Spring 2019 "First Sunday at The Mill Works"
Come join us on Sunday, April 7th from 1:30pm to 5:00pm for the 2019 Spring Season “First Sunday at The Mill Works” sponsored by the Eastern Connecticut Center for History, Art, and Performance (EC-CHAP)!
Join us for an award presentation by the CT DECD, State Historic Preservation Office and overview of the 2018 “Good-To-Great” grant. Participate in an interactive historical discussion and presentation by local Historian, Richard Symonds; debut of the new “Dye & Bleach House Community Gallery”, with EC-CHAP Artist In Residence, Rebecca Zablocki; and listen to live jazz in The Packing House by “Straight Up Jazz” . Throughout the afternoon, stroll through The Mill Works Creative Community open studios; explore the exhibits in the Gardiner Hall Jr. History Museum.; and enjoy period refreshments typical of the mid 19th century with us at this local historic landmark.
SCHEDULE
PRESENTATION
2:00pm - DECD State Historic Preservation Office, “Good To Great” Grant Award Presentation and Overview. Location: The Packing House (Bldg-1, Floor-3).
BREAK-OUT SESSIONS
3:00pm - History – “Raising Historical Awareness: An Approach to Collaboration & Programming”. Presenter: Richard Symonds. Location: The Packing House (Bldg-1, Floor-3).
RICHARD SYMONDS
Mr. Symonds has had a passion for how the environment is used to support man's needs, particularly the land and water resources. His unique educational background, work experience as a land use planner, interest in land use history, and military experience has led to his work on the evaluation of water powered mill sites.
Mr. Symonds is a graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in geography, specializing in historical and regional geography and map making techniques. He served as a U.S. Army Infantry officer, retiring from the Army Reserve as a Captain in 1968. The majority of his professional career was spent as a planner for the State of Connecticut though his retirement in 1992. Since retiring he has written numerous history books including three relating to water use and water powered mill sites. Mr. Symonds has been involved in local community service in Tolland serving on the Town Council, Conservation Commission, Water Commission, Historical Society, volunteer fire department, and as Town Fire Marshal.
Mr. Symonds will discuss historical research and challenges faced as a practitioner. A Framework to raise historical awareness through ongoing discourse and collaboration will be presented.
3:45pm - Art – “A Vision for the Visual Arts: A Platform for Emerging Artists & Beyond”. Presenter: Rebecca Zablocki. Location: Dye & Bleach House Community Gallery (Bldg-2, Floor-1)
REBECCA ZABLOCKI: Director, Dye & Bleach House Community Gallery
Ms Zablocki, originally from Long Island, NY, completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees from the University of Hartford’s Hartford Art School as a printmaker. After graduation in 2014, she returned to NY for a year where she worked in a gallery and art studio, teaching and managing the space. She currently holds the position of Assistant Director of the Gallery and Gallery Store at the Worcester Center for Crafts, Worcester, MA.
Rebecca is completing her second year as an “Artist In Residence” (AIR) at EC-CHAP, and has recently developed and serves as Director of the new "Dye & Bleach House Community Gallery" located at The Mill Works in Willington, CT.
Rebecca will debut and provide an overview of the Dye & Bleach House Community Gallery, developed as a platform for local and regional artists to display their work for public view. This gallery provides an opportunity for emerging and established artists of all ages to obtain public exposure of their creative work. Weekly hours of operation will be announced at this presentation. There is no cost to display in the Community Gallery.
4:15pm - Performance – Jazz Trio, “Straight Up Jazz ”. Location: The Packing House (Bldg-1, Floor-3).
STRAIGHT UP JAZZ
The Straight Up Jazz Trio has been playing together since 2014. The trio format is a special ensemble in jazz, with a tradition going back to the early swing era. With a basic instrumentation of piano, bass and drums, the musicians can explore and reinterpret music spontaneously. Trios led by Bud Powell, Bill Evans, Ahmad Jamal, and Keith Jarrett have often been on the creative forefront in jazz, and continue to serve as an inspiration to contemporary musicians. The Straight Up Jazz Trio continues in that tradition, playing material from the standards repertoire in an expressive, adventurous, and visceral manner.
THE ARTISTS:
Pianist ANTHONY CORNICELLO is a Professor of Music at Eastern Connecticut State University, where he has taught jazz piano as well as directed the Eastern Jazz band. Anthony has been involved with jazz since the 1980s, leading his own ensembles and playing with avant-garde groups such as “Inside/Out”.
RICK O’NEAL is a Bass Player for a few regional band including Delta Generators, ONeal Armstrong and Straight Up Jazz. Rick has appeared at the San Francisco and Montreal Jazz Festivals, and has opened for Etta James and BB King. He is now an adjunct Professor at Eastern Connecticut State University.
Drummer VENLO ODOM has been a professional musician for over 40 years, playing with Barry White, The O’Jays, John Lee, Jimmie Smith, amongst others. He has played in major venues, including B.B. King’s (NYC), The Apollo Theatre and Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den, and has appeared on many recordings. Venlo is currently working towards a BA in Music Performance at Eastern.
ONGOING 3:00PM TO 5:00PM
THE MILL WORKS CREATIVE COMMUNITY (Floors 1 & 2)
DYE & BLEACH HOUSE COMMUNITY GALLERY
GARDINER HALL JR HISTORY MUSEUM
EASTERN CONNECTICUT CENTER FOR HISTORY, ART, AND PERFORMANCE (EC-CHAP) (Floor-2)
Learn about EC-CHAP and how you can become involved in your regional cultural organization. Our Volunteers will discuss the benefits of membership and how you may share your skills and talents through our volunteer program.
We seek your input and suggestions, and how we may best meet your needs.
