Feb. 1

Mat Callahan // Photo courtesy of Reto Camenisch
  • One of our favorite things to do downtown has been to go stare at the mummy in the Wadsworth. If this has also been one of your joys, then brace yourself. The Connecticut Science Center‘s “Lost Egypt” exhibit opens today. There will be mummies. Multiple! General admission: $19 for adults, $14 for kids, free for children ages three and under.
  • Free admission to the museum galleries at Connecticut Historical Society, One Elizabeth Street. 9a.m.-5p.m.
  • The radical puppetry troupe Papel Machete will be performing at The Studio at Billings Forge at 8pm. Suggested donation: $10.

Feb. 2

  • Musicians Mat Callahan and Yvonne Moore will be performing at the Carriage House Theater, 360 Farmington Avenue today at 2pm. This is one of their stops on the Songs of Freedom Tour, which is described as “a celebration of the life and work of James Connolly, the Irish revolutionary socialist and musician martyred by the British government for his role in the Easter Rising of 1916. The Songs of Freedom songbook was originally published in 1907 in New York and directed to the American working class. Lost for a hundred years, the songbook is at once a collection of stirring revolutionary songs and a vital historical document.” This is part of the 360 Music Series. Admission is $15.
  • Craig Hartley will be in the spotlight today at the Hartford Public Library’s Baby Grand Jazz series. This is free at 3pm. If you want to sit down, get there early.
  • The Lonely Heartstrings Band (bluegrass) will be performing at the Firebox, 539 Broad Street. Music goes from 5-8pm and is free, but there is a passing of the boot for donations.
  • Last chance to order from the Taste of Hartford 2014 menu.

Feb. 3

  • The Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association meets at 6:15pm in Asylum Hill Congregational Church, 814 Asylum Avenue. Stop by if you live, work, or just care about the Asylum Hill neighborhood.
  • There is free jazz every Monday night at Black-eyed Sally’s, 350 Asylum Street. 8-11pm. All ages.

Feb. 4

  • MIT Professor Craig S. Wilder will be giving a Black History Month Talk at Trinity College, 4-6pm, in Mather Hall’s Rittenberg Lounge.
  • The Frog Hollow NRZ had to cancel last month’s meeting because of snow; the meeting is reschedule for tonight at 5. Location is to be determined, so check back to the Frog Hollow NRZ website.
  • The Board of Education will be holding a “special meeting.” That basically means the public is not allowed to provide comment at the meeting, except tonight, people will be allowed to speak on two items: proposal to build the Kinsella high school near SAND Elementary, and the contract between Lincoln Culinary and Weaver High’s Culinary academy. If you are not going to public hearings, you are sorely missing out. This begins at 5:30pm and will take place at the Museum Academy at Wish School, 350 Barbour Street. We vote for shorter school names. The school board will also be talking about the strategic operating plan update and special education.
  • Bike movies at the Wadsworth Atheneum have become a thing. These typically involve a rambunctious audience and every last seat being filled. At 7pm, Rising from the Ashes will screen here and is co-sponsored by Bike Walk CT. This film is the true story of genocide survivors in Rwanda forming a cycle group that went on to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Tickets are $12, or $10 for Bike Walk CT members.

Feb. 5

  • If you missed it at Real Art Ways last month, Blue is the Warmest Color will begin screening at Cinestudio today, through February 8, 2014. Showtime is 7:30pm each day, except on Saturday when there is also a matinee showing at 2:30pm. General admission is $9. Cinestudio is located on the Trinity College campus.

