright and lively through one of Green Street’s offerings, view our fall course catalog here.  To become a member and receive great discounts at Green Street and partner organizations around the state, email gsac@wesleyan.edu or call (860) 685-7871.  Click here for all of the membership benefits. We look forward to hearing from you.

Future Animators Shaped At Green Street

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“Working at Green Street, in the After School program, has given me the chance to show our students how current technology can be a creative tool that they can use to express themselves.  I try to help them see how relatively easy it is for them to create sophisticated content, and put it out into the community and further into the world. In some sense, I want to convert them from passive consumers of online content into creative producers.” -Shawn Hill

For the past few years I’ve been teaching Digital Video Animation to Green Street’s After School students and helping them create animated shorts (cartoons).  Students draw images on the computer and then move those images to a new location on the screen.  The computer then infills the motion necessary to move from the initial location to the new one, and creates the sense of motion over time.Student Animator

Animating in this way gives the students immediate feedback on their drawings and brings them to life through motion.  Each student is typically able to create a short animated section of about 3-6 seconds in length during an hour-long class.  And, while spending an hour to create 5 seconds of a cartoon may sound like a lot of time, when you consider that 5 seconds represents 120 frames, you can imagine how much time it would have taken even the most talented classic Disney animators to draw 120 subtly different drawings in order to add up to 5 seconds of final film!

Each semester our class settles on a theme – over the years we’ve done global warming, exercising, Middletown, and science.  In each class I introduce and demonstrate a new skill or technique in Anime Studio.  The students then go off to their own computer to draw, and then animate some part of the semester’s theme, using the new skill/technique.

Each week the students create their clips independently, and the beginning of the following class is often a great chance for them to see the creativity and skill of their peers By mid-semester we begin to assemble the best clips into a class video.  We work on titles and credits, and typically end-up with a final class video of about 6 minutes in length.  Students in Green Street’s Sound Recording class then create soundtracks that we add to the final cartoon.

Submitted by Shawn Hill, Wesleyan Staff & Green Street teaching artist

Here is a video students made called “Go Out and Play”.  Click here to see more videos and get a sense of the great work our After School students have created.

A little bit about After School:
Green Street’s After School Arts and Science Program offers outstanding classes with published writers, professional dancers and visual artists that represent the diversity of our community and the breadth of our experience.  Classes are offered for grades 1-9, Monday through Thursday and grades K-5 on Fridays.  Students can take classes in digital animation, African drumming, comic book creation, breakdance, sound recording and more.  Our After School Program begins on September 13, 2010.

Registration closes at noon on September 8th, or once the program has reached maximum enrollment, so don’t wait!  In order to enroll in the program, you and your child must register with us in person to sign our Parent Handbook, complete financial aid paperwork, and/or make payments. Please call ahead – (860) 685-7871 – to schedule an appointment; drop-ins will only be seen on a first-come, first-served basis.  Registration appointments are currently being scheduled at the following times:

Monday, August 30th and Tuesday August 31st – 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Wednesday, September 1st and Friday, September 3rd – 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Thursday, September 2nd and Tuesday, September 7th – 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Diffraction “Rainbow” Glasses at the Art & Science Summer Academy

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Last week fourth and fifth graders participating in Green Street’s Summer Arts & Science Academy created their very own Diffraction “Rainbow” Glasses.  Each student’s creativity shone through their designs resembling a cat, a butterfly, an elephant, a blue bunny, the United States flag, imaginary monsters, and more!  These students have been learning about topics related to light and vision with teacher Mariah Reisner.  Overall 12 teachers and teaching assistants are sharing their time and talent with the 37 Summer Academy students in grades 1-5.  This pilot program at Green Street included classes in visual art, music, dance, experimentation, and community science, and it already is being deemed a success!

Click here to view this educational art project that the students enjoyed:  Diffraction Rainbow Glasses.

Submitted by Mariah Reisner, Teaching Artist

For more great images of our summer programs, check out our Facebook page and be sure to become our fan!

