Queen Ann Nzinga Center to Celebrate Kwanza in May
By Editor at May 4, 2024 | 11:35 am | Print
To celebrate the culmination of a year of arts enrichment, the Queen Ann Nzinga Center will host “Kwanzaa in May” at Trinity-on-Main in New Britain on May 14, from 1 to 4 p.m. Participants will showcase multiple forms of artistic expression.
The public is welcome to see children and teens perform skits, sing, dance and receive awards for their achievements throughout the year.
In addition, the participants’ self-expression collages and painted masks will be displayed in the Stockman Gallery. Following the theme, “Kujchagulia – Self Determination and It’s About Me,” each participant created an autobiographical print and cultural mask under the instruction of visiting artists Renee’ S. Soares, of Middletown and Sherry Edwards, of Newton, Mass.
Soares, a mixed-media visual artist and educator, works in polymer clay and creates beaded masks that have been exhibited at fine art galleries and private venues throughout the Northeast. She is also noted for her papier Mache masks, painted silk scarves, paper wreaths and gemstone bracelets. A resident artist at Oddfellows Playhouse and Green Street Arts Center, both in Middletown, she is a faculty member at the Guilford Art Center.
Edwards lives and works as an artist and art educator in the Boston area. Her work has been shown in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and in throughout much of the United States. Her work is in the Xerox Collection as well as many private collections.
The Queen Ann Nzinga Center’s programs use the arts – music, dance, visual arts and spoken word – to build self-esteem and give children and teens multiple avenues for self-expression, said Dayna R. Snell, L.C.S.W., executive director.
“Art helps you communicate in a way you couldn’t communicate verbally. It involves problem solving and tactile skills,” she said. “Some people who don’t feel comfortable talking can express themselves through their art, whether it’s singing, dancing or visual arts.”
New Britain resident Khalidah Abdul Waheed, 17, has been involved in the program for five years. She’s a quiet girl who wants to become an artist, Snell said, and she found her voice through the QANC’s programs.
“My experience at Queen Ann Nzinga Center has been great,” Khalidah said. “Every year I come back excited to perform. I love acting and dancing. Also, I love the activities they plan for us. We learn values and principles that we apply to our performance. I’ve become a better performer.”
The free event will be held at Trinity-on-Main, 19 Chestnut St., New Britain. For information about the Queen Ann Nzinga Center, see www.qanc.org or call 860-229-8389. The programs of the Queen Ann Nzinga Center would not be possible without its sponsors: the Elizabeth Norton Trust Fund, American Savings Foundation, Friends of Jimmy Miller, J. Walton Bissell Foundation, Greater Hartford Arts Council, Well Fargo, TD Bank’s ‘Save the Change’ program, Redeemer’s A.M.E. Zion Church and Grace C.M.E. Church.
