For Immediate Release: 5 February 2024
Contact: Melissa Lamar, Director of Media & Public Relations
W: 860.773.1407 MLamar@tunxis.edu
CT State Quinebaug Valley Holds February Events
The community is invited to the following events, performances and exhibits at CT State Community College Quinebaug Valley’s campuses at 742 Upper Maple Street in Danielson and 729 Main Street in Willimantic, as noted. All events are free. Visit Quinebaug Valley’s website for the latest updates related to weather delays and closing at www.qvcc.edu.
- Feb. 7-March 8, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Gallery Exhibition: “Trajectory 1974 – 2024,” a retrospective by Ann C. Rosebrooks, is currently on display in the Spirol Art Gallery at Quinebaug’s main campus in Danielson. “Trajectory” is a celebration of Rosebrooks’ long career as an artist in her community and around the country. Among the exhibition’s many pieces are two that are part of the gallery’s permanent collection. For more information, contact Jessica Porzuczek, professor of visual arts and Spirol Gallery director at jporzuczek@qvcc.commnet.edu.
- Feb. 13, 12:30-3:10 p.m.
Guest Lecture: “Local Black History with Dr. Stacey Close and Donna Dufresne,” in the Fireside Lounge at Quinebaug’s main campus, Danielson. Close will focus on “African Americans and the Vote,” while Dufresne will present on “Slaves in Our Backyard.” The program is part of campus celebrations of Black History Month. Beverages and light food will be served. The event will be rescheduled to Feb. 20 at the same time if there is an inclement weather closing.
A native of Georgia, Close has worked in higher education as a professor and administrative leader for more than 25 years. He currently serves as a professor of African American history at Eastern Connecticut State University and is completing a study on the Black Hartford Freedom Struggle from 1915-70. Close was named one of 100 Most Influential Black People by the Connecticut NAACP. He has been a guest on NPR’s “Where We Live,” and a panelist on the Smithsonian Channel. He has presented nationally, and his work has been appeared widely in publications.
Dufresne is an educator, writer, and historian who is involved in several historical research projects to educate students and adults about the rich and diverse understory of local history. Her research and writing have helped to shed light on the soldiers of the CT 29th Regiment Connecticut Volunteers in Windham County, who were of African and Nipmuc descent, and some of their ancestors who were enslaved in the region during the 18th century. Dufresne has worked with the Wyndham Land Trust to install a memorial stone for enslaved Africans buried in the Randall/Higginbotham Cemetery in Pomfret and is writing a book about how to interpret American history through a local lens.
For more information, contact Philhemina Boone, pboone@qvcc.edu, 860.932.4176, or Jon Andersen, jandersen@qvcc.edu, 860.932.4054.
- Feb. 26, 7-8:30 p.m.
Poetry Reading: “African Americans and the Arts: Poetry with Frederick Douglass Knowles and Rhonda Ward” will be held at Quinebaug Valley’s Willimantic campus. Light snacks and refreshments will be available. The event will be rescheduled to Feb. 28 if there is an inclement weather closing.
Educator, poet, and literary activist Frederick-Douglass Knowles II is a professor of English at CT State Three Rivers in his native city of Norwich and the inaugural Poet Laureate of the city of Hartford. Knowles was the 2020 Connecticut of the Arts Fellow in Artist Excellence for Poetry/Creative Non-Fiction and a recipient of the 2019 Nutmeg Poetry Award. Known for his dynamic and moving readings, he is a Pushcart Prize nominee and the author of “BlackRoseCity.”
Rhonda Ward served as the inaugural Poet Laureate for the City of New London from 2017 to 2021. Her poems have appeared in print and online publications, such as Poetry, Connecticut Woodlands, Cape Cod Quarterly, the nature anthology “Waking Up to the Earth,” edited by Connecticut Poet Laureate emerita Margaret Gibson, and the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-A-Day Project online. Ward has read her poetry internationally.
For more information, contact Jon Andersen, professor of English, jandersen@qvcc.edu, phone: 860.932.4054.
About CT State
With the merger of the 12 Connecticut community colleges in July 2023, CT State Community College is now the largest community college in New England, enrolling more than 70,000 students each year, and approximately 25 percent of college students in Connecticut. As the most affordable college in CT, CT State is dedicated to making quality education accessible to all in a supportive and inclusive learning environment. CT State students benefit from a streamlined financial aid process and apply once to take classes at any campus. The campuses—Asnuntuck (Enfield), Capital (Hartford), Gateway (New Haven and North Haven), Housatonic (Bridgeport), Manchester, Middlesex (Middletown and Meriden), Naugatuck Valley (Waterbury and Danbury), Northwestern (Winsted), Norwalk, Quinebaug Valley (Danielson and Willimantic), Three Rivers (Norwich), and Tunxis (Farmington and Bristol)—form a network that empowers students to tailor their educational journey to their needs.
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