The Muse - Spring 2008

The Muse

Newsletter of the Slater Memorial Museum Spring 2008

Norwich Celebrates Part I

The first of a two-part series

By Vivian F. Zoë

Rose of New England Postcard To most, finding a way to celebrate may not seem a quandary, but what is celebrated, when and how may.

A cause for celebration may be meaningful to some and potentially offensive to others. What is not celebrated is also interesting fodder for inquiry and discussion.

With Norwich in the throes of planning for a major birthday in 2009, it is interesting to look back at the elements of past celebrations. At the benchmark dates of 1859, 1909, 1934 and 1959, Norwich celebrated two anniversaries: the city’s incorporation in 1784 and its “founding” in 1659.

Scholars have recently examined the phenomenon of public gatherings in the New Republic of the 17th and 18th centuries. Puritan prohibitions against public revelry had early on prevented excessive outdoor celebration. Later, as described by William Pencak in Riot and Revelry in Early America, “Even traditional festivals, such as New Year’s Eve… featured tensions that arose from…separate allegiances and became deadly brawls.” He continues, “The Second-Party

system … provided political stability in the midst of social violence from the early 1830’s until sectionalism overcame nationalism in the 1850’s.… What both party systems had in common, however, was the extensive use of parades and public celebrations – national unity, obtaining support, and overcoming divisions. Beginning in the 1780’s, elite groups sought to mobilize people through public spectacles.

Parades honored the ratification of the Constitution, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Washington’s Birthday…. These occasions permitted leaders to orchestrate displays of patriotism in order to instill a sense of loyalty in a populace….”

Even Christmas was not celebrated in the 18th Century as it was in the 19th. Puritans did not celebrate Christmas, which was brought here indirectly from Germany. In 1848, Prince Albert, a German by birth, brought Christmas celebrations to England when he gave his Queen, Victoria, a Tannenbuam. Later brought to America by the Pennsylvania Germans, the Christmas tree and attendant festivities became ubiquitous to Americans, followed by celebrations of all kinds.

The year 1857 had brought an economic recession, but by 1859, oil was discovered in Titusville, Pennsylvania, literally spelling permanent change in the mode of American life. Fifty years later, by 1909, a parade of automobiles became essential to celebrating the city’s anniversary.

The Norwich Bi-centennial landed at a time when Americans across the country were ripe for celebration.

The Civil War’s (1861 - 1865) pall had not yet spread across the country, and the Industrial Revolution made it possible for women, in particular, to have leisure time.

At the same time, because social mores discouraged (Continued on Page 3)

A Message from the Director

With the air redolent with the scents of Spring, it is energizing to consider what life might have been like 100 years ago at this time. Plans were underway, with seemingly every city resident frantically planning for the Quarter Millennium… the 250th anniversary of the town’s incorporation. Now we plan for the Semiseptcentennial … the 350th. When the Norwich Historical Society asked me to make a presentation for its 2008 annual meeting, I hesitated, fearing there would not be enough source material. Now I remain overwhelmed with the quantity and quality of the city’s archives and repositories of anniversaries past. Most important, I am gratified and overwhelmed by the outpouring of assistance. Many people have helped and continue to help excavate stories, documents, images and objects related to 150 years of celebrating Norwich. I knowingly and apologetically accept the risk of omission when I offer the following alphabetical list of people who deserve my gratitude: Carol Connor, Beryl Fishbone, Mary-Anne Hall, Johnny London, Diane Norman, Edward Rogalski, Geoff Serra, Elisha Sherman, Leigh Smead, Bill Stanley and Louisa Watrous.

Upcoming Exhibitions, Programs and Events April 13 - April 30, 2008

The 114th Annual Children’s Exhibition

May 9 - June 1, 2008

118th Annual Norwich Art School Exhibit

The exhibit will feature art works by 120 elementary school students, from 3rd to 8th grade, who were enrolled in the School’s Saturday Art Program commencing in the fall of 2007. The display will include an array of colorful drawings, paintings, prints and imaginative pottery pieces. The opening reception will take place on April 20, 2008 from 1-3 P.M.

