The Arts Paper by Arts Council

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The Arts Paper a free publication of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven • newhavenarts.org

January | February 2016

An Artist Ascending

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The Arts Paper january | february 2016

Artists Next Door José Oyola: An Artist Ascending

staff

board of directors

Cynthia Clair executive director

Eileen O’Donnell president Rick Wies vice president Daisy Abreu second vice president

Debbie Hesse director of artistic services & programs Nichole René communications manager Lisa Russo advertising & events coordinator Christine Maisano director of finance Winter Marshall executive administrative assistant David Brensilver editor, the arts paper Amanda May Aruani design consultant

Ken Spitzbard treasurer Wojtek Borowski secretary

directors Laura Barr Susan Cahan Robert B. Dannies Jr. Todd Jokl Mark Kaduboski Jocelyn Maminta Josh Mamis Rachel Mele Elizabeth Meyer-Gadon Frank Mitchell John Pancoast Mark Potocsny David Silverstone Dexter Singleton Richard S. Stahl, MD

Pianist, Dancing with Fate Soloist Embraces Struggle

Unique Theater-Making Troupe Operates as Collective

The Arts Council of Greater New Haven promotes, advocates, and fosters opportunities for artists, arts organizations, and audiences. Because the arts matter. The Arts Paper is published by the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, and is available by direct mail through membership with the Arts Council. For membership information call 203.772.2788. To advertise in The Arts Paper, call the Arts Council at 203.772.2788. Arts Council of Greater New Haven 70 Audubon Street, 2nd Floor New Haven, CT 06510 Phone: 203.772.2788 Fax: 203.772.2262 info@newhavenarts.org www.newhavenarts.org

Art Without Borders Mural Engages Students in India

The Arts Council is pleased to recognize the generous contributions of our business, corporate and institutional members. executive champions The United Illuminating Company/Southern Connecticut Gas Total Wine & More Yale University senior patrons Knights of Columbus L. Suzio York Hill Companies Odonnell Company Webster Bank Wiggin and Dana corporate partners AT&T Firehouse 12 Fusco Management Company Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven Yale-New Haven Hospital

honorary members Frances T. “Bitsie” Clark Cheever Tyler In an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, the Arts Council now prints The Arts Paper on more environmentally friendly paper and using soy inks. Please read and recycle.

business patrons Albertus Magnus College Gateway Community College Lenny & Joe’s Fish Tale Newman Architects Quinnipiac University

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The Arts Paper january | february 2016

Letter from the Editor In this issue of The Arts Paper, we explore, to a degree, the intersection of art and health. In February, a British pianist named Nick van Bloss will perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, Op. 73 (“Emperor”) with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. I hadn’t been familiar with van Bloss when in October I looked at the orchestra’s upcoming schedule and grew curious. Language on the organization’s website describes van Bloss as “the international sensation who has inspired audiences with his refined artistry and touched hearts through his battle with Tourette syndrome.” After reading several news stories about van Bloss, I reached out to his manager, Peter Puskás, to ask whether van Bloss would be agreeable to discussing the

compelling fact that playing the piano quiets his body. With Puskás’ blessing, and through the NHSO, I arranged to interview van Bloss by telephone. The discussion we had was inspiring. Ultimately, it was a conversation about creative and personal authenticity. Van Bloss’ playing — his ability and musicianship — is reason enough to be in Woolsey Hall when he performs with the NHSO in February. Beyond that, his story is as extraordinary. I’m looking forward to meeting van Bloss when he’s in town, and, having listened to his recordings, I’m looking forward to hearing him perform one of the most remarkable pieces in the repertoire. I encourage you to mark the concert date, February 25, on your calendars. Another story in these pages explores

the connection between public art and public health by way of a study in Philadelphia led by Dr. Jack Tebes, a clinical community psychologist, research scientist, and professor in the Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry. That article, by Lucile Bruce, is packaged with another she wrote, about New Haven-based artist Kwadwo Adae’s recent trip to India, where he created a mural with and for students at a school in the state of Uttarakhan. A third piece that explores the purpose and power of public art is a column by former Arts Council staffer Stephen Grant, who’s been living in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Stephen tells us about the street art that serves in that city as social commentary. With this month’s Artists Next Door feature, Hank Hoffman introduces us to local musician José Oyola, who included local community-based music groups in his recent CD-release concert here in New

In the Next Issue …

On the Cover

In the March issue of The Arts Paper, we’ll explore the state of the music business, with insights from longtime and ascendant industry insiders. Pictured here, former Sony executive and Elm City Music founder Michael Caplan, far right, shares his experiences during the Elm City Music Fest in November as the Rock/Star Advocate’s Suzanne Paulinski, center, and Reverb Nation co-founder Lou Plaia look on. Photo by Mike Franzman.

José Oyola performs at the College Street Music Hall in November. See Hank Hoffman’s Artists Next Door feature on page 4. Photo by Lucy Gellman.

Haven. This issue of The Arts Paper also brings us behind the scenes of the New Haven Theater Company, by way of a profile by Chris Arnott. Already, we’re working on the March issue, in which we plan to explore the state of the recording industry, as seen through the eyes of former record-company executives and ascendant industry professionals. I hope you enjoy the stories presented herein and that you’ll remember to recycle this print publication once you’ve finished reading it. Sincerely,

David Brensilver, editor The Arts Paper

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Department of Economic and Community Development Office of the Arts

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The Arts Paper january | february 2016

artists next door

An Artist Ascending josé oyola debuts new album in a big space

José Oyola. Photo by Daniel Shkolnik.

hank hoffman

ost New Haven-area bands playing their record-release shows plug in their amps and set up their drums on the stages of Café Nine or the venues Steve Rodgers runs in Hamden — The Space, The Outer Space, The Ballroom. Fine venues all. But as José Oyola was wrapping up the recording of Hologram, his ambitious and hooky new José Oyola and the Astronauts record, he set his sights on renting the College Street Music Hall, formerly the Palace Theater. Interviewing him at his New Haven digs in the ArLOW building in Westville, I asked why he chose that concert hall. It seemed awfully ambitious.

