In 1878, twenty-two-year-old sculptor Edward Russell Thaxter set sail from Maine for Italy. Soon visitors to his workshop in Florence were hailing him as the rising genius of American sculpture. In 1880 the New York Times said breathlessly, “What Thaxter may succeed in doing in the maturity of his powers and experience remains to be seen.” But within a year Thaxter died of typhoid fever in Naples at just twenty-four. He left behind a final finished work, a ten-foot plaster model called Love’s First Dream, representing a young woman caught up in a net by a mischievous Cupid. After Thaxter’s early death, his devoted mother had Love’s First Dream carved, at half-size, in marble and exhibited it across the US. Soon copies were being made in Florence for eager American collectors. In 1916 the Wadsworth received a version from the prominent local collector Ruth Munsill, who lived on Hartford’s Wethersfield Avenue. Love’s First Dream has recently been conserved, and new research sheds fresh light on what one contemporary American critic called “a masterpiece of American sculpture.”

Spanning the fields of sculpture, photography, performance, and sound, Naama Tsabar creates objects that function both as artworks and musical instruments. The artist and musicians activate these visual and sonic objects in the gallery space as formal performances while challenging the conventions of museum display. Museum visitors may explore and play the objects themselves. Tsabar draws on a range of cultural references, including post-Minimalist art (such as Robert Morris’s monumental Anti-Form felt sculpture in the Wadsworth collection) and the flamboyant and violent actions of male rock bands like The Who and Nirvana who smashed their instruments. Tsabar’s performances specifically feature a majority of female-identifying singers and musicians in a field traditionally gendered male. Thus, Tsabar confronts women’s rights and equality issues that have long lingered but have resurfaced in recent history. The work is current, feminist, and political.

Take this opportunity to meet some of the sixty-one middle and high school students who represented Connecticut in the prestigious National History Day competition this month. This hard-working cohort joined close to 3,000 other students from across the United States who advanced through the gauntlet of regional and state contests to reach the national stage.

Tasked with generating original research relating to the 2022 theme, “Debate and Diplomacy: Successes, Failures and Consequences,” the students submitted their work in one of five formats: documentary film, website, exhibit, paper or performance.

Hear fascinating first-person stories from these award-winning students about their challenging projects and the impact Connecticut History Day has had on them, along with commentary from featured speaker John Smith-Horn, Connecticut’s nominee for the Patriciate Behring Teacher of the Year and current instructor at Timothy Edwards Middle School in South Windsor.

This online event is sponsored by Connecticut’s Old State House, home of the Connecticut History Day program.

New Haven singer/songwriter Xavier Serrano brings his beautifully poetic brand of folk music back to Pratt Street.

Pratt Street Sounds is a seasonal, weekly, and free outdoor music series held on the pedestrianized Pratt Street Historic District in the center of Downtown Hartford. Enjoy a diverse lineup with a variety of musical performances ranging from rap to string quartet symphonies on this one-block historic district. Pratt Street Sounds is made possible through a grant from the Richard P. Garmany Fund.

Hartford’s got Hamilton fever: Hamilton’s back at the Bushnell, and the Connecticut Historical Society’s newest exhibition Hamilton Heroes and Villains ​is on view. To celebrate, CHS is co-hosting a trivia night at the museum! Trivia topics include pop culture, history, and, of course, all things Hamilton.

The emcee for the evening will be NPR’s Chion Wolf.

$10/person to play. Bring a team, go it solo, or sign up to meet new people when you arrive! Teams are limited to ​6 players. Snacks and soft drinks included with your admission, and there will be a cash bar provided courtesy of Hartford’s City Steam Brewery!