Feb. 6

  • This is a day to get yourself to the Trinity College campus. From 12:15-1:15, listen to sociologist Mira Debs talk about the reality of parent choice in Hartford’s magnet schools. She has been conducting a qualitative study to learn how parents choose and participate in two of Hartford’s magnet schools. If you are someone who is pushing for “education reform,” your attendance at this event should be mandatory. This is free, open to the public, and “common hour” events always have food. This will be held in the Rittenberg Lounge at the Mather Student Center.
  • The Hartford Seminary will be screening The Worst of the Worst: Portrait of a Supermax Prison, a documentary about Connecticut’s supermax prison in Somers. Aseem Mehta, the film’s co-director, says, “In making the film, we listened to all of the actors whose lives were touched by supermax – the inmates in solitary, the guards who report for duty each day, the policymakers and officials who oversee the facility, the architect whose legacy has become the prison, the family members and friends whose loved ones are inside, the lawyers and advocates who navigate the law that governs the prison’s logic. We came away with the conclusion that the institution harms everyone who it touches, that everyone who enters Northern ultimately leaves damaged. ” Following the movie, there will be a discussion led by the Director of Hartford Seminary’s Multifaith Chaplaincy program. Admission is $5 (free for students). This will take place in the Martin and Aviva Budd Interfaith Building, 60 Lorraine St. at 3:30pm
  • Opening reception for Jack Delano: Photographer (1914 – 1997): A Centennial Celebration Exhibition at Trinity College. The exhibit will have black and white, along with color, photographs of New England, the South, and Puerto Rico. Delano was employed by the Farm Security Administration as a photographer during the New Deal era. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Delano’s birth. The reception is 4:30-6:30pm in Widener Gallery at Trinity College. The exhibit runs through March 14, 2014.
  • Tonight is also the opening of Allison Schulnik’s MATRIX 168 at the Wadsworth Atheneum. Her work will feature stop-motion clay animation video. She will be giving an artist talk at 6pm, during the monthly First Thursday event. This begins at 5, ends at 8, and is followed by a film; tonight it’s not a film, but a series of animation shorts. Admission is $5.
  • And, it’s the opening reception for Julia Randall‘s Sticky at Real Art Ways. The artist will be present to talk about her work. This is from 6-8pm and free.

Feb. 7

  • Seeing Red: Menstruation and Women’s Health will feature two speakers– Dr. Joan Chrisler and Dr. Kathleen Skoczen. This talk will explore the historical, cultural, political, and economic forces that have shaped the development and popularization of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. There will also be a discussion about blood as a cultural taboo. This is free and open to the public. 6-8pm in the Mali I Auditorium of Dana Hall at the University of Hartford.
  • Carlos Hernández Chávez will have an art opening tonight and you should go. This is in the ArtWalk at Hartford Public Library, 6-8pm. His Dialogues: Impromptu Conversations in Color exhibit will be on view through March 15, 2014.
  • The “Epic B-Boy Battle, Pop Battle, and Open Mic” at the Kabbalah House was snowed out last month, rescheduled for tonight, 6pm-2am. It’s $7 to enter, $5 if you bring a canned good, and $10 if you’re going to battle. The Kabbalah House is at 1023 Albany Avenue.
  • Jesse Turner will be the guest reader at tonight’s Read It and Sleep book & pajama party at Charter Oak Cultural Center. Children should bring a parent along for this free event. Kids are sent home with books. Snacks will be served. 7pm.
  • Today is the last day to contribute to the Kickstarter campaign for Hartford River Dream #2.

Feb. 8

  • Last month Real Art Ways screened American Promise and followed it with a thoughtful panel discussion about education today. Well, all the cool kids are doing it, so today, the Hartford Public Library will be doing the same thing, except with a different selection of panelists. So far, the panelists announced include Milly Arciniegas and Adam Johnson. 1-4pm in the library’s Center for Contemporary Culture. Free.
  • The Hartford Independent Chamber Orchestra will be performing Theatricality at Charter Oak Cultural Center. This performance will include the works of Erich Korngold, Luciano Berio and Sergei Prokofiev. 8pm. Admission: $15 general, $10 for COCC, Let’s Go Arts! members, students, and seniors.

Feb. 9

  • Last chance to see The Underpants at Hartford Stage. Ticket prices vary.
  • The Hartford Public Library’s book club will meet in The Kitchen (at the library) to discuss Richard Wright’s Native Son, 1:30-3pm.
  • The Baby Grand Jazz series continues today at 3pm with Taino Pacheco. This hour-long free concert will be held in the atrium at the Hartford Public Library.
  • The Homesteaders will be performing at the Firebox from 5-8pm. Every Sunday, the restaurant hosts live, free bluegrass.

Feb. 10

  • After a brief closure, the Barbour Branch of the Hartford Public Library will be reopening today in its new location at 259 Barbour Street.
  • The Hartford City Council is scheduled to hold a regular meeting tonight at 7 in City Hall.
  • The Hartford Jazz Orchestra performs every Monday night at the Arch Street Tavern, 8pm. Free.

