Fall 2009 Calendar
| September 23 | Songs in Stone film screening and lecture |
| October 17 | Demonstration: Corn Husk Dolls with Dawn Spears |
| October 24 | Workshop: Corn Husk Dolls with Dawn Spears |
| November 14 | Honoring the Harvest in Bristol, Rhode Island |
| November 20 | Explaining Disease through Witchcraft: The Example of HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe |
December 9 |
Jane Powell Dwyer Memorial Lecture: Dialogue and Silences at the Musèe du Quai Branly |
Wednesday, September 23, 5:30 p.m.
Manning Hall
Songs in Stone
On September 23 at 5:30 p.m. we will feature a screening of Songs in Stone in our gallery at Manning Hall. In the film, filmaker John Houston shares the work done by his late father, James Houston who worked with Inuit artists and printmakers to create an artists’ cooperative on Baffin Island. Museum board member Alice Houston will offer reflections on the film and will show some of James’ Inuit art pieces. Pieces from the Haffenreffer Museum’s collection will also be on view at this event.
Reception to follow.
Demonstration: Saturday, October 17, 10:30 a.m. — 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m. — 3:30 p.m.
Manning Hall
Workshop, October 24, 10 a.m. — 12 p.m.
Manning Hall
Corn Husk Dolls
Come by Manning Hall on October 17 between the hours of 10:30 to 12:30 and 1:30 to 3:30 to see local artist, Dawn Spears, make and fashion corn husk dolls. Ms. Spears (Narragansett) is the Native Arts Program Coordinator for the New England Foundation for the Arts and the Tribal Secretary for the Narragansett tribe. She has lead numerous arts and educational programs throughout New England and has coordinated cultural classes and workshops for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum. Ms. Spears will also lead a free workshop on Saturday, October 24 from 10:00 to noon. Children under ten must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is required for the workshop and space is limited.
Saturday, November 14, 11 a.m. — 1 p.m.
Outing Reservation, Bristol, Rhode Island
Honoring the Harvest in Bristol, Rhode Island
The 8th annual Honoring the Harvest celebration, sponsored by the Bristol Parks and Recreation Department, will be located on the Mount Hope Grant in Bristol in the Outing Reservation Building on November 14 from 10 a.m. to noon. This celebration of the fall harvest will be lead by Native Americans from the Pokanoket Wampanoag community. Join us for a feast of succotash, cornbread, pumpkin bread, and cider while enjoying dancing, drumming, and craft activities. The program is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology.
November 20, 2009 5:30 p.m.
Manning Hall
Explaining Disease through Witchcraft: The Example of HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe
HIV/AIDS is a catastrophic health crisis with complex cultural dimensions. Explanations of where it comes from, who gets it, and who dies are tied to political agendas, religious beliefs, and the psychology of devastating grief. The medical anthropologist Alexander Rödlach shows how beliefs about witchcraft surrounding HIV/AIDS are an important element in Zimbabweans' efforts to understand why someone has fallen ill with AIDS-related conditions, to offer hope for healing, and to appeal for help. He also demonstrates the impact of these beliefs on public health and advocacy programs, arguing that cultural misunderstandings contribute to the failure of many well-intentioned efforts. Reception will follow.
Wednesday, December 9, 5:30 p.m.
Manning Hall
Jane Powell Dwyer Memorial Lecture:
Dialogue and Silences at the Musée du Quai Branly
Sally Price (College of William & Mary) will lead a guided tour through Paris’s new museum of “arts premiers” (once known as “primitive art”), listening for the silences in information provided for the exhibited objects. Based partly on Professor Price’s recent book, Paris Primitive: Jacques Chirac’s Museum on the Quai Branly, this densely illustrated talk will explore the (personal and national) politics that contribute to the establishment of value and provenance, with special focus on the world of art collecting in France. Lecture sponsored by donors to the Jane Powell Dwyer Memorial Lecture and the Friends of the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology.