Family Day • Opening Paths
Join us for a special Free First Saturday Family Day celebrating the work of Imna Arroyo and the exhibition Opening Paths. Enjoy a family-friendly foam print activity inspired by Arroyo’s work, meet the artist, and enjoy a live music by renowned drummer Asher Delerme.
Time: 11 AM – 1 PM
Cost: Free and open to all
This program will be presented bilingual in English and Spanish.
About Asher Delerme
Cultural arts educator, clinician, administrator and master drummer, Asher Delerme occupies both worlds as a professional musician and clinical social worker/administrator with equal proficiency. He is a founding member of the world beat/salsa band, MIKATA (All of Us) and has recorded with numerous jazz and world music ensembles. Since 2005, he has been a principal member of Yucca Yeke Maguay, a musical ensemble that honors the first people of the Caribbean. Currently he performs with the Suso/Glass Quartet, a collaboration between legendary kora player Foday Musa Susa and world-renowned composer Philip Glass.
In addition, Asher is a seasoned educational/performance artist who is listed with the CT Commission for the Arts Contours program and the Young Audiences of America program. He is a former artist-in-residence for the New York State Commission on the Arts. As a musician and educator, Asher has been exploring the powerful connection between human development, the arts and learning. His cumulative knowledge in psychosocial development and the ethnomusicology of African, Caribbean, and Jazz musical genres provide him with a unique training perspective in music education, multicultural issues and social development.
About the Artist
Imna Arroyo is a Puerto Rican artist living and working in eastern Connecticut whose work weaves the threads of heritage and ecological veneration into a contemporary artistic dialogue. In her multidisciplinary practice, she finds inspiration in the concept that art-making can be a ritualized form of healing.
Born in Guayama, Puerto Rico, Imna Arroyo studied at La Escuela de Artes Plasticas del Instituto de Cultura in San Juan, Puerto Rico and obtained her BFA from Pratt Institute and her MFA from Yale University.
Imna Arroyo has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants, among them the title of Connecticut State University (CSU) Professor in 2010 in recognition of her teaching, mentorship and nationally and internationally acclaimed artistic achievements and, in 2007, the honorary title of Chief Yeye Agboola of Ido Osun (Chief Mother of the Garden of Honor) in recognition of selfless service to enrich the Ido-Osun Kingdom. This honor was conferred by his Royal Majesty Aderemi Adeen Adeniyi-Adedapo, Ido-Osun, Nigeria. She was awarded the 2012 Outstanding Latino Cultural Award from the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education for artistic achievements that have contributed significantly to the understanding of Latino culture.
Arroyo has exhibited extensively throughout the United States, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Panama, Mexico and the Czech Republic. Her work can be found in numerous collections including the Museum of Modern Art Library/Franklin Furnace Artist Book Collection, Yale Art Gallery and Schomberg Center for Research and Black Culture.