NVCC Hosts Fifth Annual International Center for the Arts Festival

WATERBURY - NVCC’s International Center for the Arts (ICA) Festival drew more than 700 participants over the course of the four-day event in April. In its fifth year, the theme of this year’s festival was “Revolt, Revive, Renew” featuring NVCC’s fifth Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, Dr. Stacey Sacks, whose expertise is in the art of the physical comedian, participating as the lead performer as a clown in numerous countries worldwide. In addition, the festival, with events at both the College’s Waterbury and Danbury campuses, showcased the talents of NVCC students and staff as well as a guest appearance from Aguibou Bougobali Sanou, NVCC’s 2018-19 Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence.

“The International Center of the Arts Festival is designed to celebrate diverse cultures. The engagement at this year’s event was truly a microcosm of diversity and varied artistic talents, creating a unique and memorable event for our students and community,” said Karlene Ball, ESL Program Coordinator and Co-Chair of the International Center for the Arts Festival committee.

Opening on April 11, the festival kicked off with a Progressive Poetry Event, a traveling poetry reading through the College’s main hallway decorated with 79 international flags representing the nations from which NVCC’s ESL students hail. The poetry event culminated at the “They Are Not Disposable” art exhibit created by Professor Steve Parlato. Inspired by the “Black Lives Matter” movement, this series of portraits, crafted from household recyclables, depicts Black Americans whose lives have been taken as a result of racial violence. The many portraits highlight how these victims cross age, eras, and gender spectrum.

The first day ended with an inspiring discussion following a documentary of “Clowns Without Borders,” which depicts some of the work of NVCC’s Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, Dr. Stacey Sacks. This international organization brings joy and light to children and families in war zones, refugee camps, and other settings of human suffering in countries, including Myanmar/Burma, Jordan, Rwanda, and others. “As a performing artist, and especially while clowning, I’m always searching for ways to ‘comfort the disturbed and to disturb the comfortable,’ explains Dr. Sacks. “Travelling all over the world with the Swedish Chapter of Clowns Without Borders has strengthened my perspective of how performing arts can transform people’s lives and really fulfill the concept of ‘No child without a smile’,” she says.

The second day of the multi-day event showcased the creative talents of four NVCC students who designed, engineered, and constructed an aeronautic drone through the College Quadcopter Challenge grant from the NASA CT Space Grant Consortium. Under the leadership of Rob Sheftel, director of NVCC’s Academic Center of Excellence (ACE), the students Jonathan Escobar, Albert Lagerman, Anthony Lane, and James Petkin demonstrated the drone to an enthusiastic audience in preparation for a state-wide competition later this month.

Participants enjoyed a multitude of artistic expressions on the third day of the festival. A breathtaking floral and music exhibit surrounding a waterfall cascading from a grand piano was constructed by NVCC’s Horticulture Department and inspired by Vivaldi’s “Spring.” Aguibou Bougobali Sanou, NVCC’s 2018-19 Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, returned for the festival and led students in a drumming circle and an energetic dance workshop. The array of creativity also included interactive art, video, vocal, and instrumental activities, as well as culinary art featuring cakes from around the world. The exciting day ended with an original play, UBU Toxica!, created by NVCC students in conjunction with Dr. Stacey Sacks. The audience enjoyed the parody that focuses an awareness of the current state of our world.

The festival ended with a final performative essay from Dr. Sacks who entertained the audience with a summary of her experience as a “Year in the Life as a Fulbright.”

“There was great joy and delight in having our current and past Fulbright Scholars-in-Residence, Dr. Stacey Sacks and Aguibou Sanou, on campus together for this year’s ICA,” said Dr. Lisa Dresdner, Chief Executive Officer. “One of the many themes running through all these events is how ‘play’ is essential to our human condition. Through play we find our shared heartbeats, our shared stories, our shared laughter, our shared curiosity and delight in wonder– all of which cross boundaries, connect us as human beings, and become our shared language!”