Works by students of The Norwich Free Academy who were enrolled in art classes at the school during the 2007-2008 academic school year will open to the public on Friday eve- ning, May 9, 2008, beginning with an Arts Awards Ceremony in Slater Auditorium at 7 p.m. Parents and guests will then view the exhibit in Converse where refreshments shall be served.

The Muse is published up to four times yearly for the members of The Friends of the Slater Memorial Museum. The museum is located at 108 Crescent Street, Norwich, CT 06360. It is part of The Norwich Free Academy, 305 Broadway, Norwich, CT 06360. Museum main telephone number: (860) 887-2506.

Visit us on the web at www.slatermuseum.org.

Museum Director – Vivian F. Zoë Newsletter editor – Geoff Serra Contributing authors: Vivian Zoë, Leigh Smead and Patricia Flahive Photographers: Leigh Smead, Alexandra van den Berg, Vivian Zoë The president of the Friends of the Slater Memorial Museum: Patricia Flahive The Norwich Free Academy Board of Trustees: Robert A. Staley ’68, Chair * Steven L. Bokoff ’72, Vice Chair Jeremy D. Booty ‘74 Richard DesRoches * Abby I. Dolliver ‘71 Lee-Ann Gomes ‘82, Treasurer Thomas M. Griffin ‘70 Joseph A. Perry ’60 Dr. Mark E. Tramontozzi ’76 Theodore N. Phillips ’74 David A. Whitehead ’78, Secretary *Museum sub-committee The Norwich Free Academy does not discriminate in its educational programs, services or employment on the basis of race, religion, gender, national origin, color, handicapping condition, age, marital status or sexual orientation. This is in accordance with Title VI, Title VII, Title IX and other civil rights or discrimination issues; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991.

(Continued from Page 1) idleness, energy was applied to community activities and good works. The University of Iowa hosts a website for schoolchildren entitled Victorian Celebration. It describes an environment that encouraged decoration and celebration: “…the Industrial Revolution provided new materials that were used to make crafts and decorate homes. Small paper images lithographically printed and often embossed were known as scraps, chromos, or die cuts, and were widely used in the United Kingdom and United States.” Nineteenth Century Americans enthusiastically embraced both celebrations and printed matter. Celebrations of May Day, Easter, Valentine’s Day and, of course, Christmas became huge affairs requiring colorful decorations and pageantry.

A ball on Chelsea Parade capped the 1859 celebration. It was by held in a dinner tent equipped with a dance floor, 80 by 200 feet. “The immense floor was cleared of benches, a profusion of the richest flags which had been used for decorating the city, were brought in and tastily arranged around the tent and music stand, or thickly festooned overhead, and long lines of gas jets were so extended through the decorations as to display them to the best advantage. When the vast assemblage had gathered in the evening, and the illumination was perfected, the spectacle presented was truly magnificent.” One can only marvel at what protected the Norwichians that night from a disaster that seems imminent to the 21st century eye!

In her second History of Norwich, published in 1866, Frances Manwaring Caulkins begins with an apology in her preface: “The History has been entirely re-written, and is, in fact, a new work. The author has considered it an imperative duty to review all the sources of information, and to make it as complete a town history as the materials would permit. This led to a considerable delay in the original purpose which was to have it appear in 1860, as an offering to the two hundredth year. But had it been issued then, it would have closed with the Bi-Centennial festival of the town, without any warning of that mighty convulsion which was about to upheave the country, and the closing chapters display the patriotism, energy and sacrifices of the town in the war for the Union, would have been wanting.”

It is not until more than three-quarters into the book (page 589), that she explains her date discrepancy. “The year 1859 was the bi-centennial anniversary of the signing of the purchase deed, and of the preliminary steps taken by the proprietors in laying out the town, but the anniversary of the actual settlement, when woman [italics this author’s] arrived upon the ground and homes were constituted, was more definitely the year 1860.” Those of us feeling the pressure of preparing for the Semiseptcentennial, might like to take Ms. Caulkins’ pass and delay the events one year!

In his The Norwich Jubilee, written “to preserve …. a record of the proceedings connected with a celebration” of Norwich’s bi-centennial (1859), John Stedman writes, “We could better appreciate such a work as this, if a celebration similar to the one here reported had been held in this place one hundred years ago, and the long array of the names of those then upon the stage of active life, the addresses, the poetry, the music, the personal reminiscences, the trades procession, and even the bill of fare at the dinner table, were all presented to us with the freshness of life.”

