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A remarkable exhibit of photographs and Cape Verdean stonemasonry will be on view at the Jean J. Schensul Community Gallery at The Institute for Community Research (ICR) from April 4 to June 14, 2008. The exhibit opening will take place on Friday, April 4 from 5 to 8 pm, and will include a presentation on Cape Verdean history, language, and dance by students from Norwich Free Academy; a wine tasting offered by a Cape Verdean vintner; and Cape Verdean food. The gallery is located at 2 Hartford Square West, Ste. 100 (146 Wyllys Street), in Hartford, CT; gallery hours are 10 am to 5 pm on weekdays or by appointment.
A Life in Stone: the Cape Verdean Stonemasonry Tradition in Eastern Connecticut documents a little-known but vibrant occupation practiced by generations of Cape Verdean stonemasons in the Norwich, Connecticut area. The exhibit displays twenty-eight black and white photographs of masons and their work taken by two photographers, Peter J. Crowley of Norwich and Richmond Jones of South Britain. Stonemason Alfred Gonsalves will build a portion of a stone wall in the gallery. Gonsalves along with fellow stonemasons Belmiro Rodrigues and José Santos will attend the opening and discuss their work. Exhibit photographs are available for purchase.
A Life in Stone has been developed by the Norwich Cultural Arts and History Project, a community-based initiative devoted to exploring the lives and contributions of cultural groups who have extraordinary stories to tell about their heritage. The Project is a sponsored affiliate of the Norwich Arts Council. Exhibit curator and project coordinator Elanah Sherman says, “The Cape Verdean stone masonry tradition is not only interesting in itself but also acts as a window that, once opened, provides an expansive view of an entire cultural group.”
For nearly 100 years the Norwich area has been home to a large community of Cape Verdeans brought to the city by railway companies to work offloading coal from barges and onto steamships. Stonemasonry was another traditional occupation, and the three masons featured in the exhibit represent a line of fathers and sons working in stone. Along with the Catholic Church, the Cape Verdean community has traditionally been bound together by the Santiago Society, a social organization caring for the culture and welfare of local Cape Verdeans. Members of the Santiago Society assisted in the development of the exhibit.
ICR’s Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program has collaborated with Cape Verdeans across the state for ten years, producing a book on Cape Verdean community histories and sponsoring apprenticeships between master artists and students of traditional music. This work is gathered into an archive of oral histories, music, and research on Connecticut Cape Verdeans. Cape Verdeans from Norwich participated in ICR’s Urban Artists Initiative, a program training artists and cultural leaders from underrepresented groups to take leading roles in arts programming.
For more information about the exhibit and the opening event, call Colleen Coleman, ICR’s Director of Artistic Programs, at 860-278-2044 x 310 or colleen.coleman@icrweb.org.
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The Institute for Community Research is an independent research institute that conducts applied research and supports community enhancement programs on issues of health, education and cultural heritage. Its Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program encourages and promotes traditional artists and their communities through an active process of documentation, technical assistance, and public presentations to bring their work and the history of their communities to new audiences.
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