CTExplored/Inbox
Welcome to your free bi-weekly newsletter from Connecticut Explored with the latest stories, the newest Grating the Nutmeg podcast, programs and exhibitions from our partners to see/watch this month, and more!
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Mythologies of Light and Cast Shadow Within Northeastern Stone Chambers
Lights! Caves! Action!
Author Kathleen Patricia Thrane examines stone chambers throughout the Northeast, detailing their relevance to mythos presented in many Indigenous stories. The Winter issue includes an excerpt centered on stone chambers in Connecticut. During the 2017 Winter Solstice when sunlight hit the chambers just right, the formation of the rock made out the shadowy image of different figures from creation stories. The locations of the stones suggest to archaeologists that the choice of putting them there was of great spiritual importance. It also suggests the creators of this chamber had astronomical knowledge.
The above image showcases one of the stone chambers. When the light hit it just right it created an online in the shape of a raptor, often referred to as “thunderbirds.”
Thrane writes, “The stone chambers are manifestations of ancient cosmologies, oral histories, mythic culture heroes, and connections between the sun, the sky, the earth, the underworld, and the water world. These ancient monuments are important cultural heritage sites and rare examples of Indigenous astronomy, mythology, and spirituality.”
Read the entire story and see additional pictures of the stone chambers with your Connecticut Explored subscription.
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The Latest From Grating the Nutmeg
Hartford and the Great Migration, 1914-1950
In this episode, Dr. Stacey Close discusses Hartford and the Great Migration. In a recent New York Times article, journalist Adam Mahoney describes the Great Migration as a time when millions of Black people left the South to escape segregation, servitude and lynching and went North in search of jobs and stable housing. Connecticut Explored’s book African American Connecticut Explored published by Wesleyan University Press has just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Dr. Close served as one of the principal authors for this groundbreaking volume of essays that illuminate the long arc of Black history in Connecticut.
Listen: Hartford and the Great Migration, 1914-1950
Programs and Exhibitions to Enjoy This Month
LIFE: Six Women Photographers
LIFE: Six Women Photographers at the Greenwich Historical Society presents the work of six of the few pioneering women photographers employed by LIFE magazine between the late 1930s and early 1970s, whose iconic images captured a quickly evolving world and helped create modern photojournalism. Featuring over 70 images by Margaret Bourke-White, Nina Leen, Lisa Larsen, Hansel Mieth, Martha Holmes, and Marie Hansen, the exhibition details how these photographers and their work were integral to LIFE founder and editor-in-chief Henry R. Luce’s vision for an “American Century.” LIFE: Six Women Photographers is organized by the New-York Historical Society and will be on view at the Greenwich Historical Society from March 6 to July 7, 2024. The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of public lectures, film screenings, and photography workshops.
March 6 - July 7 | Greenwich Historical Society
Click here for more information!
Wilton Works
We spend a lot of time at our jobs—a 9-to-5 position takes up about a quarter of our week! Work is an important part of all of our lives, and our career often defines who we are. The Wilton Historical Society’s newest exhibition, Wilton Works, opening April 2024, examines the evolving nature of occupations and what it means for the nature of work going forward. Who does what jobs, and who do they do them for? Where do they actually work, and what hours? At a time when labor unions, working from home, and the “Great Resignation” are constantly on the news, this exhibition asks the question: Why do we work the way that we do? Open through fall 2024.
April 2024 | Wilton Historical Society
Click here for more information!
Carolyn Marks Blackwood: The Story Series
Visit the Mattatuck Museum for the Opening Day Celebration of The Story Series. With large-scale and mysterious photographs, screenwriter and film producer Carolyn Marks Blackwood invites the viewer to participate in the creation of meaning. By associating brief caption lines with images of deserted streets, isolated forests, and houses lit from within, visitors are encouraged to supply their own narrative inspired by their unique experiences. Both haunting and profound, The Story Series provides an opportunity for creative engagement and deep reflection. On view March 10th, 2024 through May 12th, 2024.
The Museum is offering reduced admission of $5 for the Opening Day Celebration.
March 17 | 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury
Click here for more information!
Editor’s Picks
Want to explore the topics featured in this edition of the e-Newsletter? Check out these stories and podcasts from the archives.
“Native American Oystering” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2017.
“Mine Hill and the Lost Village of Chalybes” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2021.
“Unburying Hartford's Native and African Family Histories” Connecticut Explored, Fall 2019.
“Mark Twain’s Native American Problem” Grating the Nutmeg, Episode 52.
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