March 17, 2026 12:30-1:30 p.m. Quinnipiac University’s Mount Carmel Auditorium (CCE/Communications, Computer & Engineering Building), 275 Mount Carmel Avenue, Hamden CT.
The Val Ramos Flamenco Ensemble will be perform a concert of Flamenco music, song, and dance in celebration of the release of its new CD “Eres la luna en mi cielo.” Selections from the CD will be featured and CDs will be available for purchase at the concert. Featured artists will include Val Ramos (lead guitarist), special guest Alfonso Cid (singer), Tere Luna (singer), Yohanna Escamilla (dancer), Carlos Hernández Chávez (bassist), Ashley Jones (violinist), Nestor Prieto (percussionist), Shawn Montañéz (guitarist), and Herman Carvache (percussionist). This is a free concert sponsored by The Common Hour at Quinnipiac University. THIS IS A FREE CONCERT & PARKING IS LIMITED

A Celebration of Black Artists

Curated by Shaunda Holloway
Presented by Creative Arts Workshop (CAW)

Exhibition Dates: February 1–March 12, 2026
Opening Reception: Thursday, February 5, 2026 | 5:30–7:30 pm
Location: Hilles Gallery, Creative Arts Workshop
80 Audubon Street, New Haven, CT
Admission: Free and open to the public

About the Exhibition

Creative Arts Workshop presents Made Visible 2026: A Lion Speaks, its annual Black History Month exhibition celebrating the work of Black artists and artists of African descent. Now in its eighth year, Made Visible reflects CAW’s ongoing commitment to equity, representation, and amplifying underrepresented voices through the visual arts.

Curated by Hamden-based artist, writer, and educator Shaunda Holloway, A Lion Speaks draws inspiration from the African proverb, “Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter.” The exhibition centers self-authored narratives—honoring lived experience, cultural memory, and creative resistance.

As Holloway explains, “Telling our stories for ourselves, sharing our resistance in all its facets, and encouraging others to continue preserving our stories in spite of systemic erasure is what A Lion Speaks is about.”

The exhibition features work by 25 local and regional artists spanning painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, mixed media, video, textiles, and fiber arts.

Participating Artists

A Lion Speaks features the work of 25 local and regional artists whose practices reflect deeply personal and politically resonant narratives. Together, these artists reclaim authorship and visibility, giving voice to stories that have too often been marginalized.

Creative Arts Workshop is honored to present work by:
Faustin Adeniran, Jean Benoit, Marquis Brantley Sr., Leigh Busby, Shari Caldwell-Young, Siobhan Carter-David, Robert Cooper Jr., Chelsea DeBerry, Ricardo de Paula, Demeree Douglas, Lydia Douglas, Kayla Hall, Iman Uqdah Hameen, David Jackson, Fethi Meghelli, Linda Mickens, Dana Monique, Rory D.L. Moorer, Aisha Nailah, Adeyinka Ogunlowo, Thelma Raney, Brandon Ricketts, Portia Scott-Thiam, Arvia Walker, and Reginald Woolery.

We are deeply grateful to these artists for sharing their work, their voices, and their visions with our community.

Free Public Workshop

As part of the exhibition’s public programming, Creative Arts Workshop will host a free, hands-on mixed-media workshop led by nationally recognized fiber artist Ed Johnetta Miller.

Saturday, March 14, 2026
Hilles Gallery, Creative Arts Workshop
Free and open to the public | All skill levels welcome

This community-based workshop invites participants to explore storytelling and creative expression through an improvisational approach. Working with fabric scraps and mixed materials, participants will create a small wall piece while engaging themes of self-authored narratives and cultural memory. No prior experience is required.

The Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble presents a program of soaring dance choreographed by Anna Sokolow, Charles Weidman, and Claudia Gitelman, set to the passionate music of Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Bach, and Schubert. The company will bring together dances from across the generations from three traditions of modern dance.

Ballade, by Anna Sokolow, explores the restlessness and inconclusiveness of young love, performed to music by Scriabin. Sokolow’s Preludes is a rich and expressive homage to the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Schubert Impromptu, by Claudia Gitelman, is a poignant and dynamic work of abstract yet deeply human storytelling.

The centerpiece of the program is Charles Weidman’s glorious, rarely seen tour de force to the music of J.S. Bach, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, directed by guest director Gail Corbin.

SOKOLOW THEATRE/DANCE ENSEMBLE, based in New York City, is the living legacy company dedicated to presenting Anna Sokolow’s vast body of emotionally riveting work. Over a 70 year career, Ms. Sokolow continuously broke the boundaries of modern dance, focusing on the human experience and drawing upon whatever genre best served her artistic purpose. Her masterpieces remain relevant to our times and touch the hearts of all people as we struggle with the universal issues of living.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/joy-dances-for-midwinter-tickets-1852651443339?fbclid=IwY2xjawONm45leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF5OUFCbVVobGk1WENXeEVnc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHjVDiI-xvCSFe-4JGYMsEOvQNMNsspbUM8MUTVAi3ox9j8QlTWAc16q3Xze2_aem_daDstis3Qxt6kOUMwRBMVw&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Call Forth A Woman takes you on a journey through stories of the powerfully dynamic women in the bible, often forgotten but most notably heroic and significant in the text. When fulfilling the call of their purpose, they shifted the paradigm of culture, government, the arts, business, and family life.

Women like Midwives Shiphrah and Puah who stood against Pharoah for future generations to come. Queen Esther, whose bravery and humility claimed the highest seat in Persia as she fought against the destruction of her Jewish heritage. Battle Heroine Jael whose hands rendered the defeat of an entire army with Judge Deborah’s sharp battle strategy and Huldah who was a scholar of text, preparing young prophets to enlighten and lead; these women reflected the life and times of women who are called into different stratospheres today.

Enjoy the life and multidimensional aspects of womanhood while you see yourself, mother, sister, wife, and daughter brought to life on stage.

Learn more about Creative U here: https://www.creativeu.us/