Stedman’s book completely documents the process of producing a world-class celebration, from the content and attendees of the earliest planning meetings to the “closing proceedings of the committees.” It includes transcribed letters to and from invited committee members and speakers, including the historian and scholar Daniel Coit Gilman and poets Anson G. Chester and Lydia Huntley Sigourney. Stedman includes just about everything: historical lectures and addresses, including Gilman’s in entirety; hand-colored illustrations of “festal” scenes; a list of committee members and attendees, a veritable social directory of the city; and music and lyrics composed for the occasion, including one written by H. W. Amadeus Beale of Norwich, “To the Future Inhabitants of Our Norwich Home.”

A singular resource capturing the event, the volume omitted virtually no piece of information.

Caulkins and Stedman describe the 1859 bi-centennial events similarly. However, close examination reveals the extraordinary nature of the events. She reports that “It was estimated that at this celebration 1500 flags were spread upon the wind, - not only those of our own country, but the motley emblems of all nations. Several magnificent arches were erected at prominent points. A very tasteful arch in Franklin Street represented two clasped hands, - 1659 and 1859, with the motto, ‘A Hearty Greeting.’” These banners, arches and “mottoes” were the work of Henry V. Edmond. The 1873 Stedman city directory lists “Edmond HV, motto and banner emporium, 167 Main (shop) h(ome) 42 Broadway,” revealing that he more or less made a living as a sign painter. Much was made of images of these scenes, also created by Henry Edmond, perhaps attempting to (and succeeding in) immortalizing his work.

Montage including images by H.V. Edmond (ball tent w/ NFA in back)

From 1859 to the present, the images reappear in response to announcements of anniversary events and to calls for

corner stone. In fact, it would not be until 1871 that the statue was finally executed and installed.

At the Bi-centennial, descendants and natives were differentiated, but honored, by their colorful silk ribbons.

Committee members wore ribbons and medals while the Ways and Means Committee displayed specially lettered enamel bar pins. It was clear from these baubles that Norwich was a textile and hardware town, although most had been fabricated out of town in distant places like England.

In keeping with the concept of the “Long 19th Century,” it seems appropriate to include the celebration of the Quarter Millennium (250th anniversary of founding, 125th of incorporation) in this chapter. The long 19th century, defined by Eric Hobsbawm, a British Marxist, refers to the period between the years 1789 and 1914 during which the French Revolution established a non-monarchical republic in Europe. The period ends with the start of World War I. These events had such a strong influence on world history and culture as to define the era. A period of innocence, however blind, malevolent or ill-conceived, that included the White Man’s Burden, the right of Imperialism, and the ascendance of the industrial over the agrarian, is evident in the Norwich anniversary celebrations of 1859 and 1909.

By 1909, the celebration of the city’s 250th anniversary expanded to three days and one of the most memorable historical events of the era. The official Program declared that “Historical sermons will be delivered in all the churches at their usual hour of service.” As would later be the case in 1959, the field behind the Converse Art Building served as the stage for a panoply of Norwich history in “a series of Historical Reproductions consisting of scenes of the early Indian life,

Pages from Blue Fishing by H.V. Edmond memorabilia. Henry V. Edmond was also a skilled story teller.

In the bi-centennial year, he wrote and illustrated the tale of his escapade with brother-in-law-to-be Andrew Webster, Blue Fishing, off New London. From the New London Worcester Railroad in Norwich to the steam ship Tiger Lily, the accuracy of the story and illustrations create an historical record today.

John Stedman’s account of the bi-centennial proceedings in The Norwich Jubilee, outlines the route of the parade, including “its line of march up Franklin Street, at various points passing beneath lines of flags stretched across the way. Opposite Brand’s whaling gun factory, it passed under a high and tastily decorated arch, inscribed: A HEARTY GREETING 1659-1859 BI-CENTENNIAL. The arch was another decoration designed and executed by Henry V. Edmond and later documented in the Jubilee book. It is now ubiquitous on postcards, calendars and in contemporary newspapers.