“As a musician, the worst thing you can do is become complacent... it’s all about taking a risk, be it financially or artistically.” — José Oyola “That’s exactly the reason why,” Oyola said. “Everything we do, I want to make it special.” Special it was. Almost 600 people attended the show in early November, a truly impressive turnout for a local band. Videos of Oyola’s set shared on Facebook depicted an exuberant musical celebration. “It was cool because there was so much love in the building that night. It felt like 10,000 people were there,” recalled Oyola. “It was magical, great being on that stage.” At College Street Music Hall, the James Hillhouse High School Band, Crossroads

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Collective, Bethel A.M.E. Church Choir, and Alisa’s House of Salsa joined Oyola’s group on some songs. Oyola recruited the special guests both to give back to the community and to make for a more spectacular show. He recalled what a thrill it was for him when he sang with a choir at the Bushnell Performing Arts Center in Hartford as a fifth grader. “People make you as much as you make yourself,” he said. Having the community-based music ensembles share the stage was a way of giving back for the opportunities he had received. It also fulfilled his desire that his live shows be “more than background music.” He is an admirer of Kanye West, The Flaming Lips, and The Arcade Fire, acts that turn their concerts into spectacles. “I have this big stage to fill. Instead of moving around so much, why not fill it with people?” Oyola explained. His interest in space is not confined to the square footage of the stage. Oyola has a fascination with outer space — there are two posters from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey on the wall of his apartment, one signed by actor Keir Dullea. Romance is one lyrical theme he returns to time and again; outer space is another. The latter theme can often serve as a metaphor for the former. When he refers to space, he’s “not literally talking about space. I make it more subjective, for the listener to paint their own picture,” he explained. “I try and think of something so vast and turn it into a human emotion that’s as vast but also still human.” And in charting out his burgeoning music career, he is reaching for the stars. Or, as he told me, “I was never one for the 9-5 cubicle life.” From the time he was a child, music has been important to him. “I come from a Puerto Rican family so music is a huge part of our everyday life,” he said. His grandfather Manuel “Vigo” Velez was a flamenco guitarist. The track “Lune” on Hologram

was written and recorded by Velez in 2009. Oyola included it on the record as a tribute to his grandfather, who passed away two years ago. Although his family worshiped at a Pentecostal church, he was hired when he was 7 years old to sing with the choir of Christ Church Cathedral, an Episcopal church in Hartford. “I remember getting the check every month for seven dollars and going, ‘Yay!’” Oyola grew up in Hartford, but from fifth grade through high school he was bused to school in the upper-middle-class suburb of Canton. “I got lucky — they had a good music program,” Oyola remembered. “Options were there for me. “As I’ve gotten older, what influences me to keep going is the freedom of it,” said Oyola. “You can express yourself.” The recording of Hologram with an all-star group of local musicians — Yannis Panos on trumpet, Greg Perault on bass, Alex Saraceno on keyboards, Ceschi on guest vocals, and producer Will Drozdowski on drums, bass, and guitar — marks a major change for Oyola. His 2013 disc, Give, Give, Give. Take, Take, Take., was more of a solo singer-songwriter effort, Oyola singing and playing guitar with a garnish of percussion. With Hologram, Oyola enriched the sound with a full band. “I hear the songs in my head in a certain way. But I try to give a little room for artist interpretation,” Oyola said. “With the song ‘Llevame,’ the bass line Greg [Perault] did on that was nowhere near what I had in my head.” Oyola envisioned a “super simple” bass riff, “but when I heard it, I said, ‘Yes!’” Hologram is bigger than the previous record, with more instrumentation. It mixes

all the influences that color Oyola’s love for music — indie rock, hip-hop, salsa. And almost half the songs are sung in Spanish. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve dug into my Spanish roots more,” Oyola said. He told me he learned Spanish first as a child but feels more confident speaking English. “I’m sad I didn’t do Spanish earlier. It makes my mom happy and adds another dimension to the band,” Oyola said. “The Spanish language is more fun because everything rhymes.” Oyola noted that while the song “Miedo” (“Fear”) has “a little Spanish flair” to the instrumentation, “it’s just a straightforward kind of rock song. But when you add Spanish lyrics to the song, it completely changes the landscape of the whole song.” His Spanish roots also factored into assembling a big band to play Hologram live. “In Spanish music, if you listen to what each individual musician is doing, each has their little job to do,” Oyola said. “If you have nine people and it sounds good together, it sounds so good.” Oyola recruited a different group of musicians for the live shows from those who played on the record. Joining Oyola — who plays guitar and sings — the Astronauts crew is Carrie Martinelli (keyboards, synthesizer, sampler), Hannah Proch (backing vocals), Tony Molina (bass), Dylan McConnell (flute), Brian Antonucci (guitar), Fred Kaeser (drums), Mike Marsters (trombone), Tim Kane (trumpet), and Marcos Torres (percussion). “As a musician, the worst thing you can do is become complacent. If you’re going to do music, it’s all about taking a risk, be it financially or artistically,” Oyola said. n

José Oyola and The Astronauts’ second album, Hologram, was released in November. Image courtesy of Mr. Oyola.