Write of Passage

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Al Bower and friends at an event for writers

A 28-year resident of Middletown’s North End, I retired from full-timework to become a writer in 2006.  My Green Street Arts Center experience began when I took a writers workshop with Dan Pope, which provided the work atmosphere and critiquing I needed.  I was new to critically viewing works and hadn’t been in a classroom in decades, so this was a refresher course that provided new information.  Dan gave us relevant feedback, with lectures on how to critique and handouts of examples.  During this course an editor accepted my first short story.  What a rush!  “Synesthetics” hit print April, 2007 and is online at scars.tv.  Two others have been added there since.

Having whetted my writing appetite, the next year I workshopped with Sari Rosenblatt, who challenged us with “quickie” in-class assignments.  She’d hand out random photographs to each of us, then give us 5-10 minutes to compose a story about the picture.  I’d never dabbled in “flash fiction” before, but the exercises produced some fairly good material, which stunned me.  Two of the eleven stories I’ve published are flash pieces.  Later that year a one-day workshop with Jamie Cat Callan presented similar challenges; we composed five-minute works, again with positive results.

Adult Reader
Writing student reading work at a GSAC event

Since Writers Out Loud began in 2008, I’ve attended every month, mainly because reading aloud shows where faults lie and aids the rewriting process.  The primary side benefit has been meeting many delightful prose people, who’ve become friends, literary influences, and indispensable sources of feedback.  The Writers Out Loud ambience is relaxed; attendees bring cheese and crackers, soda, and home-made sweets to enjoy.  The first half hour gives us time to socialize and catch up on prior conversations.  I normally do a short reading, leading into Cocomo’s announcements and introduction of the evening’s readers.  After each person’s oration, the group acknowledges strengths and weaknesses.  One reading that moved me especially was Piyar Delerme’s, “Cornflower Blue,” which she’ll read this Thursday.  It’s a touching and delicately-phrased description of a brutal situation that made my arm hairs stand at attention.

As a resident of Middletown, I believe in supporting the community and its artistic folks and I am forever grateful for the opportunities Green Street provides.  Writers Out Loud has provided prose writers the chance to give voice to their fictions, their memories, their lives; I relish creating characters and situations but have also read memoirs about key friends in my life.  Most of all, though, I’ve enjoyed writing about my wife, Carol, in some 18 efforts, both fictional and non-fictional.  A few Writers Out Loud attendees have told me they want to meet her based on my readings.  Apparently, I’m developing the ability to touch people. That is my goal.

Submitted by Al Bower, Middletown resident and Green Street participant

Writers Out Loud: Cream of the Crop
Thursday, July 29, 2010 | 7pm
Regular Price $8; Member Price $5
For reservations call (860) 685-7871 or email gsac@wesleyan.edu.

Join the creative cast of Writers Out Loud in an evening of hand-picked readings by Middletown’s freshest up-and-coming prose authors.  The evening will culminate in the presentation of the Golden Kiss Award—make sure your vote is counted!  This event is dedicated to the memory of Janice M. Albert in celebration of her life and contributions to our creative community.

Exploring Opportunities: When Work Becomes Play

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Being the Financial Coordinator and Registrar at Wesleyan’s Green Street Arts Center has many rewards.  I am able to meet many wonderful people, as the diversity of this Center is truly amazing.  I work with our teaching artists on a daily basis, and after getting to know these dynamic people I am always curious to see what their classes are like.  I took my first class at Green Street two years ago and continue to take advantage of some of the great offerings each year.

Leah's Hip-Hop ClassAfter the success of Beginning Drawing, my first Green Street class, I was inspired to continue exploring what Green Street had to offer from a student’s perspective.  Being a woman in my mid-forties, and having a sedentary job, I wanted to incorporate more activity into my life.  Leah’s Hip-Hop Aerobics class seemed like the perfect fit.

When I showed up for the first class, I could tell that I was the oldest of the 10 students.  I wasn’t discouraged- quite the opposite, actually.  I grabbed my water bottle and the determination to make it through the first class.  After 55 minutes of great music, a few simple dance moves, and stretches, I had clearly gotten a complete aerobic workout.  It was so much fun, that it was hard to think of the class as exercise.  Driving home, I felt energized and was hooked.

