Art show will benefit adult education in New Haven

NEW HAVEN - The Raggs clothing store on Chapel Street will host a showing of limited-edition prints by friend and neighbor Barry Svigals, founding partner of architecture-plus-art firm Svigals + Partners, from 5 to 7p.m. Oct. 10, organizers said in a release.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from sales of Svigals' prints will benefit the adult education non-profit Connecticut Center for Arts & Technology (ConnCAT) the facility for which Svigals + Partners designed, the release said.

Wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served.

New Haven museums have the 'write stuff' - "Win Coveted Publication Awards"

 

The New England Museum Association said in a release that New Haven-area museums won awards in the 2014 Publication Awards Competition.

 

According to the release, the winners are:

 

 - New Haven Museum & Historical Society

• In the Educational Publications, Materials & Kits category, Family Guide to the Exhibition "Beyond the New Township: Wooster Square" won Second Place.

 - Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University

• In the Books category, Connecticut's Indigenous Peoples: What Archaeology, History, and Oral Traditions Teach Us About Their Communities and Cultures won Second Place.

- Yale Center for British Art

• In the Supplementary Materials category, Edwardian Opulence won First Place.

 

- Yale University Art Gallery

• In the Invitations category, Francesco Vanni: Art in Late Renaissance Siena won Second Place.
• In the Websites category, Yale University Art Gallery Website won Third Place.

 “These awards put each of the winning museums in very good company at the top ranks of our region’s institutions,” NEMA Executive Director Dan Yaeger said, also in the release. “Graphic communication is vital to connecting a museum with its community, so their success with publications reflects their success in their overall operations as well.”

 

Yaeger said, also in the release, that 168 publications from 57 museums entered in 20 different categories. "Competition winners will be recognized and exhibited at the 96^th Annual NEMA Conference in Boston/Cambridge, Massachusetts November 19-21, 2014. "

 

 

Artspace has new exhibition opening Feb. 7 in New Haven

 

Artspace will open the exhibition "Smart Painting",  curated by John O’Donnell, with an opening reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 7 at 50 Orange St., according to a release.
The exhibit run through March 22 and there will be an artist talk at 6 p.m. March 7, with a reception starting at 5 p.m., the release said.

"Smart Painting" is "a show of paintings by artists who respond to the institution of contemporary abstraction.  These painting are sharp, quick, bright, amusing, elegant and are aware of their own limitations and forge on, in the familiar, but ambiguous territory of abstraction," the release said. "Confidently defining space through the use of line and structure these paintings challenge traditional notions of abstraction through rational constructions that challenge concepts of composition and depth."

"Smart Painting" artists are: Blake Shirley, Sharon Butler, Deborah Dancy, Zachary Keeting, Ben Piwowar, Jenn Dierdorf, Rob D. Campbell, Derek Leka, Clare Grill, Tatiana Berg.

John O'Donnell of Connecticut,  "is a multidisciplinary artist and has created performance pieces" for the Museum of New Art in Detroit, Proof Gallery in Boston, Flux Space in Philadelphia, and SOHO20 Gallery in New York City, the release said 

"Artspace's mission is to catalyze artistic activities; connect contemporary artists, audiences, and resources; and to enrich art experiences and activate art spaces. Artspace is a non-profit organization bringing communities together with emerging local and national artists," the release said.

Artspace is open from noon to 6 p,.m. Wednesdays & Thursday from 12-6pm, Fridays & Saturdays from 12-8pm.  The gallery is free and open to the public.

                          
Editor's note: All information in this post was contributed. Click one of the buttons below to share it. Image Credit: Blake Shirley      

New Haven artists' public project highlights violence in city

NEW HAVEN -  Local artists Nick Pfaff and Hannah Plotke are five days away from the close of their kickstarter campaign, which aims to fund a public art project in New Haven that will shed light on the plight of gun violence in New Haven.

 

Nick says the point of the project is not art for art’s sake. It’s a chance to bring a community together, to collaborate on what would be an interactive sculpture dedicated to the memory of the victim’s of New Haven’s gun violence. The installation will be a memorial where people can reflect and express themselves creatively at the same time.

 

Working with Artspace, the plan is construct 12 trees out of cedar trunks and mountain laurel branches. These not-so-artificial trees would then be painted silver and the branches adorned by sculptural ornamentation -- artificial leaves, in a sense -- produced by students of the New Haven Public School system and participants in youth programs. Once the installation is in place, the public is invited to draw, write and paint on the tree sculptures.

 

The location chosen is a neglected pocket park on Chapel Street, tucked behind a bus stop. Downtown New Haven is a neutral space that serves as a confluence for all walks of life, and this installation stand in a place where every New Havener who chooses can put unique fingerprints on the sculptures, creating an ongoing dialogue and non-traditional memorial through art.

 

The project will come this December, the end of the year -- a time to look back at the things that have happened, and to have hope . It’s not about fixing anything -- there will always be hardship-- but this project is about being brave in the face of it, and bringing positivity into the world, healing through the common ritual of art.

 But art isn’t free. There are only five days left before the kickstarter fundraiser ends. Nick says they’ve already raised about $1,000, short of their $2,000 goal. If you would like to see these sculptures erected in New Haven -- if you would like take part in an interactive art memorial, or help make it happen -- then donate. Thank you for your gifts.

Editor's note: This post was contributed.

 

 

 

Paier College of Art in Hamden opens summer art show

The Paier College of Art in Hamden will exhibit their 2012 Summer Art Show from July 9 through Aug. 16.

All disciplines that are taught at the college are represented, including graphic design, photography, interior design, fine art and illustration. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday. 

Paier College is located at 20 Gorham Ave. For more information, call 203-287-3031.

The Paier College of Art is a small, fully accredited art college offering art students a unique learning experience driven by seasoned, working professionals. Paier offers certificate, diploma and bachelor of fine arts degree programs.

Shown: Floral Watercolor by Alison Beichner

(From a press release by Paier College of Art)