Calendar of Events

New England Ballet Theatre’s contemporary interpretation of the story inspired by the 1948 film is set in Hartford in 1954 where young dancers yearn to become prima ballerinas amidst a flourishing arts scene. A pair of blood-red ballet shoes promises unparalleled dance prowess, but the Shoemaker’s dark price taints their ambitions. As Karen rises to prominence after acquiring these enchanted shoes, her relationships falter and her longing for stardom isolates and consumes her. In the aftermath, she discovers that success emerges from within, yet the Shoemaker’s sinister influence continues to lurk, tempting new hopefuls to tread his treacherous path. Visit neballettheatre.com for tickets.

Directed and choreographed by Rachael Gnatowski.

New England Ballet Theatre’s contemporary interpretation of the story inspired by the 1948 film is set in Hartford in 1954 where young dancers yearn to become prima ballerinas amidst a flourishing arts scene. A pair of blood-red ballet shoes promises unparalleled dance prowess, but the Shoemaker’s dark price taints their ambitions. As Karen rises to prominence after acquiring these enchanted shoes, her relationships falter and her longing for stardom isolates and consumes her. In the aftermath, she discovers that success emerges from within, yet the Shoemaker’s sinister influence continues to lurk, tempting new hopefuls to tread his treacherous path. Visit neballettheatre.com for tickets.

Directed and choreographed by Rachael Gnatowski.

5pm gallery viewing, 6pm lecture

Meissen, the oldest porcelain manufactory in Europe, has produced hard-paste porcelain in Germany since the early eighteenth century. Vanessa Sigalas, the Wadsworth’s David W. Dangremond Associate Curator for Collections Research and author of the book All Walks of Life: A Journey with The Alan Shimmerman Collection (Arnoldsche Verlagsanstalt, 2023), shares how her recent research sheds light on the creation, production, and distribution of Meissen porcelain. Join us in the galleries before the lecture to view Meissen figures from the Wadsworth’s collection. Free with reservations encouraged.

Presented in partnership with the Design and Decorative Arts Council and the Auerbach Library Associates at the Wadsworth Atheneum.

2pm reception, 3–5pm film and panel

Join us for the premiere of Voices of Veterans: Buffalo Soldiers and Beyond, a film produced by The Amistad Center for Art & Culture that highlights the legacy of the US Army regiment comprised mainly of Black Americans. The film examines objects from The Amistad’s permanent collection and surveys the contributions of African American military members though guided interviews with veterans. A reception to celebrate veterans living in Hartford precedes the film and a panel discussion with speakers including oral historian Nild Sansone follows. Free.

Image: Still from Voices of Veterans during interview with Deacon Arthur Miller.

Drop in as regional musicians create a sound map of our city throughout the galleries with a special recreation of the 1970 musical composition (Hartford) Memory Space by Alvin Lucier (1931–2021), one of the most influential American composers of the last hundred years, best known for his works that explore the properties of sound and how we perceive them. (Hartford) Memory Space premiered at Hartford Art School, inviting musicians to recreate the sounds they heard while out in the city. In conjunction with the exhibition Rules & Repetition. Free with admission.

Performances by Joan La Barbara, The Daxophone Consort (Daniel Fishkin, Cleek Schrey, and Ron Shalom), Tongue Depressor (Henry Birdsey and Zach Rowden), Trevor Saint, Ronald Kuivila, Emerson Jenisch, and Sam Boston.

Presented in partnership with Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts and Hartford Art School at University of Hartford with support from the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation Fund at the Wadsworth Atheneum.

Image: Contact sheet from the Museum Archives Photograph Collection documenting Alvin Lucier’s performance of Music for Solo Performer (1965) at the Wadsworth Atheneum on April 23, 1996, part of an “Evening Lecture Series” on performance art.

Celebrate the season and support the Wadsworth during this major holiday fundraiser, our 49th annual Festival of Trees & Traditions. Each year, community members, artists, and volunteers from local organizations decorate holiday trees and wreaths, turning the galleries into a winter wonderland. All items are for sale and profits support the museum’s special exhibitions, programs, and operating expenses. Bring home the holiday cheer or donate your purchase to a local charity. A $5 fundraising surcharge is added to all museum admissions during Festival of Trees & Traditions.

Celebrate the season and support the Wadsworth during this major holiday fundraiser, our 49th annual Festival of Trees & Traditions. Each year, community members, artists, and volunteers from local organizations decorate holiday trees and wreaths, turning the galleries into a winter wonderland. All items are for sale and profits support the museum’s special exhibitions, programs, and operating expenses. Bring home the holiday cheer or donate your purchase to a local charity. A $5 fundraising surcharge is added to all museum admissions during Festival of Trees & Traditions.

Celebrate the season and support the Wadsworth during this major holiday fundraiser, our 49th annual Festival of Trees & Traditions. Each year, community members, artists, and volunteers from local organizations decorate holiday trees and wreaths, turning the galleries into a winter wonderland. All items are for sale and profits support the museum’s special exhibitions, programs, and operating expenses. Bring home the holiday cheer or donate your purchase to a local charity. A $5 fundraising surcharge is added to all museum admissions during Festival of Trees & Traditions.