In describing the events of two days of celebration, Ms. Caulkins congratulates Stedman on the publication of The Norwich Jubilee as a 100% Norwich product, from paper manufacture, to printing, to binding. At the same time, she laments the fact that the creation and installation of a “monument to the memory of Major John Mason” had reached no further than its footing

Ribbons and badges indicating “Rank”

Natives Ribbon the signing of the deed by Uncas and the Founders, the visit of Washington during the Revolutionary War, the return of the soldiers from the Civil War, the present to be represented by Coast Artillery and the future personified by 500 school children.…” The State of CT appropriated $500 to help defray costs of the celebration ($11,786 in 2009 dollars).

An outside costumer was engaged for the tableaux at a fee of $600 ($14,144 today).

A parade included nearly every imaginable military regiment, division and ship; Wheeler’s Willimantic Band, Slater Band of Jewett City, Pulaski Band, St. Anne’s Temperance Society; the Joseph Garibaldi Society, United German Societies, the Italian Benevolent Society, Swedish Societies and the Mohegan Indians. The Nonowantuc Tribe, Improved Order of Redmen # 42 lodged a protest over their place in the line up and as a result, were moved forward.

The Ways and Means Committee allocated $1,500 ($23,573 in today’s dollars) to hire the Banspach Company of Providence to feed marching soldiers and to provide general hospitality.

California Arrow making its final ascent

Rockclyffe” as memorialized in a publication issued by the Norwich Board of Trade, Norwich Connecticut 1659-1909.

The huge dinner event had originally been planned for the Wauregan, but at the President’s request was moved, apparently, not without controversy. In a letter dated July 30, 1909, William C. Gilman, wrote to Mr. Williams, “Now that the ball is over you are entitled to the congratulations of the community generally, but to the special thanks of your friends individually…. There are many homes in Norwich that could have offered Mr. Taft most gracious hospitality, but it is not too much to say that no one but yourself could have entertained the President of the United States in a manner commensurate with his high office.

Long before the notorious 1937 crash of The Hindenburg in New Jersey, Norwich’s anniversary merited its own “airship.”

For a fee of $1,000, ($ 23,573), the California Arrow was engaged to “ascend” four times over the city and over President Taft from a lot of 40,000 square feet. For admissions of fifteen cents ($3.50), its Captain, Thomas S. Baldwin of New York, lectured to visitors in a special tent. Proceeds returned to the Committee.

Taft, who spoke at the occasion, had been fêted earlier in the day with “distinguished guests and the officials of the celebration by [event Vice President] Hon. Winslow Tracy Williams at

“I am happily out of reach of petty gossip and never glance at newspapers which have the reputation of being scurrilous: consequently I was shocked the other day when you intimated that there had been evil speaking and mean insinuations by fellows of the baser sort, and by some who know better. Yet it is not very strange, or, rather unusual. It continually happens that generous, disinterested men, who desire liberal things and do them, are subjected to mean spirited, unjust and malignant censure. But when a man accepts our honorable duty, not of his own seeking but at great personal sacrifice and inconvenience, he is justified in some feeling of pride and satisfaction when the result is worthy to be held in lasting remembrance. I say this with the greater pleasure because at the outset I wrote frankly to Mr. Tracy [Edwin Avery Tracy, Event Chairman] that I deprecated the change of date and was apprehensive Rockclyffe, home of Winslow T. Williams

Quarter Millenium “Pageant”

that the result would be a failure. With the highest regard, I am Yours sincerely, William C. Gilman.”

Friends of Slater Activities Notes

from the President William Howard Taft, originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, was a one-term

by Patricia Reardon president who later served as Supreme Court justice. His term ironically ended in 1913, on the eve of the First World War; one of his expressed presidential Flahive

As each spring approaches, I eagerly anticipate the Friends’ annual bus trip to one of many of our regional arts centers. This year, the Friends of Otis will be joining us on a trip to the Sterling & Francine Clark Institute in Williamstown, MA, where we will tour the exhibition, Remington Looking West.

goals had been world peace. As a student at Yale, he was a member of the Skull and Bones, a secret society co-founded by his father. A noted bon-vivant, it is now hypothesized that his huge weight led to sleep apnea. A tiny clipping from The Norwich Bulletin suggests both his public image and a reaction to the controversy that followed his change of dinner plans. “President Taft does not intend to be killed with kindness while in Norwich. He has enough to eat at home.” In spite of his weight, he was apparently an avid golfer and was invited to play while in town by the Norwich Golf Club. After his presidency, he lost nearly a third of his weight and lived a long and healthy life.

