Creating Better Smartphone Photos-National Park Artist Presents Free Workshop at Mark Twain Library

A free four-hour smartphone photography workshop and photo walk is being offered at the Mark Twain Library in Redding on Saturday, March 16, 2019, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.  The Art of Phoneography will be presented by Xiomaro, who is the Visiting Artist at Weir Farm National Historic Site.  Xiomaro, a nationally exhibited photographer and author, will demonstrate five principles for creating dynamic, artistic photos with any smartphone.  Space is limited, so registration is required by calling the library at (203) 938-2545 or submitting an RSVP.

Point-and-shoot cameras and professional dSLRs are welcome, but the workshop is primarily designed to take advantage of the “best” camera – the smartphone that is always in one’s pocket.  “The secret to better photographs is not in the camera.  It’s in applying the principles used by artists like painter Julian Alden Weir and photographer Edward Steichen” noted Xiomaro.  Steichen (1879-1973) lived in Redding and is regarded as one of the most important photographers of the 20thcentury.

Xiomaro explained that seeing and creating a photograph is different than looking and taking a snapshot.  His workshop will present five key artistic principles demonstrated with slides of smartphone photographs, paintings and Steichen’s iconic images.  “We’ll immediately put what we learned into practice during our photo walk on the grounds.  We’ll have fun experimenting and trying out new things,” said Xiomaro.

For Xiomaro, the Mark Twain Library is an ideal setting.  “The library’s slogan is ‘books are just the beginning’ –  and so is my workshop.”  His aim is to make photography accessible by minimizing the technical know-how that is often a barrier.  “I’ve seen big expensive cameras set on automatic because the hundreds of choices presented by the knobs, switches and software menus are overwhelming.  For many, the workshop can be the beginning to learning the technical complexities.”  The Mark Twain Library was founded in 1908 by the most popular American author of the time, Samuel Clemens – best known as Mark Twain – who lived in Redding for a while.

Workshop attendees will have an opportunity to win several giveaways including a smartphone accessory by Xenvo Pro, which manufactures lenses, tripods, and remote shutters.  Attendees will also be invited to submit photos for publication on Xiomaro’s blog and a booklet he authored will be available for those interested in learning additional photo techniques.

Xiomaro (pronounced “SEE-oh-MAH-ro”) has worked with Weir Farm since 2011.  He is an internationally recognized artist and speaker whose photography has been covered by The New York Times, CBS Eyewitness News, and News 12.  His work has been exhibited at Harvard University and throughout Connecticut at the state Capitol building in Hartford, the Mayor’s Gallery in Stamford, and Congressman Jim Himes’ Bridgeport and Stamford offices.  This June, Arcadia Publishing is releasing Xiomaro’s history/photo book, Weir Farm National Historic Site, with the foreword written by Senator Joe Lieberman.

The Art of Phoneography workshop takes place on Saturday, March 16, 2019, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Mark Twain Library, 439 Redding Road, Redding, CT 06896.  The workshop is free of charge but space is limited.  Registration is required by calling (203) 938-2545 or submitting an RSVP.  Participants need only bring their fully charged smartphone (any brand is fine) or camera with plenty of available storage space for the new photos that will be created.  A portable USB phone charger or spare battery is helpful.  Comfortable walking shoes or boots are suggested along with some snacks.  For more information, visit www.xiomaro.com or www.marktwainlibrary.org.

 

Wigwam Escape - Connecticut's Newest Attraction

In a world “gone” digital, it is fun to leave technology behind for a while and experience something authentically different with friends and family. Wigwam Escape, a new escape room located at the Institute for American Indian Studies in Washington Connecticut, is an adventure that challenges and educates while being immersive and interactive. It is a chance to bond with your friends and to show off your puzzle-solving skills! The adrenaline rush to beat the clock is all part of the fun. It sounds exhilarating, right?