Feb. 11

  • On the second Tuesday of each month the South West and Behind the Rocks NRZ meets in Broadview Community Church, 45 Oliver Street. This runs from 6-7:30pm.
  • Ingrid Newkirk, the founder of PETA, will be speaking at the Mark Twain House & Museum at 7pm. Tickets: $25; $20 for museum members.
  • Also at 7pm, the West End Civic Association will have its meeting in the United Methodist Church, 571 Farmington Avenue.

Feb. 12

  • Come to Real Art Ways for the poetry reading and open mic series, Edgings & Inchings. This is free and begins at 7pm. If you want to sign up to read, do it before 7 at Real Art Ways, 56 Arbor Street.
  • Asylum Hill Congregational Church will be hosting Conversations on Race, led by Dr. Leslie Desmangles, Professor of Religion and International Studies at Trinity College. 7pm. Free.

Feb. 13

  • The Billings Forge Farmers’ Market runs year-round. Every Thursday it’s open from 11am-2pm. During cold months, the market moves inside the Studio at Billings Forge on Broad Street.
  • Invisible No More: Youth Homelessness in Connecticut: panel discussion at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center. Speakers will include Alicia Woodsby, Partnership for Strong Communities; Lisa Tepper Bates, Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness; and Stacey Violante Cote, Center for Children’s Advocacy. 5-7pm. Free, but r.s.v.p.: Info@StoweCenter.org or 860-522-9258, ext. 317.
  • The Entrepreneurial Center hosts a number of free workshops each month at its 1265 Asylum Avenue location. Tonight, learn about starting your own small business. 6-9pm. This is free, but space is limited so r.s.v.p.
  • On the second Thursday of each month, the Maple Avenue Revitalization Group meets in St. Augustine’s Church, 10 Campfield Avenue. 6pm.

Feb. 14

  • Hartford City Center’s HamletHub launches today!
  • Cinestudio will be screening Casablanca this evening at 7:30. They will also show it at 2:30 and 7:30pm on Saturday. General admission: $9.
  • Also at 7:30: The Vagina Monologues. Admission is $15; funds benefit My Sisters’ Place, Interval House and Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition. There is a second performance on February 15 at the same time. This is at the Charter Oak Cultural Center, 21 Charter Oak Avenue.
  • Valentine’s Day Longform Showcase at Billings Forge: Sea Tea Improv will make you laugh, and if today is as loaded for you as for many people, you need that laugh. Tickets are $9 or $10. 8-9:30pm.

Feb. 15

  • The second annual Hartford Art Sled Derby is today! Meet at the Overlook in Elizabeth Park at 11a.m. If you are afraid of breaking bones, you can just watch everyone else launch themselves down the hill on (or in) contraptions that were probably not intended for sledding. No fee. No r.s.v.p.
  • If you are asking yourself, “What’s so special about Frog Hollow?,” here’s part of that answer: John Leguizamo and Griffin Dunne are hosting a fundraiser there tonight to support more upgrades to the Griffin Dunne Auditorium at the Burns School. This event is from 6-8pm at the Burns School, 195 Putnam Street. Tickets are $60 and can be purchased in person or by contacting Enid Camacho-Cruz at 860-695-3014 or  camae001@hartfordschools.org,  or Liz Giannetta Ramos at 860-841-0465 or giane001@hartfordschools.org.
  • Still needing a laugh? Sea Tea Improv will be putting on a family-friendly show at the Carriage House Theater, 360 Farmington Avenue. 7-8:30pm. $10.

Feb. 16

  • The library’s book club will be discussing Mudbound by Hillary Jordan today, 1:30-3pm in The Kitchen (at the library).
  • Vocalist Erin O’Luanaigh will be performing today as part of the Hartford Public Library’s Baby Grand Jazz series. 3-4pm. Free.
  • TrueGrassCT will be the feature act at tonight’s live bluegrass in the Firebox from 5-8pm.

Feb. 17

  • The Real Black History Story — What Your School Didn’t Teach You is the title of today’s lecture at Trinity College, 6-8:30pm. This will take place in the Rittenberg Lounge inside Mather Hall.