In addition to possible dinner hosts, it is not entirely inconceivable that many others were trampled and offended along the way. The planning The bus will depart from Norwich on Satur- committee had been established eight years earlier and the dates day, April 12. Your registration fee includes originally planned for September 7 transportation, admission to the museum and 8, 1909. Politically connected and a docent guided tour of the Institute. and astute committee Chairman Friends may register at a reduced rate, and Vice Chairman Edwin Avery Tracy and Winslow Tracy Williams, though everyone is welcome. respectively, traveled to Washington in May 1909 to request the President’s For more information, or to register, please attendance. They were undeterred by call the museum ar (860) 425-5563. the discouraging words of Washington insiders, who suggested they would fail because of the great number of I hope to see you there! invitations made to the President.

Despite the fact that Taft had been in Norwich the previous fall, the Norwich celebration clearly intrigued him, and with the announcement of his visit, the committee scrambled to make the anniversary celebration come together in July instead. It was not until June 15 that an official letter arrived verifying Taft’s appearance.

Official White House portrait of William Howard Taft, 1911, oil on canvas by Anders Leonard Zorn, White House Collection.

The citizens of the United States purchased a three-car train, baggage with sleeping and private cars, at a cost of $60,000 ($1.4 million) and funded an additional $25,000 ($ 590,000) in travel money to ensure the comfort of the President on his voyage to Norwich.

“Subscriptions” were solicited locally and generally to fund the events, but by May 11, 1909, The Norwich Bulletin reported that these

Crowd at Taft’s Address

Board of Trade, Norwich Connecticut 1659-1909, also served as the agency’s quarterly report. It was filled with paid advertisements and lacked the hard cover binding exemplifying John Stedman’s publication of 1659, The Norwich Jubilee.

There are those, however, who might argue that Stedman’s publication was one grand advertisement for his Norwich City Directories which serve to this day as a singular resource for understanding the city’s residents and businesses.

An exhibition of historical artifacts and art was curated by the Faith Trumbull Chapter of the DAR and installed in Converse Gallery, then only two years old. As the objects were offered for loan, The Norwich Bulletin listed them. In William Gilman’s Norwich Quarter Millennium, compiled and published after the fact, the author asserts “Nothing less than seventy-five years old was thought of sufficient antiquity to be interesting … there were a few older than Norwich herself, dating from the … Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies.” Converse was selected because, as was reported in The Bulletin, it was “a fireproof building and every precaution will be taken to safeguard all articles loaned….”

Taft in car with W. T. Williams (r) and Secret Service man (in boater) were “coming in too slowly.” A “Ways and Means Committee” headed by Mayor Costello Lippitt, but populated by local businessmen, was established to “canvass for contributions.”

This notice was followed by regular listings of contributors in The Bulletin. A special ordinance was passed “prohibiting the use of firearms, firecrackers or similar explosives” on July 5th to protect the President, and the Norwich Fire Department was exempted from marching in the parade to ensure that they would be at their posts in the event of an emergency. Ambulances were stationed so as to protect the public and … the President.

In anticipation of huge crowds of visitors, the newspapers published repeated calls for hoteliers and boarding house owners. It was finally decided that the steam ship City of Worcester be brought to Norwich harbor to provide further accommodations and restaurant facilities. Of course, there were the usual celebratory accoutrements such as a ball, a parade, and fireworks. In fact, The Norwich Bulletin afforded three entire columns to listing the names, quantity and descriptions of the explosives, including, a “ Flight of eight 15-inch bomb shells forming the ‘Great Silver Cloud of Scintillating Stars.’

The article indicates that a “Display of one 36-inch bomb shell.