So, can you thrive for a day in 1518?  Get ready to walk back in time to find out. Wigwam Escape cleverly simulates what life was like in Connecticut prior to European contact. In an immersive woodland setting with no locks, keys, cell phones, computers, or clocks. Wigwam Escape's thematic puzzles challenge game players to hunt and gather, find water and prepare food similar to how Native people did hundreds of years ago. 

About Escape Rooms

Essentially an escape room is a puzzle game where players are put in a room and have a set time to solve the puzzles and “escape” the room.  Players solve a series of puzzles using clues or hints from around the room.  In order to escape the room, you have to solve all the riddles and puzzles within the time constraints to successfully escape.  Forget video games, this is hands-on fun!

Wigwam Escape – The Story

You, the game player, find yourselves in a Native American village in the woodlands of Connecticut in the year 1518. You’ve just received word that an illness is affecting the neighboring fishing village of Metachiwon and they are asking for help.  It is seven miles to Metachiwon so you have to act quickly.  It’s up to you to figure out how to gather and prepare supplies for your journey ahead.  You have one day (roughly one hour game time) to hunt, gather and cook using only the resources found in the village and surrounding forest.  This empathetic experience connects players to the ways Native peoples lived and the skills they relied on 500 years ago in their daily lives.

FAQs - Wigwam Escape

Wigwam Escape allows three to seven players to experience the room. To enhance the experience the room caters only to private groups, so when you book the room, it is for your group only. 

The ticket price is $25 per player and includes a non- expiring half off admission ticket to the Institute for American Indian Studies that can be used at any time during museum hours. 

The suggested age for Wigwam Escape is 12 and up; however, as long as there is a parent or guardian present during the game kids under 12 are welcome.

Wigwam Escape includes a 15 minute pre-game introduction with an Experience Host, a one-hour session in the escape room and a post game popcorn party and discussion.

Wigwam Escape is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday by reservation.  Office hours are Wed. and Thurs. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To purchase your tickets, visit www.wigwamescape.com or call (860) 868- 0510.

About The Institute for American Indian Studies

The Institute for American Indian Studies preserves and educates through discovery and creativity the diverse traditions, vitality, and knowledge of Native American cultures. Through archaeology, the IAIS is able to build new understandings of the world and history of Native Americans, the focus is on stewardship and preservation.  This is achieved through workshops, special events, and education for students of all ages.

 Located on 15 woodland acres the IAIS has an outdoor Three Sisters and Healing Plants Gardens as well as a replicated 16th c. Algonkian Village.  Inside the museum, authentic artifacts are displayed in permanent, semi-permanent and temporary exhibits from prehistory to the present that allows visitors a walk through time. 

The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut and can be reached online or by calling 860-868-0518.

Maple Sugaring @ Institute for American Indian Studies March 9

Driving through the Litchfield Hills in March you can't help but notice the network of plastic tubes and buckets that collect sap from maple trees.  The sugaring off process resulting in the golden deliciousness we know as maple syrup has a long history in New England.  The timing for sugaring is critical and only happens once a year because when the maple trees start to bud, the sap becomes bitter. Today collecting and boiling down sap is a labor-intensive process even with all the advantages of modern technology.  Native Americans were experts at collecting the sap and boiling it down using the most basic techniques and materials collected from the environment that they lived in.  They found many uses for maple syrup from making medicine taste better and sweetening food to using it as a preservative.  

Historic records indicate that the collecting and processing of maple sap was a social as well as a working occasion.  Women would tap the trees; men would cut the wood for the fire needed to boil the sap, and children tended to the sap as it boiled.   The Maple Sugar Festival at the Institute for American Indian Studies located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington, Connecticut is the perfect event for learning, socializing, and celebrating maple sugar as the first sign of spring.  The Maple Sugar Festival will be held this year on March 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Institute.  Visitors are invited to join the staff along with nationally recognized Primitive Technologists, Jeff and Judy Kalin in the outdoor Algonquian Village for an afternoon celebrating the gift of maple syrup.  

