On October 28th The Barnes-Franklin Gallery and Bill Kluba sponsored a panel discussion with Ted Mikulski; artist, art educator, and writer exploring the topic of his new book: Art Is Dead: A Manifesto for Revolution in The Visual Arts. The evening provoked a wonderful open exchange with the audience and faculty and staff members from the college. Is Art really Dead?
This TV ad was produced by John Timmons and Patrice Hamilton and will begin running on Comcast stations by January 2010. The ad was written by one of our students, Keith Dauch, who helped direct the shoot. His script was chosen as the winner of our student TV commercial contest.
What’s it like to create a work of art every day for 100 days? This panel discussion explores the creative experience of 6 participants in the Summer 2009 100 Days project. Click on the name of each participant to view their talk.
Steve Ersinghaus | Neha Bawa
Susan Gibb | Carianne Garside
Jessica Somers | John Timmons
Masha Hamilton, novelist and journalist, gave a lecture at Tunxis on Wednesday, October 21 on her recent trips to Afghanistan and her work on the Afghan Women’s Writing Project, an online teaching and learning community devoted to writing and sharing the experiences of Afghan women with Western audiences. For more information about AWWP or Hamilton, go to mashahamilton.com
The 3rd annual drum circle gathering, coordinated by Estelle Carenza and James Revillini, assembled in the Courtyard on September 30, 2009. Students and staff were invited to participate in the dynamic, constantly changing arrangement, characteristic of drum circles which produce completely improvised music. Dennis Cotton of Power of the Drum facilitated, bringing over 50 percussion instruments for anyone to use, and occasionally jumping in to orchestrate using simple but effective gestures to shape the rhythm. The response to the event was extremely positive.
On September 21, Tunxis held its annual Constitution Day event. Attorney Richard Voigt, a partner in the Hartford law firm of McCarter and English, gave a presentation on religious liberty and the Constitution. Professor Bob Brown and Dr. Rafaele Fierro added commentary, while Dr. Fran Coan moderated. A question and answer session followed. You may view the video from the links below.
The 38th Commencement of Tunxis Community College was held on Sunday, May 31 at 1:00 p.m. Tunxis President Cathryn L. Addy, Ph.D., gave the keynote address to the graduating class.
“Graduation is an exciting time here on campus. It celebrates the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, sacrifice and achievement. We honor those graduating and know that they are well-prepared to meet challenges and find success in their future,” said Addy.
Approximately 450 associate’s degrees and certificates were conferred upon 370 students at graduation.
Commencement Address | Presentation of Diplomas
On the evenings of May 1 and 2, 2009 Tunxis Stage performed 4 One-Act plays. Three of the pieces were written by Christopher Durang and directed by George Sebastian-Coleman. The last was written and directed by our own Patrice Hamilton. The cast members are, in order of appearance; Amy DesRoches, Andrew Fredericksen, Currie Ricci, James Revillini, and Christine Rodrigue. The four one-act plays are available for download from the links below. Bear in mind that you must have the free Quicktime Player installed on your computer to view the video. The crew for these productions included:
Tim Boto: Assistant Director for Hail Mary Pass/Stage Assistant
George Sebastian-Coleman: Set and Lighting Design
Rick Hamilton and Chris Mims: Lighting
Lisa Lavoie: Stage Assistant
Michael Zych: Camera Operator/Sound Tech
Jessica Somers: Camera Operator
NOTE: The Hail Mary Pass Podcast contains strong language that some viewers may find objectionable.
Kitty the Waitress | Funeral Parlor | The Hail Mary Pass (contains strong language) | The Book of Leviticus Show
On the evening of Tuesday, April 28, 2009 in the old library, Professor Lynn Laskowski and Dr. Fran Coan presented the history of aset of old medical dictionaries. Originally owned by a Virginia family, the volumes were confiscated by a Treasury agent during the Civil War and eventually acquired by Mark Twain, who referenced the volumes while writing several of his works. At the request of a prominent Hartford physician, Dr. Edward K. Root, Twain donated the dictionaries to the Hartford Medical Society.The James dictionaries touched and connected many lives, and their story illuminates numerous aspects of Connecticut and United States history from the eighteenth century into the twentieth. The presentation combined a discussion of medicine, literature, history, and genealogy, with an exploration of research sources and methods.
Part I | Part II | Part III
A first at Tunxis, Jazz Night 2009 consisted of a range of experiences designed to bring the audience closer to the intricacies of jazz performances and jazz improvisation. First was a demonstration by Dr. Wayne Pierce on the Akai EWI (electronic wind instrument).He tapped into the full range of sounds and techniques this instrument can afford musicians.The demo was followed by performances by two local jazz groups:The Brian Jenkins Quartet and the Wayne Pierce Group—a quintet.Last the audience was invited to join the musicians in spontaneous improvisation.Students from Kevin O’Neil’s jazz improvisation class and others from the community stepped up to stretch their skills doing improvisation to some jazz standards with musicians from the first two groups.
Jam Session Part I | Part II | Part III
Dr. Wayne Pierce Part I | Part II