After bursting liquid fire will release 18 hanging chains (a new invention),” and that the show would end with a “setpiece” with the inscription “’The Rose of New England’ with ‘1659’ on one side and ‘1909’ on the other.” A fire banner wishing attendees a “Good Night” followed. The self–examination in which the people of Norwich engaged in the days leading to the celebration of the 250th is evident in the attribution of its sobriquet. The Bulletin of May 24, 1909, breathlessly announced, “At last we (Continued on page 8)

On Monday, July 5, 1909, the day ended with a “Grand display of fireworks on Roger’s Hill, above the bank of the Shetucket River directly opposite the station of the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad.” The Bulletin asserts “from this eminence the display can be seen from nearly every part of the city. This will be the grandest display of fireworks ever seen in eastern Connecticut.”

The Quarter Millennium publication issued by the Norwich

Connecticut militia at ease at the Quarter Millenium

Remembering Paul Zimmerman Paul Warren Zimmerman was an internationally known artist and professor emeritus of the Hartford Art School. Born April 29, 1921 in Toledo, Ohio he passed away December 15, 2007 in Hartford. Former Slater Museum director Joseph Gualtieri had befriended Paul and supported his work, presenting it in several exhibitions in Converse Gallery. In response to this friendship, Paul made the Slater Museum a beneficiary of his Trust.

He was awarded a full scholarship to John Herron Art School, after graduating from Kokomo high school in 1941. Upon graduation in 1946 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, Paul was awarded the Mary Milliken Memorial Fund Scholarship. He continued his training in New York City under Heinrich Mayer, director of the Hartford Art School.

In 1947 he became associate professor of painting at the Hartford School of Art. Paul was a semi-retired professor of painting and design at the University of Hartford, but continued to present his work in one-man shows. He taught at the Hartford Art School and at the West Hartford Art League until a year before his death. As an avid collector of aboriginal art, he donated his collection to the Slater Museum.

Paul’s bequest includes his own artwork, African, Oceanic and Pre-Colombian art and a significant financial gift.

Paul Zimmerman at home in his studio

(Continued from page 7) have authentic information that Henry Ward Beecher was the author of ‘The Rose of New England,’ and Edward T. Clapp was the perpetuator of it. In the year 1850 or 1851, when the late Henry B. Norton was returning from abroad on an ocean liner, he made the acquaintance of Henry Ward Beecher, whom he invited to visit him at Norwich. Mr. Beecher was then a contributor to the New York Independent, and while spending the day with Mr. Norton in Norwich entered the greenhouse at the foot of the garden and wrote the letter to that paper which first called Norwich ‘The Rose of New England.’ Mr. Clapp, recognizing the beauty of the title, emblazoned it upon an arch across Broadway in 1859 in honor of the 200th anniversary of the town and it impressed itself upon the hearts of the people and promises to endure so long as Norwich shall last.”

Sources too numerous to list individually here were consulted for this piece. For a complete list, email zoev@norwichfreeacademy.com Partial list of sources cited: Caulkins, Frances M., History of Norwich, From its Possession by the Indians to the Year 1866, Norwich, CT, 1866 Edmond, Henry V., Blue Fishing, Norwich, Ct. 1859 Hobsbawm, Eric, The Age of Revolution: Europe 1789—1848 and The Age of Empire: Europe 1875—1914, Praeger Publishers, New York, 1962 and 1975

respectively Peale, Arthur L., An Historical Pageant, Battle of the Great Plain, Norwich, 1927 Peale, Arthur L., Uncas and the Mohegan Pequot, Meador Publishing Company, Boston, 1939 Pencak, William, Riot and revelry in Early America, Pennsylvania University press, University Park, 2002 Stedman, John W., The Norwich Jubilee, Norwich, Ct. 1859 Norwich Bulletin, 1908 – 1909 & 1934 Norwich Sunday Record, May, June, July, 1934 Norwich, The Rose of New England, Official Program, Norwich, Ct. 1909 _________, Connecticut Circle, the Magazine of the Constitution State, Vol. XXII, No. 5, New London, 1959 Norwich Connecticut 1659-1909, Norwich Board of Trade, Norwich, 1909 www.uni.edu/iowaonline/prairievoices/images/Victorian_Celebrations.pdf website 3/4/08 http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook3.html#cent19 website © Paul Halsall January 1997 - July 1998 viewed 3/5/08

Programs Draw Visitors of All Ages to the Slater Museum As part of the “Wrapped in Pride: Ghanaian Kente and African American Identity, the Slater Museum presented two scholars; Edward Goldberg spoke about Ghana from the persepective of an American Fulbright Scholar and Dr. Raouf Mama told stories from his youth in Benin.