 The Kalins will demonstrate the traditional technique of collecting sap using only stone and wooden tools. Stone was used because pottery or wood containers alone would not have been able to withstand the direct heat.  The key to how water was evaporated from the sap using only natural means will be a highlight of the Kalin's demonstration.  They will also talk about the importance of maple sugar to the diet of Native Americans as well as its usefulness as an item of trade.

An added sweet bonus of this event is the “made from scratch” pancakes served up with local maple syrup, coffee, and orange juice. The Maple Syrup Demonstration is noon – 3 pm., the Pancake Brunch is 11 am – 2 pm and children’s activities are 11:30 am – 2:30 pm. The cost is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, children are $10 and members of the museum $5.

About Primitive Technologies

PTI has built nearly 200 aboriginal structures both free standing and congregated in villages using only the tools and practices of the time such as stone axes, flaked hand tools, and fire. In his work, Jeff Kalin, owner of PTI uses only primitive tools that he has made himself.

PTI has created the village at the American Indian Archeological Institute in the style of the Eastern Woodland Indians.  This reconstructed village was created to look, as it would have in the 16th century prior to European contact.  There are several wigwams and a longhouse in the village. The structures are covered in thatch or bark.

Mr. Kalin is recognized as an expert in stone tool replication and is a consultant to museum curators and archeologists in the analysis of artifacts.  He has constructed prehistoric sets for filmmakers and his wood-fired replica pottery hand built from river clay is in private and public collections

About The Institute for American Indian Studies

The Institute for American Indian Studies preserves and educates through discovery and creativity the diverse traditions, vitality, and knowledge of Native American cultures. Through archaeology, the IAIS is able to build new understandings of the world and history of Native Americans, the focus is on stewardship and preservation.  This is achieved through workshops, special events, and education for students of all ages.

 Located on 15 woodland acres the IAIS has an outdoor Three Sisters and Healing Plants Gardens as well as a replicated 16th c. Algonkian Village.  Inside the museum, authentic artifacts are displayed in permanent, semi-permanent and temporary exhibits from prehistory to the present that allows visitors a walk through time. 

The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut and can be reached online or by calling 860-868-0518.

New "Star" Attraction @ Stepping Stones Museum for Children

A new, space-themed exhibition has opened at Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk. A collaboration between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Informal STEM Education Network (NISE Network), the Sun, Earth, Universe exhibition will be on display at Stepping Stones in 2019 as part of a nationwide effort designed to engage audiences in the awe-inspiring fields of Earth and space science.

Packed with engaging, hands-on interactive exhibits and dazzling imagery, this 600-square-foot exhibition will connect visitors with current NASA science research and launch them on a journey to explore the universe! How is Earth changing? What is it like on other planets? Does life exist beyond Earth? What’s happening on the Sun, and how does it affect us? Sun, Earth, Universe is a new exhibition about our planet, the solar system, and the universe, and the big questions NASA is trying to answer about each.

Sun, Earth, Universe includes fun and compelling exhibits for visitors of all ages. Follow the design-build-test cycle of engineering and build a model spacecraft for your own mission to space. Spin a tumbler of 10,000 beads, representing all of the stars we can see from Earth to search for the unique one that represents our Sun. Reveal hidden images using the same tools NASA scientists employ to explore the otherwise invisible forces and energy of the universe. Take a break in the seating area and play the Your Mission to Space board game, or help younger visitors pilot rovers across the Mars landscape play table. These fun experiences (and many more!) introduce visitors to ongoing NASA research in the fields of heliophysics, Earth science, planetary science, and astrophysics, and encourage them to imagine what the future of Earth and space science might hold.

Many panels on the Sun, Earth, Universe exhibition provide question prompts and a link to explorescience.org/sun. This companion website features NASA video footage and mobile-friendly interactives that provide visitors opportunity to investigate themes further on their mobile devices while at the museum or at home using their mobile device.  

