Calendar & Event/Program Details

A statewide initiative, CT at Work, is sponsored by CT Humanities to engage Connecticut residents in an in-depth exploration of work. The year-long conversation about the past, present and future of work life in CT. Centered on The Way We Worked, an exhibition created by the Smithsonian Institution that traces the history of work life in America. Based on images from the National Archives, the exhibition will make six-week stops at venues in seven towns: New Haven, Torrington, Hartford, Waterbury, Coventry, Stamford and Groton.

Each region hosting the exhibition features book discussions, author talks, films, music, community conversations, local history, art, photo essays, storytelling, walking tours, oral histories, poetry, theater, gallery talks and exhibitions that relate to the past, present and future of work particular to each region. (The submission deadline for programs has passed.)

EXHIBITS

“The Way We Worked“ an Exhibition Created by the Smithsonian Institution
Exhibit Grand Opening: Friday, November 7, 6:00 p.m at Groton Public Library
The Way We Worked Exhibit Info

The CT Industry Mural is at the Slater Museum’s Atrium September 2 through October 31, 2014. Artist Michael Borders’ 30-year quest produced eight monumental image panels, one for each of Connecticut’s counties. Each is a work of art telling the story of that region’s industrial history.

“Latin Views 2014” at the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art, Branford House Mansion, University of UCONN Avery Point. Organized by the Latin Network for the Visual Arts in Gales Ferry. Showcasing more than 70 pieces of contemporary fine art from the Latin World by 43 artists representing 18 countries. More than 1,000 students from southeastern CT take part in guided tours of the exhibition as part of school programs. Exhibit runs September 19 through October 31, 2014.

“Life Stories in Art” at Florence Griswold Museum is a concurrent series of exhibitions highlighting the contributions of three American women artists in CT from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. October 3, 2014 through January 25, 2015
$10 Adults   $9 Seniors   $8 Students Children 12 and under are Free

“Wee Faerie Village in a Steampunk’d Wonderland” at Florence Griswold Museum. Over 30 artists and designers create mini masterpieces that transform the Museum’s eleven acres into Wonderland. Exhibit runs October 3 through November 2, 2014.
$15 Adults   $14 Seniors   $5 Members   Children 12 and under are Free

“Object Lessons: Photographs of Historic Items from the Leffingwell House Museum” at Otis Library. Photography exhibit features images of antique items from the Leffingwell House Museum archives. Each tells a story of work and domestic life in early Norwich. Free. October 3 through October 30, 2014 at Otis Library, 261 Main Street,  Norwich.

“A Dedication to Craft: Harold Friedland, Master Fabric Printer” at Otis Library.  Harold Friedland, a fabric screen printer active in Norwich from the mid-1940s to 1988, was known for his mastery of the screen printing process. Friedland printed for some of the leading drapery and upholstery fabric companies of his time. The exhibit will also consider the place of fabric printing in the City’s long history of textile production. Free. Exhibit runs from November 3 through 30, 2014. Opening reception on Friday, November 7, 2014 from 6 to 8 PM with a panel discussion at 7 PM.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

United States Coast Guard Academy Band Labor Day Concert: August 31, 3:00 p.m. Fort Trumbull

“How Groton Worked: Soldiers, Servants, Spinners and More” at Avery-Copp House in Groton. Sunday, September 14 from 11am to 3pm. Free.  See some of the ways that people worked over the past 200 years. Visit Irish immigrant servants working in the house, see artisans spinning and weaving, watch musket firing by Revolutionary War soldiers, and see a silhouette artist at work. Learn about soap making, and try your hand at doing laundry!
A special bonus on Sunday: ride a free water taxi between this event in Groton and Schooner Fest waterfront festival in New London.

“336th Birthday of New London’s Original Jack-of-all-trades- Joshua Hempsted (b. 1678)” at the Hempsted Houses. Sunday, September 21st from 1 to 4pm. Join the celebration and try your hand at the skills he relished. Carve a gravestone, learn how to fire an 18th c. gun, write with a professional calligrapher, start a fire with flint and steel, and more. Suggested donation is $5/person or $10/family.

AUTHOR PROGRAMS

Author Ed Johnetta Miller, Public Library of New London,  DATE TBD

Author Darrell Hammond, author NY Times Bestseller, “KaBOOM! A Movement to Save Play,” sponsored by the Community Coalition for Children,  October 20, 2014 at The Garde Arts Center (time TBD)  and October 21, 2014 at Connecticut College (TBD)

COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS

“Growing Local Roots,” Groton Public Library, August 6, 2014 @ 7:00 PM

“Full Speed into the Nuclear Age: An Electric Boat (EB) Oral History” at Groton Public Library, November 10, 2014 at 7pm. Panel discussion with Electric Boat workers during the Cold War

“Building Bridges to Employment: A Panel Discussion” sponsored by Community Solutions Inc. as part of the Job Developer’s Leadership Network. September 16th from 1pm to 3pm at the Dime Bank Community Room, Salem Turnpike, Norwich CT. Free and open to the public.

“The Federal Arts Project: A Panel Discussion,” Waterford Public Library, October 26, 2014 @ 1:30 PM

“Organizing for Change: Labor Unions at Electric Boat” (Info TBA). Women and non-traditional jobs, seniority and job security, health and safety, and strikes.