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The Arts Paper january | february 2016

Arts Council Presents Arts Awards recipients honored by peers, creative community

photos by judy sirota rosenthal (except where otherwise noted) The Arts Council’s annual Arts Awards celebrated “Art Recharged.” Jazz musician and Yale School of Music faculty member Willie Ruff received the C. Newton Schenck III Award for Lifetime Achievement in and Contribution to the Arts. Other honorees recognized at a December 4 luncheon included former John Slade Ely House Center for Contemporary Art curator Paul Clabby, sculptor Susan Clinard, the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, flamenco dancer and educator Melinda Marquez, and Steve Rodgers, founder of The Space and other local music venues. We at the Arts Council are grateful to the following sponsors that made this event possible: Cannelli Printing, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, Edgehill Realtors, Metropolitan Interactive, the United Illuminating Company/Southern Connecticut Gas, the University of New Haven/Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, WSHU, Yale-New Haven Hospital, and Yale University.

Left to right: Arts Awards recipients Steve Rodgers, Melinda Marquez, Willie Ruff, Joan Fitzsimmons (accepting an award on behalf of Paul Clabby), Susan Clinard, and Mary Lou Aleskie.

Arts Award recipient Steve Rodgers, center, with his wife, Jessie, left, and Mimsie Coleman, director of the Hamden Department of Arts, Recreation, and Culture.

Willie Ruff, winner of the C. Newton Schenck III Award for Lifetime Achievement in and Contribution to the Arts.

Daisy Abreu, vice president of the Arts Council’s board of directors, emcees the Arts Awards.

Eli Whitney Museum and Workshop Director Bill Brown, left, with Arts Award recipient Susan Clinard.

Arts Award recipient Melinda Marquez, left, with Jackie Downing of the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.

International Festival of Arts & Ideas cofounder Anne Calabresi, left, with the festival’s executive director, Mary Lou Aleskie.

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Doug Perry of the Triplepoint Trio performs during the Arts Awards luncheon.

Due to an injury, Arts Award recipient Paul Clabby, former curator of the John Slade Ely House Center for Contemporary Art, was unable to attend the December 4 Arts Awards ceremony. Photo by Harold Shapiro.

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The Arts Paper january | february 2016

A Pianist, Dancing with Fate nick van bloss embraces struggle

Nick van Bloss in performance. Photo courtesy of NHSO.

david brensilver with lucile bruce

hen New Haven Symphony Orchestra Music Director William Boughton first heard pianist Nick van Bloss’ 2011 recording of Beethoven’s “Diabelli” Variations, Op. 120, he was struck by van Bloss’ interpretations of the composer’s music. “It’s very powerful playing,” Boughton said, drawing a connection between the performance and the struggle and triumph with which we identify Beethoven. And while the composer’s tortured life is the stuff of legend, Boughton, at the time, was unfamiliar with the struggle van Bloss has endured. “I didn’t know his story until I’d actually engaged him,” Boughton explained. Van Bloss will perform Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5, Op. 73 (“Emperor”), with the NHSO on a February 25 program at Woolsey Hall that also includes Brahms Symphony No. 2. The “Emperor” Concerto was on the program the night in April 2009 that van Bloss returned to the concert stage after nearly 15 years away from the piano. He’d retired from music in 1994, in his 20s. Van Bloss’ father was in the audience that night, though he was deaf at that point, having long suffered from worsening tinnitus. “He said he could actually feel vibrations,” van Bloss said of his father. Beethoven, it’s worth pointing out, didn’t

Nick van Bloss. Photo courtesy of the NHSO.

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perform the 1811 premiere of his “Emperor” Concerto, as deafness had silenced his performing career. That it was the “Emperor” Concerto that van Bloss performed in his return to the concert stage was fitting on several levels. Having studied at the Royal College of Music in London and established himself as an ascendant figure in the classical-music industry, van Bloss quit playing for nearly 15 years. The strain of his profession, along with his nearly lifelong struggle with Tourette syndrome, had worn him down. “Putting the additional pressure of trying to prove myself,” van Bloss said, “I became exhausted on every level.” Ironically, the syndrome actually gives him energy. Van Bloss began studying piano at age 11, a handful of years after the tics started — but a decade before the syndrome was diagnosed. He discovered that his body got a break when he played, and that drew him closer to the instrument and gave him the ability to practice for hours and hours on end. That wasn’t exhausting, he said. It was refreshing — a break from himself, in a certain sense. Dr. Christopher Pittenger, an associate professor at the Yale Department of Psychiatry and in the Child Study Center, and the director of Yale OCD Research Clinic, said, “Tourette’s is at the most severe end of the continuum of tic disorders. We don’t think of it anymore as a separate disorder but rather as the end of a continuum. Tourette’s is defined by motor and vocal tics that started at a young age.” While many people who suffer from tic disorders “grow out of them,” Pittenger said, “More severe cases are less likely to resolve.” Pittenger defined a tic as “a discreet movement that’s semi-voluntary in the same way that a sneeze is semi-voluntary. You can feel it coming, you can control it to an extent, but it becomes increasingly difficult to control and eventually you have to sneeze. When you do sneeze, you have little control over how you sneeze. We can see the movement itself, but the experience of it is much more complex than that.” Pittenger explained the neurobiological basis of Tourette syndrome thus: “What we think happens, at a very qualitative level, is that the [cerebral] cortex takes information about the world, passes it to the basal ganglia, and the basal ganglia processes it,

finds patterns in it, identifies consequences — what happens next, which can involve choosing an action but it doesn’t have to — and feeds that back to the cortex. Those circuits are hyperactive in OCD and they appear to be hyper-reactive in Tourette’s. They tend to turn on when tics are happening. They are clearly involved in habits. Habits are related to rituals. So you begin to develop an idea that maybe what’s going on in Tourette’s is that the circuitry, or small components of the circuitry involved in simple or complex actions, gets a little out of control and takes on a life of its own. “Some of the basal ganglia are involved in actions. It’s disrupted in Parkinson’s disease. But large portions of the basal ganglia talk to portions of the cortex that aren’t involved in moving the body. They are involved in thought, representing the outside world, and they feed back to parts that aren’t involved in moving the body. So you could have exactly the same neurobiological misfiring happening and it could lead to a tic on one circuitry, but in the neighboring circuitry it might lead to some of these other aspects. The basal ganglia are slightly smaller in people with Tourette syndrome. The cortical area is active when people are trying to suppress tics. It’s a circuit. The basal ganglia function as part of the circuit.” As relates to van Bloss’ experience, Pittenger said, “Focused concentration can make tics go away,” adding, “Oliver Sacks writes a famous story” — “A Surgeon’s Life,” from An Anthropologist on Mars (1995) — “about a surgeon and amateur pilot with very bad Tourette’s. When he was performing a surgery or flying his airplane, he was fine. But when he stepped away from those practices, his Tourette’s would come back. The fact that tics go away is relatively common for many people with Tourette’s who are highly accomplished in a practice.” In other words, it’s the focus on the music — not the romantic idea of the power of music — that quiets van Bloss’ body. “When I play, the Tourette’s leaves me,” van Bloss said. While “it would be lovely to think about the power of music,” he said, “I don’t think it is that, unfortunately. I can only imagine that it’s the brain chemistry being satisfied. When I’m doing something 100 percent, the syndrome seems to stop. ... There are medications that stop the tics,”

he said, but “you lose that creative drive.” “Medications are moderately effective in Tourette’s patients,” Pittenger said, “but the most effective are targeting the dopamine system and were developed for people with psychosis. Dopamine modulates the circuitry in the brain, so it’s not astonishing that the same medication would help calm things down. Unfortunately, those medications tend to have side effects. When you block a lot of dopamine, people lose motivation. “We haven’t yet gotten to the point where we have been able to develop a whole new treatment,” Pittenger said, “but I think the pace is accelerating and I think we’ll get there.” As for the clinical reasons van Bloss doesn’t experience the tics when he’s playing the piano, Pittenger said, “I don’t know very much about the neurobiology of music, but a lot of music is about pattern … and reinstitution of pattern. When taking a slightly broader view on Tourette’s, it’s easy to imagine a resonance with music. … The social component of Tourette’s, especially for adolescents, can also be huge. It can lead to a secondary source of suffering and emotion that we can imagine might fuel creativity and artistic expression.” Before his return to the concert stage in 2009, van Bloss published a memoir, Busy Body: My Life with Tourette’s Syndrome (Fusion Press/Vision, 2006) and was featured in Mad but Glad, a 2007 documentary produced for the BBC’s Horizon series. And yet his website doesn’t mention Tourette syndrome. Van Bloss doesn’t want to be known — or defined — as the pianist with Tourette syndrome. He doesn’t want to be viewed by potential audiences as somehow defective or trotted out as some kind of “freak who can perform.” “It’s very easy to become typecast,” he said, talking about the label he chooses not to wear. “I’d rather play to an empty room than a hall of people who wanted that.” Still, Boughton believes that van Bloss’ story is an important one to share. “He is a role model for people who suffer,” Boughton said. “I think he has an important role to play.” Whatever the role, it’s played on van Bloss’ terms, as every aspect of his career has been since he returned to the piano — which he described as “coming back to an

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The Arts Paper january | february 2016

old friend” — and to the stage in 2009. The terms under which he operates are simple: He performs for people, playing the music he wants to play. “I suppose I no longer wanted to prove anything,” he said, explaining why he’s just not interested in playing certain repertoire. He’s also not interested in his peers’ interpretations of the repertoire. “I’m just not interested in what the other guys are doing,” he said, pointing out that it’s not out of arrogance that he says that, but because other pianists’ interpretations are irrelevant. “This is me and this is how I do it,” he said. “At face value, it’s just about the music.” Since he returned to the piano keyboard in 2009, van Bloss has developed an excellent relationship with Nimbus Records, for which he’s recorded works by J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and Schumann. It was as a fellow Nimbus artist that Boughton became familiar with van Bloss’ recordings – beginning with the pianist’s recording of Beethoven’s “Diabelli” Variations. If Beethoven’s music resonates more than other composers’ work with van Bloss, it’s because “it seems that his struggle was the greatest of all.” It’s not that Beethoven struggled that’s inspirational. It’s that his music is imbued with the creative yield of that struggle. Just as Beethoven’s story is also one

of great triumph — his music being some of the most important and influential that we’ve ever known — so, too, is van Bloss.’ Now in the second part of an ever-impressive career, the immediate future has him recording works by Beethoven and Schumann and performing concerts on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. “I just want to just keep going as I am,” he said. “It’s a slow but comfortable development forward.” n Nick van Bloss will perform with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra on Thursday, February 25, at Woolsey Hall. The orchestra will host a related panel discussion and performance on Friday, February 26, at Yale University’s Davenport College. Panelists and performers will include Drs. Christopher Pittenger and James Leckman, both faculty members in the Yale School of Medicine’s Psychiatry Department, and composer Tobias Picker and baritone Jason Duika, both of whom suffer with Tourette syndrome. Visit newhavensymphony.org for details and ticketing information. And visit nickvanbloss.com to learn more about the pianist. Lucile Bruce is the communications officer at the Connecticut Mental Health Center. William Boughton conducts the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. Photo (detail) by Joe Crawford.

