NEWS: FALL 2005
LOCAL DIVERSITY CELEBRATED THROUGH ART
From May 27th to June 24th, the Hilles Gallery served as New Haven’s
cultural reliquary. In the most well attended and diversely represented
exhibition to date, Cultural Passages: Celebrating Life
through the Lens of our Heritage showcased works by sixty-two
local artists exploring their personal, familial, and ethnic identities.
The artists represented a vivid cross-section of New Haven’s
diverse population. With a variety of works ranging from traditional
media to installation and video, the exhibition melded forces
of present and past to celebrate cultural individuality while
highlighting the unity of art making across all peoples and histories.
Cultural Passages opened
with celebration. An address from Mayor DeStefano kicked off a
street festival on May 29th that featured artist demonstrations,
Native American chants, Swedish mandolin folk music, Jewish dancing,
Eastern European singing, and the spectacular Hamden High School
break-dancers. Throughout June, the “I Break for Art”
lecture series featured noontime presentations by the curators
and nine artists of Cultural Passasges. At one talk,
Selection Committee member Mary Kordak noted, “Cultural
Passages will make you mindful of your own personal histories,
where you all come from.”
Both inside and outside the gallery,
the artists and artworks of Cultural Passages consistently
sparked personal reflection and sharing. In accordance with CAW’s
on-going commitment to the community, a series of docent-led tours
brought several Greater New Haven middle school groups into the
galleries to discuss themes of the show. While exploring the gallery,
these young members of our community were encouraged to share
their impressions of the show and discuss how the artwork related
to their own personal heritage. After the exhibition, the artwork
was brought into local spaces such as Tower One, Casa Otonal,
the CT Ethnic Heritage Association, and local public libraries
for discussions and mandala workshops.
Creative Arts Workshop would like
to thank the NewAlliance Foundation for their support of Cultural
Passages, and distinguished members of the selection committee:
Ben Ortiz, Mary Kordak, and Ann Langdon. Thank you to Program
Director Kate Paranteau, Gallery Director Diane Svigals, Gallery
Coordinator Sandy Bartle, and the Gallery Committee, who beautifully
executed the event. Finally, thank you to all the artists, whose
skilled craft and willingness to share their stories have allowed
New Haven’s rich cultural history to surface on CAW’s
gallery walls.
By Julia Hickey
Julia Hickey was CAW’s Yale President’s Public
Service Fellow in June and July 2005. In addition to leading the
docent tours and community outreach programs associated with Cultural
Passages, Julia played a key role in special summer projects,
including Planet Play and Audubon Art on the Edge during the International
Festival of Arts & Ideas.
PREVIEW ART:21 AT FOUR ARTS ORGANIZATIONS
This September, CAW is collaborating with Arts & Literature
Laboratory, the Arts Council of Greater New Haven and Artspace
to show special preview screenings of the third season of ART:21
– Art in the Twenty-First Century.
This revealing and engrossing PBS
series is the only television series exclusively dedicated to
contemporary art and the people who create it. Every two years,
Art:21 profiles working artists who are building our living culture.
Season 3 features 16 artists, including Roni Horn, Matthew Ritchie,
Susan Rothenberg, Jessica Stockholder, Richard Tuttle, and Fred
Wilson. The four one-hour segments of Art:21 are each organized
around a unifying theme: Power, Memory, Structures, and Play .
Each organization will host a screening of one of the four programs
in advance of its premiere on PBS. The dates, times and locations
are listed below. For more information on Season 3, as well as
the previous seasons of Art:21, visit www.pbs.org/art21.
MEMORY: September 11, 3:00pm,
Arts + Literature Laboratory, 5 Edwards Street, New Haven
(corner of Edwards and State). www.allgallery.org
POWER: September 15, 7:30pm,
presented by the Arts Council of Greater New Haven at
the Educational Center for the Arts, 55 Audubon Street, New Haven.
www.artscouncilgnh.org
PLAY: September 17, 4pm, Artspace,
50 Orange Street, New Haven (corner of Orange and Crown). www.artspacenh.org
STRUCTURES: Sunday, September
25, 7pm, Creative Arts Workshop, 80 Audubon Street, New
Haven.