Connecticut Artists Juried Exhibition Award Winners Announced Award winners of the 65th Annual Connecticut Artists Juried Exhibition selected by Steven Holmes are, for First Prize, Ian Pawluk of Norwich for Stairs, a graphite pencil drawing; for Second Prize, Christopher Zhang of East Lyme for Tibetan Boy, an oil painting; for Third Prize Randall Ensley of Gales Ferry for Key of Pain, a technical pen drawing.

On January 6, Mr. Goldberg, who spent the summer of 2004 on a Fulbright scholarship in Ghana, showed and discussed slides, music and artifacts from his travels.

He described the various political factions in the small West African country and explained its geography and climates, ethnic groups and three religious groups Traditional, Christian and Muslim. While in Ghana, Mr. Goldberg traveled from the capital, Accra, in the south, to Bolgatanga in the north, attending lectures at the nation’s two universities and visiting public and private school classrooms. He showed images of the slave castles along Ghana’s coast, Lake Volta and Mole National Park and observed craftspeople working at their trade, making stools, creating pottery and jewelry.

The exhibition will remain on view through Friday, April 4, 2008.

Goats Smell Bad and Other Stories from Benin, was published in February 1998 to critical acclaim and won a Storytelling World award: Dr. Mama recently concluded a visit to Benin during which he worked with local English teachers, Peace Corps Volunteers, and children in Abomey, Ouidah, Lokossa, Parakou, Cotonou, and SOS Children’s Village on using storytelling as a teaching and motivational tool. Dr. Mama’s second book, The Barefoot Book of Tropical Tales, was published in February 2000 in Britain, his third, Pearls of Wisdom, in February 2001, and his fourth, Why Monkeys Live In Trees and Other Trickster and Sacred Tales from Benin was published

by Connecticut’s Curbstone Press in 2006.

On January 19, Dr. Raouf Mama, an internationally known bilingual storyteller, performed indigenous tales from his native Benin , a French-speaking country in West Africa, close to Ghana. Drawn from one of the richest oral traditions in Africa, Mama’s stories have strong connections to African cultures on both sides of the Atlantic. His first book, Why

An orator out of the African oral tradition, Dr. Mama performed African stories in Converse Art Gallery based upon African folklore. Inherent in his presentation was the call and response tradition wherein he engaged the entire audience as partners in “telling” the story. Both adults and children willingly participated in words and dance.

The exhibition was made possible by NEH on the Road, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities and brought to Norwich by the Mid- America Arts Alliance.

Dr. Raouf Mama perfoms in the Converse Art Gallery

Coming Soon to the Slater Museum

Brenda’s Sunflowers by Terry Oakes Bourret 2007 Award Winner

The Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society will be hosted in the Converse Art Gallery June 15 through August 31, 2008 presenting its juried exhibition “Painting the New England Landscape”. A reception will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on June 15. During the run of the show, the Society plans two gallery talks (dates to be announced), “The Painting & Traveling Experience” presented by Sam D’Ambruoso and “Plein Air Panel Discussion” on the value of painting directly from nature and tips on equipment. Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society is dedicated to encourage and support excellence in painting directly from nature and provide regular opportunities for members to paint together. The Society seeks venues to enhance members’ skill and reputation. In addition, the Society strives to raise public awareness of the beauty found in nature through plein air painting and participation in events that further the preservation of nature and the landscape.

Slater Memorial Museum Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Closed to the public on Mondays and holidays Visitors may park in designated visitor parking spaces or any empty parking place on campus. Parking is difficult between 1:30 and 2:15 p.m. during school days due to the school buses.

The museum’s main telephone number is (860) 887-2506. A recording will provide information on current exhibitions, days of operation, directions, admission fees and access to staff voice mailboxes. Our Webpage is linked to the NFA Website. www.slatermuseum.org.