“First and foremost, Stepping Stones is extremely honored to be chosen as one of the 52 institutions across the country that will be displaying this awesome exhibition during the course of the next year!” said Brian Morrissey, Director of Exhibits. “Many children are fascinated with outer space, but this exhibit isn’t just for those who are space enthusiasts. Sun, Earth, Universe provides great opportunities to experience the world of aerospace and beyond, allows for moments of hands-on exploration and shared discovery among family members and will, perhaps, inspire interest in Earth and space sciences.”

“Stepping Stones is excited to host this exhibit because it aligns perfectly with our commitment to broaden and enrich the educational opportunities of children and to enhance their understanding of the world, and in the case, beyond,” Morrissey said. 

The Sun, Earth, Universe exhibition was created through a project led by Arizona State University, in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Sun, Earth, Universe exhibition was developed by a team led by the Science Museum of Minnesota, and fifty-two copies will be fabricated and distributed nationwide by the National Informal STEM Education Network (NISE Network). Exhibitions will be delivered between fall 2018 and summer 2019 and then will be on display at museums across the country over the next several years.

The Sun, Earth, Universe exhibition is free with paid admission to Stepping Stones. For more information, visit www.steppingstonesmusuem.org/seu.

Acknowledgement

The Sun, Earth, Universe exhibition was developed in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Sun, Earth, Universe exhibitions are developed and distributed nationwide by the National Informal STEM Education Network (NISE Network).

This material is based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC67A and 80NSSC18M0061. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

About Stepping Stones Museum for Children

Stepping Stones Museum for Children is an award-winning, private, non-profit 501 (c)(3) children’s museum committed to broadening and enriching the lives of children and families. For more information about Stepping Stones, to book a field trip or schedule a class, workshop or facility rental call 203-899-0606 or visit www.steppingstonesmuseum.org.

Stepping Stones Museum for Children is located at 303 West Avenue, Norwalk, CT, exit 14 North and 15 South off I-95. Museum hours are: Labor Day through Memorial Day, Tuesday-Sunday and holiday Mondays from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm; and Memorial Day through Labor Day, Monday-Sunday from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm.  Admission is $15 for adults and children and $10 for seniors. Children under 1 are free. Get social with Stepping Stones on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

About the NISE Network

The National Informal STEM Education Network (NISE Network) is a national community of informal educators and scientists dedicated to fostering public awareness, engagement, and understanding of current science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). http://nisenet.org/about

Mardi Gras Party at the Carousel Museum

The New England Carousel Museum will be in full New Orleans-style celebration mode during its 29th annual Mardi Gras party on Saturday, March 2, 2019, from 7:30 PM-midnight.  Come join us for an evening of fun and frolicking with great music, good food, bourbon, and beads.

The Big Easy evening features music and dancing in the magnificent museum ballroom. Along with a 50/50 auction and entertainment.  There will be bourbon and wine tastings in the Speakeasy, beads, and doubloons, and a catered dinner!  This is a BYOB event.  "This unique party brings a taste of New Orleans to Bristol," said Louise DeMars, the museum's Executive Director. Attendees are encouraged to wear an optional mask or come in full costume. Masks are available to purchase in the museum gift shop. 

The evening's festivities will culminate in the crowning of a king and queen of the ball.  Gather your friends and come kick up your heels to help us celebrate our 29th year while supporting the wonderful programming and events produced by the Carousel Museum for the Greater Bristol community.

Tickets are on sale at the Carousel Museum or you may order them by mail, by phone, or online.  The cost is $50 per person and pre-paid tables of 8 may be reserved. The event will be held at the New England Carousel Museum, 95 Riverside Ave, Bristol, CT.  For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact The New England Carousel Museum at (860) 585-5411 or email manager@thecarouselmuseum.org.

BOOK ONLINE:

https://www.thecarouselmuseum.org/mardi-gras