Celebrating 'Hawktober' at University of Hartford!

Our youngest son attends The Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford and this weekend was their 'homecoming' celebration.  Their mascot is the hawk so 'Hawktober' seems a fitting name to bestow on this weekend long welcoming of parents and alumni.  We chose to go on Saturday and picked a perfect fall day in Connecticut.  The entire weekend cooperated weather wise which in New England is a feat unto itself. 

We planned on meeting our son for the outdoor barbecue and then wandering around campus before heading to visit an art show and gallery exhibit.  I was worried about the outdoor feast but the weather was warm enough that some uninvited bees showed up for the occasion!  The food was actually very good (at $12.00 a person it should have been) and for an outdoor food event it was even a little fancy.  We were eating off tablecloths and all centerpieces were gifted to any guests that wanted to take them home.  We decided to not take home a centerpiece so we could take home some pieces of small art from the art exhibits.  The ceramic pot was from a sale named 'Empty Bowls' that the art school sponsored to support foodshare.  Read more about Foodshare and it's mission here.  We also purchased a small print (really small) to support the scholarship fund for the Hartford Art School students.  Since our son is a recipient of art school scholarship monies we gladly made a small purchase.  They called this small exhibit of artists 'The Hog River Arts Festival'.  You can read more about this fledgling art exhibit at this UHart link.  To read more about 'Hog River' or Park River as it is known today, click on this Wikipedia link.

The Hartford Art School and the Joseloff Gallery

After our outdoor art purchases we made our way to the university bookstore for some requisite UHart labelled 'stuff' - read coffee mug for mom and cap for dad.  Oh...let's not forget the decals for the rear windows in our cars that tell everyone where our income is going.  There were two art galleries we went to that had very different themes.  The first exhibit was a student exhibit which we all enjoyed very much.  Every piece was different and it had the added benefit of an accompanying price list.  It was enjoyable to look at the art but to see what the asking price was...big fun.  The second gallery is the Joseloff gallery at the art school.  It exhibits more serious work.  Read more about the Joseloff gallery here. 

One of my favorite student art pieces!

Our afternoon ended with a visit to our son's dorm so we could drop off some much needed paper hand towels for the bathroom in the quad that he shares with three other young men.  One thing is for sure - it doesn't matter if you're attending a public university or a private one - freshman dorms are pretty basic.  Add 18 and 19 year old boys and it becomes a 'stew' of unique odors and germs.  Gross.