Worcester Art Museum to Host Naturalization Ceremony for New U.S. Citizens

Art - Community Service

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

50 Candidates will become American citizens in the first naturalization ceremony to be held at the Worcester Art Museum

The Worcester Art Museum and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will host a naturalization ceremony on Wednesday, January 11, 2017 at 11:30am, welcoming 50 newly naturalized U.S. citizens.

The ceremony will be presided over by the Honorable U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, with an introduction from Matthias Waschek, the C. Jean and Myles McDonough Director of the Worcester Art Museum.

• The Worcester Polytechnic Institute ROTC Color Guard and Veterans Inc. Color Guard will present the colors.
• Students from the Nativity School will usher the new citizens and guests to their seats
• Students from the Bancroft School will perform patriotic songs for the new citizens, their families, and other local officials and dignitaries.

The 50 citizenship candidates originate from the following 23 countries: Brazil, Canada, China, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Korea, Lebanon, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Thailand, United Kingdom, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

They also represent the following municipalities: Acton, Auburn , Bedford, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Hudson, Leominster, Marlborough, Millbury, North Andover, Northborough, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sudbury, Webster, Westborough, Westminster, and Worcester.

The Worcester Art Museum (WAM) has served Worcester and the central New England region as a cultural and educational resource since it was founded in 1898. In 2014, WAM became a polling location for the city’s 3rd Precinct. Participating in local, state -- and the recent presidential -- elections has deepened our commitment to making the Museum’s collections relevant and accessible to an ever changing and diverse community. This civic initiative was the inspiration for the exhibition Picket Fence to Picket Line: Visions of American Citizenship, which is on view through February 5, 2017. Through this exhibition, we examine the multitude of issues that citizens of the United States encounter--from protests and struggle to education, land ownership, and the immigrant experience.

“As an art museum, we present objects spanning thousands of years of history, and from countries and cultures around the world. And as a community, part of Worcester’s heritage and resilience comes from our long tradition of welcoming people who settle here. This is the perfect environment in which to celebrate 50 immigrants becoming citizens of the United States,” said Adam Rozan, director of audience engagement at WAM.

Suggested Audiences:Adult, College, High School

E-mail:information@worcesterart.org

Last Modified: January 6, 2017 at 4:31 PM

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