Like all of Green Street’s teaching artists, Leah has a way of making Hip-Hop Aerobics equally enjoyable for both beginners and experienced dancers.  She is energetic and kindly encourages all students to make the most of the experience.

After taking Hip-Hop Aerobics, I have not only have I gotten in better shape, but have also proved to myself that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.  I gave the class a chance, and I am excited to try others at Green Street again soon.

If you’re interested in attending Hip-Hop Aerobics or want more information about other classes and events at Green Street, call (860) 685-7871, email gsac@wesleyan.edu, or visit our website. Still not sure what to take?  Many classes welcome drop-ins!

Submitted by Claudia Foerstel, Financial Coordinator & Registrar and Green Street student

New Perspectives: Green Street’s Managing Director Practices What She Preaches

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As Green Street’s Managing Director, I spend most of my days, and even some nights, working behind the scenes. I’m usually writing grants, soliciting support for programming, balancing budgets, managing operations and staff, and spreading the word about all of our offerings.  I love what I do, and am even more passionate about this incredible organization for which I work, but I would be lying if I said it wasn’t sometimes stressful.  One of the best parts about working at this extraordinarily special arts center is that I can relieve my stress without ever leaving the premises.

About two years ago, instead of just working to market Green Street’s course catalog, I finally found the time to take advantage of some of the incredible classes that were listed in it.  The first class I decided to try was Gia Khalsa’s Gentle Yoga.  I had never taken a yoga class before, my knowledge limited by brief images seen on TV or other advertisements.  The description of Gia’s class really grabbed my attention.  “Gia’s gentle yoga” seemed immediately inviting, instead of intimidating.  Her description went on to say, “perfect for those who want to get in shape or gain a little experience.” I wanted to get in shape, get familiar with yoga, and find a new way to unwind.

Gia teaching Yoga

As soon as I laid down my yoga mat at the first class, I was hooked.  Gia’s presence is warm, inviting, and motivating.  She mixes traditional yoga postures with light stretches and relaxation throughout the class hour, focusing on all areas of the body, including breathing and stress relief.  In one hour, Gia’s routine energizes, relaxes, reinvigorates, and motivates.  Gia is encouraging and caters to all of her students’ needs, making everyone in the class- no matter their ability- feel welcome, engaged, and inspired.  Yoga has not only helped me relieve stress, but has also played a large role in my quest for a healthier lifestyle.  In addition, yoga at Green Street has been a bonding experience for me.  I’ve been fortunate enough to take the class with my colleagues and enjoy meeting new friends. More recently, I am loving the quality time I get from taking yoga with my mom.

Yoga Class

Even after working at Green Street for nearly four years, it is still evident that walking through the front door has the power to transform.  I see it in my professional self each day, in our After School students’ eyes, and in the inspirational and passionate stories I hear from the families and adult students who make up the true fabric of the organization.  Now, as a student myself, I have been transformed in a whole new way, and I encourage you to join me.

Gia is offering a Summer Yoga class beginning in July.  To learn more about it and all of Green Street’s other summer offerings, visit us online at www.greenstreetartscenter.org.  There are so many fantastic opportunities awaiting you…I hope to see you in Yoga, or Hip-Hop too!  It’s another fabulous class that I’ve been involved in and it’ll be back this summer as well.  Can’t decide what to take?  Give us a call at (860) 685-7871 or email gsac@wesleyan.edu and we would be happy to assist you.  Make sure to sign up for one of our great summer classes.  I look forward to seeing you then.

Submitted by Jessica Carso, Managing Director and Green Street Student

Volunteering at Green Street as a Vocation

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Jean & Biff offer snacks.

It wasn’t meant to be that way.