Join the Arts Council! The Arts Council of Greater New Haven is dedicated to enhancing, developing, and promoting opportunities for artists, arts organizations, and audiences throughout the Greater New Haven area. Join us today! newhavenarts.org/membership The Arts Paper Read our feature articles and download the latest edition. issuu.com/artscouncil9 #ARTNHV Blog The Arts Council’s blog, which covers all things art in Greater New Haven. artNHV.com Arts Council on Facebook Get the inside scoop on what’s happening in the arts now! facebook.com/artscouncilofgreaternewhaven Creative Directory Looking for something? Find local creative businesses and artists with our comprehensive arts-related directory. You should be listed here! newhavenarts.org/directory E-newsletter Your weekly source for arts happening in Greater New Haven delivered right to your inbox. Sign up at: newhavenarts.org

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Troupe Takes Unique Approach to Theater-Making new haven theater company operates as collective by chris arnott New Haven has been known for a century as a true theater town. The Shubert Theater, which turned 100 last year, has presented the world-premiere productions of dozens of classic Broadway musicals, comedies, and dramas. Yale University boasts one of the oldest student drama societies in the country, as well as one of the most acclaimed graduate drama programs. Two major regional theaters, the Yale Repertory Theatre and the Long Wharf Theatre, opened in New Haven in the 1960s and are still going strong. It is this environment that has formed and nurtured the New Haven Theater Company, which is so appropriate for this theater-savvy community that it has persisted through several separate eras. The troupe currently operates as a

Left to right: J. Kevin Smith, Erich Greene, Lauren Young, Rick Beebe, and Tim Smith in the New Haven Theater Company’s production of The Cult, which was written and directed by Drew Gray. Photo courtesy of NHTC.

Meant to Be Shared

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Image: Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Veduta della Piazza di Monte Cavallo (View of the Piazza di Monte Cavallo [now the Piazza del Quirinale with the Quirinal Palace]) (detail), from Vedute di Roma (Views of Rome), 1750. Etching. Yale University Art Gallery, The Arthur Ross Collection

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The Arts Paper january | february 2016

collective, with open sharing of a vast stockpile of theater knowledge. Several members have day jobs working behind the scenes at regional theaters in Connecticut. Some have worked steadily in New York. Others are musicians who gig frequently in the area. The company even boasts a resident playwright, Drew Gray, whose plays The Magician and The Cult have had their premieres at NHTC. The New Haven Theater Company was just as ambitious and impassioned when it was founded in 1997 by Matthew Martin and Danielle Duffee, who worked together at the BAR nightclub on Crown Street and were given permission to turn the club’s large back room into a theater-performance space in the hours before the dance crowds streamed in. Martin, now an established novelist and screenwriter, was NHTC’s first artistic director, choosing the projects and often starring in them. Duffee, known these days as co-owner of the 116 Crown restaurant, served as executive director and producer. The first NHTC show featured Martin as Hamlet, with a classical ensemble assembled by Daniel Smith providing a live original music score. Smith later conceived the “golden age of radio” recreation WNHT Radio Hour for the company; it turned into a regular series that ran for more than a decade at Fairfield University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. Other NHTC shows in its first few years included John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger, Bobbi Randall’s three-actress biodrama Portrait of Edna St. Vincent Millay, Woody Allen’s one-acts God and Death, and a new stage version of the Alfred Hitchcock film Rope. That first age of the New Haven Theater Company effectively ended when Martin moved to New York, staying active with various projects but ultimately becoming known as an improv troupe which performed weekly at BAR and later at Caffe Bottega at the corner of Chapel and Crown streets. Key members of that company were T. Paul Lowry (then an associate producer at the Long Wharf) and Matt Wrather. Lowry began to take NHTC back to its scripted-drama roots with a site-specific production of David Mamet’s real-estate mystery Glengarry Glen Ross, staged in a bank building on Church Street. Lowry eventually moved to Chicago, but not before directing an ambitious production of Paula Vogel’s large-cast epic A Civil War Christmas that drew talent from several