Feb. 18

  • The Board of Education has a regular meeting tonight at 5:30 in the Journalism and Media Magnet Academy, 150 Tower Avenue. You might want to go just to get a look at this fancy schmancy building. If you plan to speak during public comment, get there early to put your name on the list.
  • Unrelated, tonight is your last chance to see Rebel Without a Cause at Cinestudio. 7:30pm.$9.

Feb. 19

  • The South Downtown NRZ meets at 6pm on the third floor of the Hartford Public Library.
  • Poetry Night at StudioN111: Free form verse and refreshments. 7-9pm at 75 Pratt Street #301. There’s a $10 drop-in fee.

Feb. 20

  • The 100 Pearl Street Gallery will host the reception for James Buxton’s sculpture exhibit, A Celebration of the Creative Spirit. 5-7pm, free. This is located on the first floor of 100 Pearl Street.

Feb. 21

Feb. 22

  • Check in with the Ebony Horsewomen for details on today’s Winter Horse Show and Exhibition. The stables are located on the edge of Keney Park at 337 Vine Street.

Feb. 23

  • Butch Lewis, Dr. Stacey Close, and Dr. Jeffrey O.G. Ogbar will be talking about the Black Panther Party in Connecticut. 1-3pm in the Center for Contemporary Culture at the Hartford Public Library. Free.
  • After learning about the Black Panther Party, you might relocate to the library’s atrium to listen to free jazz from 3-4pm. Michael Gregory Jackson will be the featured artist today.
  • Check out live bluegrass at the Firebox today, 5-8pm. Chasing Blue is the featured band. This is free, but donate if you can.

Feb. 24

  • Regular meeting of the Hartford City Council is scheduled to begin at 7pm in City Hall.
  • Free jazz at Black-eyed Sally’s from 8-11pm.
  • Free jazz at Arch Street Tavern from 8-10pm.

Feb. 25

  • A community conversation about “juvenile justice in Hartford” is scheduled from 5-7:30pm in the Hartford Public Library’s Center for Contemporary Culture.

Feb. 26

  • Family Poetry Night at the Hartford Public Library. Bring poems to recite. This will take place in the Downtown Youth Program Room, 5:30-7:30pm. Ages 4+.

Feb. 27

  • The Camp Field Branch of the library will be hosting a reading of Virginia Hamilton’s The People Could Fly, a collection of “American Black Folktales.” This all ages event begins at 3pm and will be followed by refreshments.

Feb. 28

  • Listen to a keynote speaker and panel discuss the topic “Retrofitting Our Towns,” if/how suburban and small towns can change to fit the demands of the 21st century. Breakfast at 8:30, followed by discussion from 9-11. This is free, but r.s.v.p. if you can. This Partnership for Strong Communities event will be at The Lyceum, 227 Lawrence Street.
  • It’s time for 75°, An Urban Greenhouse Party. Connecticut’s one-and-only party inside of a greenhouse will be at 75 Laurel Street, right in the Frog Hollow neighborhood. They say there will be “wild animals, wilder plants” along with food and beverages. Tickets are $30 in advance, $40 at the door, and KNOX members can get special pricing by calling up. 7-11pm.
  • The MOuTH:  storytelling series at the Mark Twain House & Museum. 7:30pm. Admission: $5; free for those chosen to tell their stories. Submission details are on the Mark Twain House & Museum website.
  • I am truly at a loss for how to described the Disney Reality Show, so I’m going to snag the description they have for what begins at 8pm:

    Catch up with your favorite Disney animated characters! See how the stories really happened! Feel the Disney magic! All this and more in this full length live comedy.The award-winning Knuckle Sandwich Productions brings all the Disney animated movies to life in this epic comedy that will blow your mind! This incredible cast of improvisers and comedians will bring a whole new flavor to your favorite sentient animals!

    Why couldn’t Simba wait to be king?

    What really happened to Peter Pan?

    Just how rich was Jasmine?

    Enter the Disney universe and find out all this and more!

    Not recommended for children under 13, unless the children are awesome and can handle some violence and adult situations.

This will be at the Carriage House Theater, 360 Farmington Avenue. $10.

All details are as accurate as can be verified at of time of publication. Keep in mind that weather may cancel events, that venues might have provided inaccurate information, that things do not always start on time. 

If you would like an event included on the calendar next month, get the details in by February 25, 2014. No items are added after publication.