Wednesday, January 18
Color is all around us, but what do we really know about it? Join Director of Exhibitions Jane LeGrow for an engaging look at how color has shaped human history and how we view our world.
Time: 5:30 – 7 PM
Cost: Members $10 / Non-members $15
Wednesday, January 25
The Lyman Allyn Art Museum will host Thames River Heritage Park’s winter lecture series, “Stories from the Park.” In the six-part series, Connecticut authors will talk about significant local history and culture.
The lectures are scheduled on Wednesday evenings from 6 – 8:30 p.m. Those attending in-person will have an opportunity to meet the authors, purchase books and have them signed. Light hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served during the reception.
This lecture will feature Lisa Hall Brownell, a Ledyard resident, will speak on “Love and Brutality: The Mysterious Saga of Gallows Road.” She is the author of “Gallows Road,” a work of historical fiction inspired by colonial-era events in New London.
Time: 6 PM – 8:30 PM
Cost: Early Registration: Members $10/Non-members $15
Registration after 1/19: $15 Members / $20 Non-members
Both in-person and virtual attendance is offered. Seating is limited, so advance registration is required. Interested participants may register at the Thames River Heritage Park website www.thamesriverheritagepark.org.
About Thames River Heritage Park
Thames River Heritage Park is a collection of heritage sites and institution partners which promote the history and heritage of the Thames. Thames River Heritage Park Foundation connects, supports, promotes and sustains these sites and partners by operating the water taxi service, offering history-themed narrated boat tours and harbor cruises on the Thames, and private charters during the summer season. In the off-season, Thames River Heritage Park Foundation works with partner sites and institutions to develop collaborative programs, such as, the popular Docent Academy and Stories from the Park lecture series along with marketing campaigns promoting tourism and economic development along the Thames. For more information on the Park, the Foundation, and their programs and services, contact Catherine Foley at cfoley@thamesriverheritagepark.org.
Saturday, February 4
Presented by Adwoa Bandele-Asante
Join us for an interesting and interactive afternoon of learning with a live performance of Harriet Tubman: A Woman with a Railroad by New London’s own Adwoa Bandele-Asante. This program is free and open to all.
Time: 1 – 2 PM
Cost: Free
About the program
This one woman show, written and performed by Adwoa Bandele-Asante is arguably the best post-Civil War portrayal of Harriet Tubman to date. Through the story of Harriet Tubman’s struggle for freedom from slavery and inclusion as an American citizen, Adwoa demonstrates how faith, courage, and commitment inspired this great woman warrior, healer, and builder of the twentieth century.
Harriet Tubman is an inspiration for many. She was a woman of very humble means who used diligent work, good common sense, and faith to accomplish much. She continues to inspire conscious and downtrodden people throughout the world today.
About the presenter
Adwoa Bandele-Asante was born and raised in New London, CT. Here she attended public grade schools and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Connecticut College. After earning a Master of Arts degree from Howard University in Washington, DC, Ms. Bandele-Asante taught high school and founded the Back to Africa Club which enabled her to travel to West Africa. While in DC she debuted Harriet Tubman: A Woman with a Railroad at highly acclaimed director Haile Gerima’s Sankofa Books and Videos Cafe. Ultimately, she returned home, with her husband and four daughters, to be with her elderly mother in New London.
Diligent study of Harriet Tubman spans from her place of birth in Dorchester County, MD to her final resting place in Auburn, New York, as well as, in communion with scholars in places like Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.
Much research and curriculum development happened for our Amistad piece while working as an educator, since 2018, with Connecticut’s flagship freedom schooner Amistad. Consultations are ongoing with scholars from, and with expertise on, Sierra Leone.
Mrs. Bandele-Asante has consistently shown a steadfast commitment to grassroots organization and advocacy for healthy learning, eating, and exercise. Today she is founder and managing member of P.E.A.C.E. Works Group LLC. The performing arts have been a lifetime interest for Mama Adwoa. Other interests include playing tennis, chess and the electric bass guitar. She has traveled to several different countries a