February 22, 2017 Melissa Lamar

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The community is invited to the following free events, lectures, performances and exhibits at Tunxis Community College in Farmington. During inclement weather, please check the Tunxis website for updates at tunxis.edu, since events will be canceled or postponed if the College is closed. For a map of campus, see tunxis.edu/map.

March 2-30

Gallery Exhibition: “New Paintings and Select Photographic Portraits,” an exhibition by Michael Sundra will be on display in the Wallace Barnes and Barbara Hackman Franklin Art Gallery March 2-30. The opening reception is March 2 from 5-8 p.m.

Sundra has been featured both nationally and internationally in exhibits. One of the most notable appearances of his work was as part of “Americans on Americans,” the photographic tour that opened at the Kiev Museum of Art in Kiev, Ukraine in 1997, and curated by Tom Caravaglia, professor of photography at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. It featured work from his Venice Beach, California series, and was displayed in the company of works by Annie Liebowitz, Walker Evans, Dorthea Lange, Herb Ritts, Bernice Abbot, and “beat” poet Alan Ginsburg. As a photographer, Sundra is most known for his black and white portraits and high quality archival prints, which were created out of his Hartford, CT, Colt building studio and darkroom. His current work in abstract painting explores the Taoist philosophy and spiritual practice of Wu Wei, allowing nature to take its course and have a greater part in the creation of art. Sundra resides in Farmington and holds a degree from Paier College of Art. The Barnes-Franklin Art Gallery, located at the entrance of the 600 Building, is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. and by appointment. For more information, call 860.773.1974 or email [email protected].

March 6, 11:50 a.m.-12:50 p.m.

Guest lecturer: Christine Ieronimo, nurse, mom of an adopted daughter from Ethiopia, and author of the children’s book “A Thirst for Home—A Story of Water Across the World,” will discuss Ethiopia and the challenges people face every day, including lack of clean water. Part of International Week events at the college. Held in the 600 Building, Room 6-127. For more information, contact Paula Baird at [email protected].

March 7, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Guest lecture: Eastern Connecticut State University professor Dr. Raouf Mama will discuss his memoirs and poems in the 600 Building, Room 6-127. Mama is an internationally recognized, award-winning author out of the African oral tradition. He is the only storyteller in the world today who collects, writes and performs folktales from his native Benin in English, French, Yoruba and Fon, according to ESCU’s website. His books include “Fortune’s Favored Child,” (Northwestern University Press, 2014), “Why Monkeys Live in Trees” (Curbstone Press 2006), winner of the 2008 National Children’s Book Award, “Tropical Tales” (Barefoot Books, 2001), selected as one the best 10 illustrated children’s books of the year by the Bank Street School of Education in 2002, “Pearls of Wisdom” (Pro Lingua Associates, 2000) and “Why Goats Smell Bad and Other Stories from Benin” (Shoestring Press, 1998). Part of International Week events at the college. For more information, email [email protected].

March 9, 9:30-11 a.m.

Dance: Salsa lesson with Osvaldo Tirano in the 100 Building, cafeteria. Part of the college’s International Week events. For more information, contact [email protected].

March 9, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Discussion: Panel discussion covering issues related to Syria and the Middle East, headed by MoulhaM-Al-Roumi, a Syrian refugee. Held in the 600 Building, Room 6-127. Part of International Week events at the college.

March 22, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m.

Readings: Two authors will read from their recent works in the 600 Building, Tunxis Room. Sponsored by the Humanities department. Refreshments will be served.

Sherry Horton will read from her recently published memoir “Witness Chair: A Memoir of Art, Marriage and Loss.” The retired English teach was director of the Center for Reading and Writing at University of Hartford, where she taught in the writing program and co-authored a textbook challenging traditional approaches to composition entitled “Reading Our Histories, Understanding Our Cultures” (Allyn & Bacon 1999; 2003). A co-founder of the East Hill Writers’ Workshop, she is currently working on her mother’s oral history of the 1920s and ’30s in the remote Northeast Kingdom, Vermont. She resides in Unionville.

Sarah Nichols of Bristol, will read from her newest collection of poetry. She is the author of four chapbooks, including “Dreamland for Keeps” (ELJ Editions, forthcoming, 2018) and “She May Be a Saint” (Hermeneutic Chaos Press, 2016). She also co-edits the online feminist protest poetry journal Thank You for Swallowing. Her poetry and essays have also appeared in the RS 500, Rogue Agent, Yellow Chair Review, Ekphrastic Review, and Noble/Gas Qtrly. She was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2015, and represented Tunxis as a Connecticut Student Poet in 2009. She is a student at Tunxis and a graduate of Smith College.

From fine arts, health, and technology to liberal arts & sciences programs, Tunxis offers over 60 associate’s degrees and certificates, providing critical thinking and problem-solving skills that prepare students for transfer to bachelor’s degree programs and employment in areas with industry need. Tunxis is located at the junction of Routes 6 and 177.