Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum to hold storytelling workshop for kids

At the museum / Helen Bennett
 

 

HAMDEN  – Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University, will hold a three-day workshop for children, dubbed “The Paintings Speak: Creating Dramatic Monologues Inspired by the Artwork in Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum,” from Aug. 16 to Aug. 18, according to a release..

The workshop is for children ages 9 to 12 and will run from 9-11 a.m. each day at 3011 Whitney Ave., the release said. 

 

"The workshop is designed to educate children about the Irish Famine, which occurred from 1845-52 when blight destroyed virtually all of Ireland's potato crops. The crop destruction, coupled with British governmental indifference to the plight of the Irish, who at the time were part of the United Kingdom, resulted in the deaths of more than 1 million Irish men, women and children and the emigration of more than 2 million to nations around the world," the release said.

 

Sara deBeer

"Storytelling is an intrinsic part of Irish folklore. The children will work with a professional storyteller and learn about this spoken art form. They will view the museum’s paintings and sculptures and select one to use to create a dramatic monologue, which will be performed on the final day of the workshop," according to the release.

 

“By taking part in the three-day workshop 'The Paintings Speak,' and creating their own performance pieces, participants will appreciate the ways visual artists convey both history and emotion,” said Sara deBeer, a poet, storyteller and classroom teacher, who will lead the workshop, also in the release. “They will also gain a deeper understanding of the period of time known as Ireland’s Great Hunger. Finally, they will discover their own capacity to use the spoken word as a vehicle to express all they’ve learned.”

At the museum / Helen Bennett
 

 

 

Registration forms can be found at www.ighm.org. To pay the $45 registration fee for the three-day workshop, call the museum at 203-582-6500. All registration forms must be completed and submitted and payment received before the workshop begins.

 

Also in the release:

Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University is home to the world's largest collection of visual art, artifacts and printed materials relating to the Irish Famine. The museum preserves, builds and presents its art collection to stimulate reflection, inspire imagination and advance awareness of Ireland's Great Hunger and its long aftermath on both sides of the Atlantic.

 

Works by noted contemporary Irish artists are featured at the museum including internationally known sculptors John Behan, Rowan Gillespie and Éamonn O'Doherty; as well as contemporary visual artists, Robert Ballagh, Alanna O'Kelly, Brian Maguire and Hughie O'Donoghue. Featured paintings include several important 19th and 20th‐century works by artists such as James Brenan, Daniel Macdonald, James Arthur O'Connor and Jack B. Yeats.

 

The museum is open Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Fridays, and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sundays, 1-5 p.m. Museum admission is free.

 

In the contributed photo: Sara deBeer, a poet, storyteller and classroom teacher, who will lead the workshop “The Paintings Speak: Creating Dramatic Monologues Inspired by the Artwork in Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum,” at Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University. Contributed photo

 

 

Editor's note: All information and the photo of Sara deBeer in this post were contributed. Click one of the buttons below to share it.

Thirteenth Annual Green Corn Festival is Aug. 5 in Connecticut

WASHINGTON, CONN. -  The Institute for American Indian Studies is inviting everyone to help celebrate the first ripe corn of the season at the Thirteenth Annual Green Corn Festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 5, according to a release.

 

"Enjoy exciting activities including drumming, dancing, crafts, storytelling and more," the release said.

 

This year, organizers are pleased to welcome as performers the Eastern Suns drum group and the Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers, according to the release 

 

"After working up an appetite dancing, grab some Native American food, make a craft to take home and browse unique Native-crafted items for sale. Held rain or shine!

 

The event fee is: $10 Adults; $6 Children.

 

Also in the release:

  

About The Institute for American Indian Studies: The Institute for American Indian Studies Museum & Research Center preserves and educates through discovery and creativity the diverse traditions, vitality, and knowledge of Native American cultures. www.iaismuseum.org.

Editor's note: All information and the photos in this post were contributed. Click one of the buttons below to share it.