Thursday, April 28, 2011

Conexion tops band challenge with RUMBA, showcases children's art with Frist Center, provides ongoing flood relief

Conexion Americas' winning band Rumba, at ABC Music City Corporate Band Challenge. Photo by Mickey Dobo.

Conexion Americas, the premier Nashville non-profit dedicated to Hispanic families and their integration into the broader community, has been busy lately, so I thought it was worth rounding up some of their latest accomplishments. Conexion's Facebook page and Twitter feed (@conexion_tn) give an even better overview, but here is a taste.

And if you want to learn more about Conexion, check out tomorrow's "Common Grounds" event at the agency's Music Row offices, and sign up for the May 26 "Cup of Coffee" breakfast at the Loews Hotel, both of which are detailed at the bottom of this post.

Conexion Americas' RUMBA takes first place in Corporate Band Challenge
The house rocked April 10 at the third annual ABC Music City Corporate Band Challenge as eight corporate bands competed at The Wildhorse Saloon. Conexion Americas’ Rumba ultimately came out on top, with SESAC’s Desk Jockeys taking 2nd place, and Flood, Bumstead, McCready and McCarthy’s Windfall Profit$ taking third. For the Challenge, area businesses put together company bands to compete for bragging rights and a chance to perform at the CMA Music Festival and at the Arts & Business Council’s 2012 Bowtie Awards. Bands were rated by a distinguished panel of Nashville music industry judges in the areas of musicianship, appearance, originality/music choice, crowd appeal, and overall impression.





Connecting Cultures: Children's Stories from Across the World
April 15, 2011–March 27, 2012
Celebrate the work of artist Jairo Prado and students and families of Conexión Américas' Family Resource Center at Cole Elementary
In 2010, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts partnered with ten Nashville organizations that represent cultures from around the world. The goal was to create an exhibition of artworks depicting the children’s stories of different traditions. Ten artists and the Frist Center’s community outreach team led workshops in which the artworks on view in this gallery were created. Connecting Cultures: Children’s Stories from Across the World begins with the premise that the stories of children simultaneously reflect unique cultural values as well as perspectives that are shared by people worldwide. All the artworks were created by an intergenerational group of more than two hundred participants. With the guidance of the lead artists, participants acquired and developed skills relating to composition, visual storytelling, and ways of using visual art techniques as a way of reflecting and interpreting narrative stories. It was interesting to discover that even within the same culture there were often diverse interpretations of a single story, often leading to strong discussions amongst the participants. The artworks created for this exhibition are as diverse as the communities, participants, and stories themselves. Our purpose in partnering with cultural organizations in Nashville was to give voice to the city’s growing and diverse population with the strong belief that we can, through art, look at our world in new ways.
Participating Organizations:
Catholic Charities of Tennessee
Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville
Conexión Américas
Kurdish American Youth Organization
Center for Refugees and Immigrants of Tennessee
Kala Nivedanam School of South Indian Dance and Music
Nashville International Center for Empowerment
Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville
YMCA Latino Achievers
Tennessee Haitian Voice





Antioch Restore the Dream Center staff (L-R):
Claudia Valencia, Martha Silva,
Roxana Chavarria and Rebecca Andrews.
As we approach the first anniversary of the historic May flood of 2010, we are reflecting on our work this past year. The Antioch Restore the Dream Center, operated by Conexión Américas, is one of the five United Way long-term flood recovery centers that has been assisting families in Nashville since July 2010. The Antioch location alone has worked with more than 225 families, over a quarter of those Latino, to help them put their lives back together in the wake of the 2010 flood. Martha Silva, our center Director, has provided outstanding leadership to an outstanding team. We are thankful for the support of United Way of Metropolitan Nashville, The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and The Melkus Family Foundation for making it all possible.


Common Grounds
Friday, April 29th, 8 am - 9 am
Conexión Américas
800 18th Ave South, Nashville, TN 37203
Stop by for a complimentary taste of our Café Rumba Roast and for casual conversation about what is brewing at Conexión Américas and in our Latino community.
April 29th Topic: Results of the 2010 Census and what the growth in the Latino population means for Conexión Américas and Middle Tennessee.
Nos vemos! We hope to see you! RSVPs appreciated.




A Cup of Coffee for Conexión Américas 2011
Annual Fundraising Cafecito & Breakfast
José Nuñez | Stephen Zralek
Co-Chairs
Date: May 26, 2011
Time: 7:15am-8:30am
Location: Loews Vanderbilt Hotel
To attend click here. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Michelle Wilkerson: 320.5152 x232 or michelle@conamericas.com

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