In 2005, Jean started volunteering at the after school program. At first thejob entailed helping with the snacks that are given to the children when they arrive, followed by assisting with the homework assignments. The hardest part was adjusting to the confusion, as 40-50 lively students hopped off the bus and were eager to begin another afternoon program at Green Street.  Anything beyond fourth grade mathematics was a challenge as they don’t teach it the way the Shaws were taught. After the dust settled (thanks to Cookie’s handling of the initial chaos… a distinctive and ever-present voice) things went more smoothly. The most rewarding part of this venture was making new friends and watching as the students grew and began to work together. Just a “please” or “thank you” was a big reward.

Reaching for "the regular."

It was in the fall of 2006 that Biff started to hang out with Jean … just to see what it was all about.  Little did he expect that a casual drop-by would become a regular part of the weekly calendar. Helping with snack was easy and sometimes fun.  Mentoring was hard and many times just plain boggling. Reading for comprehension was a challenge and adding and subtracting using one’s fingers or checkmarks on a page is a long way from rote learning done 70 years ago.

We persevered and the kids, while baffled by our inability to understand their way of learning, were really very patient with us – sometimes more patient than we were with them or with our own frustration.

It wasn’t until 2009, when a dedicated corps of Wesleyan students and others took charge of mentoring, did we hit our stride.  Since then we have concentrated on food “service” and service it has become. Special orders are the call of the day. The old “some like it hot – some like it cold” has become our signature. We have learned who likes only peanut butter on peanut butter and jelly days, and who prefers a turkey and cheese without cheese.  The students obviously appreciate it.  They show it in many ways and if we have gained nothing more than their respect and a semblance of good manners … we feel we have achieved our goals.

As a result, it really didn’t end up so much a vocation, as a labor of love.

Submitted by Jean and Biff Shaw, After School Volunteers

Even as we begin to wrap up the After School year, Green Street still relies heavily on its volunteers!  There are a number of After School and non-After School volunteering opportunities available.  If you are interested in getting involved, or would like more information, please don’t hesitate to email us at gsac@wesleyan.edu or call us at (860) 685-7871.  We hope to hear from you soon!

Driven by a Desire to Dance

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Dancing is my life and it is something I really want to pursue as a career path.  I started dancing as soon as I could walk.  As far as I can remember I always loved watching music videos on TV and listening to music in general.  I mainly taught myself how to dance; it must run in the family because my mom loved to dance in her younger days.  I enjoyed dancing so much that I thought, “Why not get better by taking some classes?”  This is where Green Street came in.

Being at the Green Street Arts Center has helped me with my goal of dancing in many ways.  The classes and workshops that I took had hip-hop teachers that were older and more experienced in the “dance world”.  I also met choreographers that gave me advice on how to enhance my dancing skills.

In 2007, I decided to start my own dance crew called ThoroEnergy.  This

ThoroEnergy from 2009

endeavor was a major one and actually helped me get my foot in the door.  My crew consisted of about 10 people and is constantly growing and evolving.  We’ve definitely come a long way.  We have had the opportunity to perform in many places, including talent shows, festivals, parties, schools, and even appeared in a music video.  After the great exposure that has come from these opportunities, ThoroEnergy is still standing, and definitely dancing.

In addition to inspiring me to start ThoroEnergy, Green Street has also provided me with a choreography and teaching job, which involves teaching hip-hop to After School students and whoever else is interested.  This has been a help because I am getting a lot more publicity with my dancing, and meeting a lot more people who can help me on my way to reaching my goal.  I now get called to different places, such as schools and festivals to teach.  This has gotten me started on reaching my goal of dancing, but I’m definitely not finished yet.  I plan to go to a college for dance, to advance myself and hopefully into the spotlight.  I am trying everything it takes to get to where I want to be and I’m not planning on giving up.

The Youth Dance Invitational that I judged was a success.  Kids from the North End came down to battle, trying to take a trophy home.  I definitely had a good time watching the battles, and was surprised to see some really talented dancers.  Hopefully Green Street will be able to host something else like that again.

If you are interested in hip-hop or other dance classes at Green Street, visit our website at www.greenstreetartscenter.org.

Submitted by Eric Quiñones, Green Street teaching artist

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