Taino culture and contemporary
art will be celebrated at an opening reception, to be
held Saturday, May 3 from 4:00-6:00 pm at The Institute
for Community Research's gallery at 2 Hartford Square
West (off Wyllys Street). The exhibit, Herencia Taina:
Legacy and Life, will continue through Oct. 31, 12:00-4:00
pm weekdays.
The exhibit will present a wide range of traditional arts
illustrating Taino heritage, such as musical instruments,
higüeras (gourd) carvings, paintings, textiles and
pottery as well as ceremonial objects and Taino artifacts
from archaeological collections. Participating artists
include Imna Arroyo, associate professor at Eastern CT
State University, Graciela Quiñones-Rodríguez
of West Hartford, Melanio González of Meriden and
Robert Borrero of NY.
"The Tainos, indigenous people living in Puerto Rico
when colonists arrived in the late 15th century, provide
an example of the politics and complexities of interpreting
a culture which has no present-day community or living
language, but is both remembered from the recent past
and still represented in blood lines, place names, some
everyday practices, and spiritual and political inspiration,"
says Lynne Williamson, Director of the Institute's Connecticut
Cultural Heritage Arts Program. Adds artist Graciela Quiñones-Rodríguez,
"I started talking to this anthropologist about the
whole issue of Taino heritage and he felt that this belief
of Taino culture was a phenomenon of Puerto Ricans, mostly
in the United States, as a way of clinging onto parts
of our heritage. Because in his opinion the Tainos were
exterminated.... For me, it is definitely a part of connecting
with my heritage."
The exhibit has been developed by the Connecticut Cultural
Heritage Arts Program, in conjunction with project scholar
Ruth Glasser and designer Ricardo Mulero. Admission is
free. In addition to the exhibit, musicians from the group
Cacibajagua will perform at the Charter Oak Cultural Center
in Hartford on May 1 at 7:30 pm, using hand-crafted instruments
made from indigenous materials.
ICR's Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program works
with communities throughout the state to identify, document,
and present traditional arts and artists. The Taino project
is supported by the Connecticut Humanities Council, the
Connecticut Commission on the Arts, the Edward C. and
Ann T. Roberts Foundation, and the Greater Hartford Arts
Council.
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"The Tainos, indigenous people living
in Puerto Rico when colonists arrived in the late 15th
century, provide an example of the politics and complexities
of interpreting a culture which has no present-day community
or living language, but is both remembered from the
recent past and still represented in blood lines, place
names, some everyday practices, and spiritual and political
inspiration."
Lynne Williamson, Director, Connecticut
Cultural Heritage Arts Program
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