local theater companies. The enthusiasm for collaborative production of intelligent scripts by great American writers did not wane. Five members of the cast of that 2009 rendition of Glengarry Glen Ross are still with NHTC today, while another founded one of the city’s other top small theaters, A Broken Umbrella. Peter Chenot, who has worked professionally in the marketing departments of Long Wharf Theatre and Westport Country Playhouse, has had leading roles in numerous NHTC productions over the past six years. He first discovered the company, he said “in the back of BAR, doing improv, just seeing who was in the community. I didn’t really know the people from before. After I got Christian Shaboo, left, and Katelyn Marie Marshall in the New Haven Theater Company’s production of Rachel Axler’s Smudge, which was directed by involved, the first big Deena Nicol-Blifford. Photo courtesy of NHTC. thing was Glengarry Glen Ross. That’s where creating the best theater we can.” Generally, have many other things to meet about. The this company galvanized. When T. Paul projects are decided by consensus, with company gained nonprofit status a couple ended up moving, in the summer of 2010, each member of the company suggesting of years ago, with all the board meetings he pretty much threw open his garage, put scripts. The proposals are winnowed down and paperwork that entails. NHTC producall his stuff — lights, props, whatever — in to six or eight real possibilities, which are tions also come in all shapes and sizes, each our cars and moved it to my garage. The then read aloud by members of the comwith its own specific challenges. The current collective was born then, reincorporated as pany for their own edification and amuseseason began with the three-actor, spethis ensemble.” Others making the transiment. The best prospects clearly announce cial-effects-heavy show Smudge (a black, tion from the improv days to the collective themselves. That’s the sense George Kulp modern comedy about childbirth and mariare Christian Shaboo, Erich Greene, and got when he suggested that the company tal relationships), shifts to the eight characJenny Schuck. consider the 1955 William Inge strandedters and realistic sets of Bus Stop for March The troupe remained itinerant for several in-a-snowstorm-at-a-diner melodrama Bus and concludes with the withdrawn, four-acseasons. Chenot starred in Eric Bogosian’s Stop, which NHTC will present March 3-12 tor intellectual/emotional drama Proof by Talk Radio, staged in an actual radio station, at 839 Chapel. Kulp knew the play from his David Auburn, which will be staged May Ultra Radio, on College Street. A slew of student days at the American Academy for 5-14. NHTC also keeps busy doing readings shows were done in an empty storefront the Dramatic Arts in New York City; appear- of famous short stories for the “Listen Here” on Court Street. For its past few seasons, ing in it landed him an agent and a long-run- series sponsored by the New Haven Review NHTC has rented the spacious back room ning role in the soap opera at the Institute Library, and creating such of The English Market Building at 839 Ryan’s Hope. Recently, he said, “Bus Stop just intriguing projects as the “Worst Song Ever Chapel St. popped back into my head. I had a vision Contest” which Megan Chenot organized The NHTC collective’s working proof several [NHTC] cast members and how at The Space in Hamden last October, with cess doesn’t care much about titles and they’d fit in.” The Bus Stop cast includes nine music acts doing outrageous live perauditions — as Chenot puts it, “it’s about Shaboo as the cowboy hero Bo Decker, formances of their candidates for the most Chenot as Sheriff Will Masters, Chenot’s egregious mistakes in songwriting history. wife, Megan Chenot (who played the Stage With day jobs, families, and other artistic Manager in an NHTC production of Our callings to juggle, the New Haven Theater Town), as the torch singer Cherie, Greene Company’s members are careful not to as Carl the bus driver, J. Kevin Smith as the overload their schedules; a three-show seaprofessorial Dr. Wyman, and John Watson plus a few extras is plenty. What’s never son — whose on-and-off association with lacking is the motivation to do more. Kulp, New Haven Theater Company goes right who’s run several businesses and currently back to Hamlet in 1997 — as Bo’s sidekick, works at Boston Solar, spoke for many of his Virgil. Those players are all NHTC regulars, NHTC colleagues when he said, “I just can’t but the roles of diner-owner Grace and her get away from this acting thing. Besides,” he young employee Elma, were uncast at press added, “I think we put on some pretty good time, with Kulp saying he was considering theater.” n performers “from outside the company.” Though the core group is solid, it’s common The New Haven Theater Company’s website for NHTC to make new friends and alliaddress is newhaventheatercompany.com. Bus ances. Stop will be performed Thursday-Saturday, Beyond its useful script-vetting method March 3-5 and 10-12, at NHTC Stage, inside and well-founded collective mentality, the the English Market Building at 839 Chapel St., New Haven Theater Company members New Haven. Tickets cost $20. Left to right: Jim Lones, Steve Scarpa, J. Kevin Smith, Peter Chenot, and George Kulp in the New Haven Theater Company’s November 2014 production of Conor McPherson’s The Seafarer. Photo courtesy of NHTC.

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The Arts Paper january | february 2016

Art Without Borders by lucile bruce

t a small school in northern India amid the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains stands a proud and colorful mural. Newly painted on an exterior wall against a bright yellow background, it depicts a group of animals living together in harmony: leopard, porcupine, wild boar, water buffalo, deer, snake, bird, butterfly, monkey, and elephant (the only creature non-native to the local environment). Who would guess that this joyful work of art, so rooted in its own place, was born halfway across the world in the state of Connecticut, where artist Kwadwo Adae first met his meditation teacher, Khushi Malhotra, at the Breathing Room yoga center on Chapel Street in downtown New Haven. “I’ve been meditating for about three years, thanks to Breathing Room which is down the hall from Adae Fine Art Academy,” explained Adae, one of New Haven’s leading art teachers and most prolific muralists. “It was Khushi who introduced me to the school.” That school is Anjanisain Paryavaran Vidyalaya, roughly translated “area environment school” and abbreviated “APV.” It is nondenominational and serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It’s located in the district of Tehri Garhwal in the Garhwal Himalayan region in the state of Uttarakhan, India. At an altitude of 6,500 feet above sea level, the region is far lower than much of the Himalayas and with a relatively temperate climate and beautiful mountainous lands, rich with forests and rivers. “One day I asked Khushi if they need art teachers at the school. Do they want a mural?” Adae recalled. “She said, ‘Just come.’” With the assistance of an eco-tourism organization called Simply Himalaya that leads meditation retreats near the school, Adae would be able to travel, receive lodging, participate in meditation classes, and volunteer his time as an art teacher at APV. First, he needed money. Trip costs included airfare, fees, and art supplies. So for several days, he stayed up late in his studio creating a stop-motion animation video for his online fundraising campaign. He used Kickstarter, a funding platform specializing in arts projects. His video — which features his original paintings of himself, a plane, the school children, the mountains, and more — tells the story of the trip he would take if funded. He raised $7,615, about one quarter of that from people he’d never met. Donors responded to the artistry of the video and supported his international cause. To thank them, he is now creating gifts, converting scenes from the animation video into prints, and sharing photographs of the mural itself. Money in hand, he made his reservations. He packed his suitcase with

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Kwadwo Adae with students from the Anjanisain Paryavaran Vidyalaya, in front of his mural in progress. Photo submitted.

