The Institute for Community Research's Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program is partnering with Manchester Community College to produce a new series of cultural heritage bus tours to three ethnic communities in Connecticut. The Connecticut Folk Art and Community Festivals Bus Tours include: Tibetan Arts (3/25/06; 9:30 am to 4:30 pm); Finnish Culinary Adventure (4/22/06; 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm); and Laotian Food and Water Festival (5/28/06; 9:00 am to 4:00 pm). Each daylong bus tour will include visits to community cultural centers to engage with artists in discussions on their cultural traditions, the history of their communities and the background of their art form. Tours also will include stops at related neighborhood landmarks and/or restaurants, and a local community festival. The tours will be guided by Lynne Williamson, Director of the Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program, a statewide folk arts initiative.

The project is an effort to recognize the importance and vitality of the state's cultural heritage and to attract new audiences and visitors who want to understand more about our diverse neighborhoods and communities. "Connecticut's ethnic and occupational groups have a fascinating and sometimes hidden character to be explored," says Williamson. "Tour participants appreciate learning about other cultures from an insider's perspective. Artists and cultural leaders will offer tourists a view of the communities they live and work in, with each site adding a different twist in the rich history you will experience." More tours are planned for summer and fall 2006.

Tours will originate at Manchester Community College. The cost for each tour is $75 per person, and includes lunch. Space is limited. Registration is required and can be made by calling 860-512-3232 or 860-512-2800 during office hours. The Connecticut Folk Art and Community Festivals Bus Tours project is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, The Institute for Community Research, and Manchester Community College. For further information, call Lynne Williamson at 860-278-2044 x 251.

DESCRIPTIONS OF TOURS:
Tibetan Arts in Connecticut (Old Saybrook and Middletown, 3/25/06, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm)
The tour visits Old Saybrook, the center of Connecticut's growing Tibetan community. At the community's store Dharma Jewel, we will see Tibetan artwork, meet local Tibetan artists and musicians, and learn about the culture and history of Tibet from members of the Tibetan Association of Connecticut. We will also visit the home of a local Tibetan family. Afterwards we drive to Middletown for lunch at Little Tibet, the new restaurant run by Phumba, an artist and trader from Tibet.

Read more about this and other CHAP events

Finnish Culinary Adventure (Canterbury, 4/22/06, noon to 6 pm)
Eastern Connecticut has a longstanding and very active Finnish community. We will spend an afternoon as guests of the Finnish American Heritage Society, touring the Finn Hall where there is a newly restored screen backdrop to its theater stage and an archive of local Finnish history and artifacts. Finnish weavers will talk about their craft and demonstrate weaving on looms in the Hall, and wonderful Finnish cooks will provide a sample of their cuisine.

Laotian Food and Festival (Morris and Hartford, 5/28/06, 9:00 am 4:00 pm)
The tour travels to the new Laotian community center in Morris for Katin, the Water Purification Festival, a Buddhist celebration of spring and new beginnings. We will attend the morning ceremony and view traditional Laotian folded paper ornaments, woodcarvings, and artisan booths. Howard Phengsamphone of the Connecticut Lao Association will talk to visitors about this large and interesting Southeast Asian community. Back in Hartford, cultural leader and chef Manola Sidara will prepare Laotian food at her restaurant East West Grille, and offer us a performance by young dancers from her group Lao Narthasin.

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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