Free First Sunday

Enjoy free admission to the Museum on the first Sunday of each month courtesy of the Nypro Foundation.

Virtual Contemporary Russian Literature Book Group

Free. New members always welcome. This month’s book is Mesopotamia (The Margellos World Republic of Letters) by Serhiy Zhadan. This captivating book is Serhiy Zhadan’s ode to Kharkiv, the traditionally Russian-speaking city in Eastern Ukraine where he makes his home. A ......More

Free. New members always welcome. This month’s book is Mesopotamia (The Margellos World Republic of Letters) by Serhiy Zhadan. This captivating book is Serhiy Zhadan’s ode to Kharkiv, the traditionally Russian-speaking city in Eastern Ukraine where he makes his home. A leader among Ukrainian post‑independence authors, Zhadan employs both prose and poetry to address the disillusionment, complications, and complexities that have marked Ukrainian life in the decades following the Soviet Union’s collapse. His novel provides an extraordinary depiction of the lives of working-class Ukrainians struggling against an implacable fate: the road forward seems blocked at every turn by demagogic forces and remnants of the Russian past. Zhadan’s nine interconnected stories and accompanying poems are set in a city both representative and unusual, and his characters are simultaneously familiar and strange. Following a kind of magical-realist logic, his stories expose the grit and burden of stalled lives, the universal desire for intimacy, and a wistful realization of the off-kilter and even perverse nature of love. Please contact afarwell@museumofrussianicons.org for the Zoom link.

Music of Mexico with Fiesta del Norte

Part of the Clinton Parks and Recreation’s Annual Summer Concert Series. This workshop highlights Mexican culture through the living tradition of mariachi with Fiesta del Norte, Connecticut’s first mariachi band. Their repertoire of traditional Mexican folk and popular ......More

Part of the Clinton Parks and Recreation’s Annual Summer Concert Series. This workshop highlights Mexican culture through the living tradition of mariachi with Fiesta del Norte, Connecticut’s first mariachi band. Their repertoire of traditional Mexican folk and popular music spans the mariachis of Jalisco to the harp music of Vera Cruz, to the marimbas of Chiapas, all interpreted on authentic instruments such as the guitar, guitarrón, violin, and trumpet. Translations, storytelling, and cultural insights are interwoven between songs. Attendees will see costumes, interact with the instruments, and learn simple dance steps. Audience participation is encouraged! “Fiesta del Norte came to present to our theme-based arts and world languages schools. They immediately connected with our students and staff. They performed a variety of Mexican music as well as helped to teach the students about the culture. Our students were engaged for the entire performance. We look forward to having them back again in the future.”— Emil S. Kopcha, Principal Sunset Ridge School Elementary Academy of Arts and World Languages   This program is supported by a grant from the Mass Cultural Council.    

Museum of Russian Icons