art supplies, all purchased locally from “and all the teachers got involved. There Artist and Craftsman Supply in New was no shortage of people who wanted Haven: watercolors and paper for teachto work.” ing classes, acrylics for the mural itself, The children taught him the Hindi and plenty of brushes. After many hours name for each animal and teachers of international travel in various vehicles translated for him throughout the proover several terrains, he arrived at APV. cess. Adae, who is African American, “The students start their day with sisaid the kids were fascinated by his lent meditation, then they all sing songs hair and touched it frequently. He spent crafted by Anand Ji, the spiritual leader eight days at APV, immersing himself of the school,” he exin the culture of the plained. Students come school and its people, from mountain villages building new friendthroughout the region; ships, and focusing the school runs a small his creative energy on orphanage, as well, and completing the mural children living in the before his return flight orphanage attend the to the United States. school. That flight hap“We did meditation pened two days earand yoga every day,” lier than expected. A Adae recalled. He even taxi strike loomed in participated in the 4 the area, threatening a.m. “starlight meditato cut him off from tion” class for teachers, the airport. Hurriedly, led daily by Anand Ji. Adae worked with As an art teacher, he students to complete found that while stuthe mural. He indents had taken some structed the teachers art classes — creating on which exterior varmasks, for example, nish to purchase as a and being “extremely sealant the next time creative with what they they traveled to Delhi. — Kwadwo Adae had” — they didn’t Then he said goodbye, have many supplies to work with. promising to return to do touch-ups. Once they had conceptualized the Since finishing project, Adae said he’s mural together, Adae sketched it on the fielded a few inquiries about doing muwall and each classroom took responsirals in other places: Guatemala; an orbility for the painting of one animal. “All phanage in Armenia; and Juárez, Mexico, of the classes participated,” said Adae, “an area that’s seen a lot of violence re-

“I believe international public art can help heal communities that are in pain.”

cently,” he noted. “I believe international public art can help heal communities that are in pain.” For future international projects, he said he’ll keep his focus on schools and working with underserved populations of children. “My family is from Ghana,” he said, smiling, “and there’s a school in the village where my parents grew up that could use a mural.” But for now, he’s back in New Haven, teaching painting and drawing to people of all ages at the Adae Fine Art Academy, which he founded and directs. Regardless of their levels of experience, his students are entirely self-directed; they choose their subjects and the media they wish to use. Adae also runs a mobile art studio, bringing art classes to a variety of settings including assisted-living centers, West Haven Mental Health Clinic, and The Foote School. He said that when students independently choose what to paint or draw — rather than being given assignments — it translates into other areas of their lives by helping them develop autonomy and learn about themselves. Right now, he’s the only teacher at the Adae Fine Art Academy and things are busy, but he noted proudly, “I’m close to being able to hire some of my own students.” As for his students in India, he remembers them with great fondness. “The experience had such an impact on me and on the students,” he said. “I plan to keep this international art dialogue moving.” n

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The Arts Paper january | february 2016

Public Art, Public Health evaluating the porch light program by lucile bruce

ore than five years ago, Dr. Jack Tebes and his colleagues embarked upon a scientific journey to try to answer to the question: “Can public art promote public health?” And if so, how? Tebes, a clinical community psychologist and research scientist, is a professor in the Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry. He’s also my colleague at the Connecticut Mental Health Center, where he serves as director of psychology and where I first learned about his effort to evaluate Porch Light, a unique partnership between the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health & Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS). Since 2007, those two entities have been collaborating to give people receiving behavioral-health services the opportunity to create public art. They call the program “Porch Light;” a “Porch Light mural” is a mural created by the Mural Arts Program in partnership with the behavioral health system. Philadelphia is awash in public art, and the Mural Arts Program is the reason why. What began in the 1980s as a municipal effort to redirect the artistic energy of graffiti writers has evolved into a large-scale, nationally recognized public-private partnership that engages thousands of people each year in designing and painting public art. Today, Mural Arts has a stunning collection of more than 3,000 murals, each created collaboratively by people in the community working with professional artists. Visit any neighborhood in Philadelphia and as you traverse its streets and avenues, sidewalks, lots, bridges, parks, and highways, you’re virtually guaranteed to see at least one mural. Mural Arts programs include Art Education for youth; Restorative Justice for

It Has to be From Here, Forgotten But Unshaken, a mural at 3263 N. Front St., in Philadelphia, completed during the second year of the Porch Light initiative. Copyright 2012 City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program/Betsy Casañas, APM Health Clinic. Photo by Steve Weinik.

inmates, individuals reentering society, and victims of violence; and, through Porch Light, people in recovery from mental health and addictions problems. Porch Light had finished several murals when DBHIDS Commissioner Dr. Arthur Evans decided it was time to evaluate the impact of the highly successful program. He turned to Tebes. Along with their colleagues at Mural Arts, they set out to understand whether or not mural creation has an impact on health at two levels: (a) public health at the community level, in distressed neighborhoods; and (b) individual health of people who

A Porch Light mural being installed on August 23, 2013. Photo by Steve Weinik.

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have experienced mental health and/or addictions problems. “We picked zip codes with the highest levels of poverty and multiple challenges, including crime and perhaps trauma,” Tebes said, delineating how they went about designing the study. Central to the researchers’ theory of change (as noted in the final evaluation report) is the assumption that “neighborhoods are a social determinant of health that can increase or reduce risk for mental health or substance abuse problems.” Researchers theorized that although they didn’t have enough time to study the longterm public-health benefits of creating public art in neighborhoods, they could study the impact murals have in the short term on factors known to contribute to public health: the collective efficacy of people in the neighborhood, the neighborhood’s aesthetic quality, and the stigma related to behavioral health. And, Tebes explained, by considering the neighborhood context in which people live, the Porch Light study proposed to shift the behavioral health paradigm itself by “moving from a traditional behavioral health system to a recovery and resilience system, where we take into account a person’s whole life, not just the treatment side, and we embrace a public health model.” The researches quickly realized that the complex, messy process of creating art resists being studied through a “rigorous scientific design” with a lot of controls in

place. So they used a community-based participatory research model instead, partnering with artists, agencies, funders, and people in recovery to identify the goals of the project, the measures used, and the timeframe for collecting, analyzing, and sharing data. “You lose some scientific rigor when you do a research project that way,” Tebes explained, “but you gain a project that is much closer in scope to the actual work you’re studying. We felt that because this hadn’t been done before as rigorously as we were going to attempt to do it, we should err on the side of being closer to what we were studying.” Tebes and his team, including Dr. Samantha Matlin and others, looked closely at every aspect of the mural-creation process, focusing on six Porch Light murals. Five were assessed for community impact and five for individual impact. They collected data in many ways. They documented the methodologies and approaches of individual artists. They conducted at least two in-depth qualitative interviews with 122 people who participated in the mural-making process. They interviewed people in the “control group” who were not involved in mural making. Research assistants walked the blocks before, during, and after murals were created to observe street-level changes in the physical environment as well as people’s behavior in

