Trudie Lamb Richmond, an American Indian educator and storyteller from the Schaghticoke Indian Reservation in northwestern Connecticut, has received the Community Spirit Award from the First Peoples Fund. She will be recognized for her lifetime of work at a reception at The Institute for Community Research (ICR) on Tuesday, April 27 from 5 to 8 pm, at 2 Hartford Square West, 146 Wyllys Street in Hartford. The reception, which is free and open to the public, will feature a talk by Trudie, and remarks from Native cultural leaders and colleagues.
The Jennifer Easton Community Spirit Award recognizes five exceptional Native artists and cultural leaders from across the U.S. with a fellowship that allows them to further their artistic work. First Peoples Fund Board member Gaby Strong says the award "honors those tribal artists who are recognized as keepers of traditional wisdom and culture, who share their knowledge and artistic skills with others, and who mentor those who are coming behind them."
Trudie Lamb Richmond is a highly respected exemplar of native culture in Connecticut, coming from the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation, one of five Indian tribes in the state. She has served on several boards and committees, including the Connecticut Indian Affairs Council, the state’s Native American Heritage Committee, the New England Museums Association, and the Plimoth Plantation Native American Advisory Board. Trudie's skills as a traditional storyteller have led to her selection as a Master Teaching Artist by the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism Arts Division, and she has performed all over the Northeast as well as at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC. Trudie's educational work includes speaking to thousands of schoolchildren across Connecticut and New England, providing them with information and insight into the values, history, and creativity of Native peoples. She has collaborated with other educators, curriculum experts, scholars, and with the State Department of Education to improve the presentation of Native cultures in lesson plans and recommended texts. She is currently the Director of Public Programs at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, responsible for the Museum's extensive roster of performances, workshops, tours, and public events.
The Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program at The Institute for Community Research nominated Trudie for the award. Over five decades, Trudie has created understanding and appreciation for the traditions and history of Algonkian Indian peoples in southern New England, especially those in Connecticut. She spends a great deal of time mentoring young people from many of the tribal groups in New England, encouraging them to truly appreciate their heritage and present it to others. In the words of historian and writer Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel of the Mohegan Nation, Trudie "has inculcated generations of Native and non-Native children with an understanding of the ancient tales of this land. By utilizing the old skill of storytelling to pass on traditions, she reaffirms and shares not only the lessons but the unique methods and practices of Indian people."
The First Peoples Fund, a national Native-run organization, supports work in creativity and community among American Indians nationwide. The Fund's grantmaking initiatives include Artists in Business Leadership Grants and Cultural Capital Fellowships. These programs are supported by the Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC) initiative, the Sumasil Fund of the St. Paul MN Foundation, and individual donors.
The recognition event at ICR is supported by the Greater Hartford Arts Council through its United Arts Campaign, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.
For more information about the event, contact Lynne Williamson, ICR's Director of the Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program, 860-278-2044, x251 or email.
###
The Institute for Community Research is an independent research institute that conducts applied research and supports community enhancement programs on issues of health, education and cultural heritage. Its Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program encourages and promotes traditional artists and their communities through an active process of documentation, technical assistance, and public presentations to bring their work and the history of their communities to new audiences.
|