Photo (top center): Roni Horn, Doubt by Water,
2003-04, installation view at Whitney Biennial, 2004. Photo by
Bill Jacobson. Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery, New York.
FEATURED FACULTY
BARBARA HARDER
Barbara Harder, Head of CAW’s Printmaking Department, studied
art and math at Marymount College in New York, where she was first
introduced to printmaking. After doing freelance illustration,
she arrived in New Haven in 1970 and discovered CAW. She studied
at CAW and began teaching in 1976. Although she studied other
media, Barbara chose to concentrate on drawing and printmaking
because of her love of paper. Things on and of paper intrigue
her and invite her to explore further.
Barbara’s current work involves
excavating surface and uncovering space. She often refers to her
images as topographic explorations. In her most recent work, she
prints icons from nature on translucent paper to create unique,
layered installations. Cascading off the walls in scroll-like
forms, these large works represent the way in which she not only
probes the space within the print, but also alters the space within
the gallery.
As a teacher, Barbara works to help
students find what they are looking for, whether it is technique,
direction, information, colleagues, re-energizing, exhibition
opportunities, or artistic stimulation. She offers her students
a vast wealth of information and experience, and gives individualized
instruction so that each of her students can best understand and
proceed on their own.
HAROLD SHAPRIO
Harold Shapiro, Head of CAW’s Photography Department, traces
his interest in the arts back to one of his favorite childhood
pastimes: wiring small light bulbs into unique configurations.
As he watched them project unusual shapes and shadows on the wall,
he became entranced by the magic of lighting. This was the beginning
of his lifelong practice of combining art and science –
a path that led to his passion for photography.
The combination of nature and machinery
that was integral to his daily life while growing up on a farm
led to his love of industrial photographs. Harold’s other
interests include environmental portraiture, performance photography,
panoramic and night photographs, and other opportunities that
challenge his creativity. He has also become involved in classes
and projects that incorporate photography and volunteering.
As a teacher, Harold focuses on each
student as an individual. He remarked, “I see every class
as an independent study – each student is on his or her
own path. My goal is to assist students in finding and communicating
their unique voices through visual expression.” At the same
time, he strives to develop each class into a community of learners
who support one another and provide critical feedback for one
another.
CAW FACULTY & STUDENTS PARTICIPATE
IN CWOS
Hundreds of Greater New Haven artists will once again join together
in October and participate in Artspace’s 8th Annual City-Wide
Open Studios. Take advantage of this opportunity to visit the
studios of CAW faculty members and students, talk to artists and
see an amazing array of new work.
Work by each artist will be on display
at Artspace October 10-30, 2005, and a grand opening reception
will be held on Friday, October 14, 5-8pm. Artists with studios
at Erector Square will open their doors Saturday and Sunday, October
15-16, 12-5pm. Studios in other locations around New Haven will
be open either October 22 or 23, 12-5, depending on their location.
Many other artists will display work in alternative spaces October
22-30, 12-5pm. A great way to visit the studios is by joining
one of the many bus or bike tours planned for selected weekends.
For complete information, visit the CWOS
website: www.cwos.org. Artists interested in participating in
CWOS can register online. The deadline for CWOS registration is
Monday, September 5th.
CAW JOINS AUDUBON ARTS & RETAIL
DISTRICT
As you walk down Audubon Street this fall, you are sure to discover
many striking changes. New businesses have opened across from
the Workshop, and the Neighborhood Music School next door is completing
major renovations. If you look more closely, you’ll see
that there are new signs and brightly colored banners adorning
the lampposts. These banners are the result of a new collaboration
among the arts organizations and businesses located in the Audubon
Street area. Dubbed the “Audubon Arts & Retail District,”
this new association allows arts organizations and business owners
to work closely together to promote the neighborhood as a destination
for arts, shopping, dining, and much more. CAW is excited to be
a part of this collaborative effort.
Download past newsletters:
Summer Newsletter
2005
Annual
Newsletter 2004
Annual Newsletter 2003
Annual Newsletter 2002
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