LECTURES/DISCUSSIONS

“Working in the Shadows” at Waterford Public Library, October 2nd from 6:30 to 8:30pm.  Investigative reporter Gabriel Thompson spent one year undercover in a variety of low-wage, manual labor jobs across America. Working in the Shadows gives insight into the everyday lives and challenges of people who are often unseen and largely ignored by mainstream America. Free.

“Adventures in Deep Sea Exploration” at 6pm on Wednesday, October 8th at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum. Join Dr. Robert Ballard, President, Ocean Exploration Trust, as he takes you on a fascinating journey through his explorations in our seas! Presented in conjunction with “Lost at Sea: Shipwrecks of the Ancient World” on view through Feb. 1st, 2015. Members $5/Non-Members $10

“Poetry Reading with Margaret Gibson” on Wednesday, October 22nd at 6pm at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum. Join nationally acclaimed poet Margaret Gibson. As part of the programming for Inside the Natural World of Jan Beekman (Exhibition 2015), Gibson will read poems that have a special resonance with Beekman’s paintings. Through their work, Beekman and Gibson express deep concern about the conservation of the natural world, and the importance of protecting irreplaceable resources. Members $5/Non-Members $10

“Protecting Our Underwater Heritage: The Destruction of Archaeological Sites by Commercial Trawlers” at 6pm on Wednesday, October 29th at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum. Join Dr. Michael Brennan, Director of Maritime History, URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography, as he discusses the dangers of bottom trawling to the preservation of centuries of history beneath the sea. Presented in conjunction with “Lost at Sea: Shipwrecks of the Ancient World” on view through Feb. 1st, 2015. Members $5/Non-members $10

PERFORMANCES

Working for a Living: Hartbeat Ensemble, Washington Street Coffee House, New London, October 17, 2014 @ 5:00 PM

“Colonial Encampment” at the Jabez Smith House, November 1, 2014. Free.  Includes house tours of the 18th c. home, discussions on CT’s flax and linen industry, a military encampment, powder horn making, spoon making, gunsmithing, hand-weaving and cooking demonstration. Jabez Smith House, 259 North Road (Rt. 117), Groton.

“On The Job: Historical Songs of American Work” by Rick Spencer (event co-sponsored by New London County Historical Society), Public Library of New London, Friday, November 7, 2014 @ 7:00 PM

BOOK DISCUSSIONS

Cannery Row, Public Library of New London DATE TBD

A Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball, Public Library of New London, September 16 @ 5:30 PM

The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit, Groton Public Library, November 12, 2014 @ 7:00 PM

Working in the Shadows by Gabriel Thompson, Public Library of New London, December 2, 2014 at 5:30 PM

TOURS/OPEN HOUSES

“Architecture in a Traitor’s Footsteps” Walking Trail Tour (The Benedict Arnold Walking Trail), Sponsored by the Norwich Historical Society (Part of the Second Saturday Walking Tours in Norwich). Saturday, September 13, 2014 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.  Free.  Tour begins at Leffingwell House Museum, Norwich

“Behind the Scenes at Otis Library” Tour with Executive Director, Robert Farwell. Part of the Last Green Valley Walktober events. Free.
October 2, 2014 at 1:00 PM and October 18, 2014 at 1:00 PM.

“Tour the Leffingwell House Museum” by Society of the Founders of Norwich, CT. See the evolution of a two-room 1675 settler’s house into a successful merchant’s home in the late 1700’s. Many artifacts from early businesses in the Norwich area are on view. Tours September and October. $5 Tour included. Leffingwell House Museum

“Open House” at the Velvet Mill in Stonington. The Velvet Mill, built in 1888, is a re-purposed mill utilizing creative businesses to revitalize the property and community surrounding it. The Velvet Mill is home to working artists, artisans, craftsmen and a diverse group of creative businesses. It is also hosts a thriving Farmer’s Market from late fall to early spring. The Open House will feature studios, art exhibit, businesses and creative activities for all ages. Free. The Velvet Mill, 22 Bayview Avenue, Stonington. November 21st from 6 to 9pm and November 22nd from 11am to 3pm.

FILMS 

Groton Public Library Film Series: All films begin at 2:00 p.m.
PARRISH: Friday, October 31  Rivalry, revenge, betrayal, and… love? Working on a Connecticut tobacco farm is very much like a soap opera in this Troy Donahue classic filmed in Windsor, CT!

SINCE YOU WENT AWAY: Friday, November 7 World War II grips the entire country. Your man is on the front, your daughters are growing up and times are tight. You’ve got to makes ends meet and cope with everything as a single parent. Can you do it? Can you not?

THE MAN IN THE GRAY FLANNEL SUIT: Friday, November 14 Gregory Peck and Jennifer Jones star in the award-winning 1956 film based on Sloan Wilson’s acclaimed 1955 novel about a Westport, CT businessman’s search for identity in the American Dream.

SUMMER STOCK: Friday, November 21 Forget your troubles, come on get happy! A Connecticut farmer allows a theater troupe use her barn for their play. In return, the cast and crew help her with work around the farm. This romantic musical from 1950 features Judy Garland and Gene Kelly dancing their chores away!

FESTIVALS AND PARADES

“O’tis A Festival: A Marketplace Of All Things Creative” on Saturday, November 22nd from 10am to 3pm at Otis Library. Handcrafted items, children’s events, musical performances, and more. Over 40 working crafters will be exhibiting and offering a variety of items, including jewelry, woodworking and pottery.  Otis Library, 261 Main Street, Norwich. Free event.