Access for All Community Day | Hispanic Heritage Month

Join us in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with your family and friends through interactive music and dance performances that celebrate the rich folkloric traditions from various Latin American cultures. Enjoy the day with your family by sitting back and taking in the music or by trying out some drop-in activities like decorating your own maracas or interacting with artworks in our galleries!

Schedule:

10 a.m.-2 p.m. | Drop-In Art Activity

Come visit our drop-in activity table and decorate maracas then watch the performances throughout the day and see other musical instruments used in Latin music.

11-11:45 a.m. | Tere Luna (Mexican Folkloric Dance)

Ms. Luna performs a Mexican folkloric dance from a particular region of Mexico with appropriate music and wearing the colorful traditional attire of that region, in celebration of Mexican Independence Day. Ms. Luna explains the cultural and historical context of the music and dance style. Participants are asked to participate, doing simple steps so they can follow the choreography.

12:30-1:15 p.m. | Sirius Coyote (Music of the Americas)

Enchanting rhythms and folklore enhance this richly entertaining performance with music ranging from Pre-Columbian instrumentation to Hispanic Nueva Cancion and World Fusion. Most songs are sung in Spanish with English translations. The audience will sing, clap, and dance their way on a journey through the Americas. The audience will see and hear instruments that may not usually be seen or heard in their everyday environment. Accompanying stories will give context to the songs and create a multi-sensory experience. If/when possible, participants will be invited to join in music making.

1:15-2 p.m. | Guided Family Gallery Activities

Join us on this Guided Family Tour and try out some simple activities inspired by Anna Valdez and Rafael De Soto’s artworks.

2-3 p.m. | Carlos Boltes’ Family and Friends (Sofia Boltes, Rebecca Delgado-Brito and Juan Brito)

Carlos Boltes will be presenting and playing folkloric instruments from Perú, Ecuador, Chile, and Bolivia, such as the charango, quena, pincuyo, zampoña, and other typical instruments from these regions. He will be accompanied on the violin by his daughter, Sofia Boltes, and guitarist Juan Brito. Carlos is a renowned ‘charanguista’, who specializes in playing the charango– a small, ten stringed instrument originally made with an armadillo shell. Given its status as a protected species, the armadillo can no longer be used to make the shell of a charango. The shell is now made from wood selected by luthiers in Bolivia and other countries from the Andean region.

Carlos and Sofia will also accompany Rebecca and Juan Brito as they sing ballads from Puerto Rico that praise the beauty of the island and a longing to return to a simpler and unencumbered life.

Vendor on Cafe Terrace | Cecilia Imports

Terese Maineri is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Santiago Sacatepequez, Guatemala. In 2014, she started Cecilia Imports which sells fair trade Guatemalan artisan crafts in Connecticut. The items for sale are made by friends she met during her Peace Corps service. Through Cecilia Imports, she works to expand the market for the artists in Guatemala.

Self-Guided Activity | Justin Favela Scavenger Hunt

Pick up a scavenger hunt activity sheet from the Front Desk to add a special focus to your visit through the galleries.