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.
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