Portuguese Foundation Inc. of Connecticut

Cultural Activities and Program

The Portuguese Foundation, Inc. was founded in 1990 with the hopes to establish an organization that would advance Portuguese People and disseminate Portuguese culture throughout the State of Connecticut. One key element of this mission was to provide scholarships to worthy students of Portuguese Ancestry; however, the Portuguese Foundation is not simply an organization that only hands out scholarships. Over the past 19 years, the Foundation has promoted and participated in activities and programs that have brought many unique facets of Portuguese culture to the residents of the State of Connecticut. These have included lectures, conferences, trips, films, concerts and networking functions.

Educational lectures by prominent authors and professors:

Dr. Ana Hatherly, Professor, University of Nova Lisboa;
Francisco Cota Fagundes, University of Massachusetts at Amherst;
Dr. George Monteiro, Brown University;
Clara Pinto Correa, Professor, University of Massachusetts at Amherst;
Olga Goncalves, Poet;
Isabel Pires de Lima, Professor, University of Porto;
Dr. Antonio A. Cirurgiao, Professor, University of Connecticut;
Dr. Joao Medina, Professor, University of Lisbon, Visiting Professor at Brown University;
Dr. Ana Mafalda Leite, Professor, University of Lisbon;
Dr. Onesimo Teotonio de Almeida, Brown University;
Dr. Manuel Luciano da Silva, Medical Doctor, Historian and Author;
Dr. Antonio Simoes, Dean, University of Fairfield;
Dr. K. David Jackson, Professor, Director of Undergraduate Studies of Portuguese, Yale University;
Dr. Arnaldo Saraiva, University of Porto.

Educational conferences:

Co-sponsored with the Portuguese Continental Union and participated at the 7th Portuguese Congress of Language and Culture, held at Trinity College, Hartford, CT;
Assisted in the promotion of the XIV Symposium of Spanish and Portuguese Bilingualism at Fairfield University;
Representation at the International Week of the Charles Wright School in Wethersfield;
Sponsored the conference "Columbus was a Portuguese Jew" at Trinity College, Hartford, CT;
Participated at the Multilingual Day at the Mark Twain House Memorial, Hartford, CT;
Co-sponsored the conference "Portuguese Culture in India, Malaysia and Ceylon"with the University of Connecticut;
Collaborated with the Portuguese Embassy of Washington D.C. to host "The Prospective of the Community," a cartography exhibit that explored settlements of Portuguese-Americans geographically in the U.S., held at Trinity College, Hartford, CT.

Portuguese Films:

Co-sponsor of a travelogue film about Portugal at the Horace G. Bushnell Auditorium in Hartford, where the Rancho Folclorico of The Portuguese Club of Hartford performed;
Co-sponsored, individually and jointly, with the Instituto Camões, the Portuguese Language Program at the University of Connecticut and Real Art Ways numerous Portuguese films and documentaries shown at the theater space of Real Art Ways in Hartford.

Concerts:

Co-promoted, with Real Art Ways, a concert by international recording artist and fado singer, Cristina Branco, held at Real Art Ways Theatre in Hartford;
Co-promoted a concert held at First Church of Christ Congregational, in West Hartford Center, by the duo, Lvsitanvs, from Portugal, comprised of sisters Ana Elias and Sara Elias, who performed on a carillon, a musical instrument consisting of at least 23 cupped shaped bells played from a baton keyboard using fists and feet;
Co-sponsored, with the Jorgensen Center of Performing Arts, a concert by Grammy Nominee and international recording artist, Mariza, held at the Jorgensen's Main Auditorium in Storrs, which included a lecture from Jose Marino Abreu de Freitas (Bass player) about fado and the modern style sung by Mariza.

Networking functions:

Numerous networking functions held at various local and statewide Portuguese Restaurants and Clubs, to promote more active participation of cultural events by second and third generation Luso-Americans throughout Connecticut.
Sponsored and held two wine tasting events held in the autumn at Gouveia Vineyards in Wallingford. Both wine tastings featured a performance given by the Rancho Folclorico of the Portuguese Club of Hartford, demonstrating traditional portuguese song and dance.

Cultural Events:

The Portuguese Foundation, Inc. has been a participating member of the Day of Portugal Festivities in the Hartford area for several years. The group makes up part of the organizing committee with several other organizations, and the Foundation members volunteer their time and effort in manning food, drink and ticket booths during the weekend festival. In addition, past scholarship winners have joined the Foundation in marching behind its banner in the Day of Portugal Parade held in Hartford. The Foundation has also made and sponsored a float for the Day of Portugal Parade that is a large wooden replica of its logo - the caravela.