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Public Art continued from page 11 public spaces. They also completed 1,325 “person-on-the-street” interviews with residents in the six neighborhood sites where murals were created. Five years later, the Porch Light Evaluation Project is complete. So, does public art promote public health? The answer: Yes, but. Important questions and ambiguities remain as well as recommendations for future research. I urge you to go online and read the entire Porch Light Program Final Evaluation Report. In sum, the report concludes that “increases in residents’ perceptions of collective efficacy and neighborhood aesthetic quality in the years following installation of a public mural provide evidence of the public health impact of murals.” In addition, murals focused on behavioral-health themes and created in collaboration with behavioral health consumers and stakeholders helped to reduce stigma. However, “the evidence in support of an individual health impact of murals is more mixed … Individual results are clearly promising but inconclusive, and await future research,” the report indicates. “Perhaps the singular power of murals,” the report concludes, “is to engage a community, defined geographically or through a common experience, to come together to find meaning and shared purpose, including action for social change.” For Tebes, the opportunity to work with artists and observe their extraordinary gifts up close was a privilege. As a young man, he was connected to the avant-garde art scene in Buffalo, New York; he recalls attending openings at Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, the experimental gallery founded by a group of young artists including Robert Longo and Cindy Sherman. “I was always amazed at how brilliant artists were,” he explained, noting that while artists aren’t always able to describe what they do in words, this in no way diminishes their power. “Seeing what they could do — it took my breath away.” In Philadelphia, he said, “I walked into this project with a total respect for artists.” Observing master muralists at work with Porch Light, he said, “I was impressed with how they could work collaboratively with

“Painting a Healthy City” day, April 27, 2012, in Philadelphia. Photo by Steven Weinik.

ordinary people who don’t do art and don’t think of themselves as artists. The artists just wanted to share art. Every day I was involved, I witnessed a great moment.” Tebes hopes the Porch Light evaluation project will spark interest in further rigorous arts research. Most of all, he hopes the work inspires people in communities outside of Philadelphia to come together to create murals. “I would love to see something like this happen in New Haven,” he said. Read the complete Porch Light Program Final Evaluation Report at consultationcenter.yale.edu/Porch_ Light_Program_Final_Evaluation_Report_ Yale_June_2015_218966_1095_5.pdf Download Painting a Health City: The Porch Light Program Replication Manual at muralarts.org/programs/porch-light Lucile Bruce is the communications officer at the Connecticut Mental Health Center.

may humanity find compassion and wisdom in a troubled world

Families ~ Events ~ Community

Photography Judy Sirota Rosenthal info@sirotarosenthal.com www.sirotarosenthal.com 203-281-5854

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The Arts Paper january | february 2016

CALENDAR

Works by Carmen Lund, including this detail of her Collage No. 17 (mixed media) are featured in Serendipity: Marks of Abstraction, an exhibit curated by Elinor Slomba that also includes paintings by Annie Sailer and drawings by Giada Crispiels. Presented by Arts Interstices, Serendipity: Marks of Abstraction is on view through January 10 at The Grove in New Haven. Image (detail) courtesy of Ms. Slomba.

Classes & Workshops ACES Educational Center for the Arts 55 Audubon St., New Haven. 203-777-5451. aces.org/eca. Acting Classes for Kids and Teens. Pantomime, improvisation, theater games, movement, and the staging of a one-act play. Age groupings: 7-11 and 12-15 years. Performance at end of session. Call Ingrid Schaeffer at 203-795-9011 or email ingrids@ optonline.net for more information. Saturday classes ongoing through May 7. Please call for specific class fees. 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Guilford Art Center 411 Church St., Guilford. 203-453-5947. guilfordartcenter.org. Winter 2016 Registration Open. The semester runs January 11-March 4. Classes and workshops are available for children and adults in blacksmithing, ceramics, drawing, fiber, glass, metals, painting, photography, sculpture, weaving, and more. Southern Connecticut State University 501 Crescent St., New Haven. 203-874-0801.

elmshakespeare.org. College Audition Masterclass. The college audition process can be intimidating, but Elm Shakespeare Company instructor and Southern Connecticut State University associate professor Kaia Monroe Rarick can help give you an edge. In these workshops, you’ll learn the dos and don’ts of college auditions, including presentation, resume and headshot critique, and monologue selection and critique. For high school seniors/recent graduates. Saturdays, January 9 & 16. $150 for two, two-hour sessions. 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Exhibitions Artspace 50 Orange St., New Haven. 203-772-2709. artspacenh.org. hello world! An exhibition that explores how a queer identity can function as a clear projection of self while simultaneously resisting and reframing normative definitions of identity. The complex, humorous, and deeply personal approaches each artist brings to the exhibition offers a visual syntax

of queer experiences. On view through March 2. Open Wednesday & Thursday, 12-6 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 12-8 p.m. Free. Project. Fold. Collapse. This new exhibition in our project room features work by artist Jason Fiering. On view through March 2. Open Wednesdays & Thursdays, 12-6 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 12-8 p.m. Free. Connecticut Office of the Arts 1 Constitution Plaza, Hartford. 203-772-2709. artspacenh.org. By and by ... at home with Sam and Livy Artspace curators Sarah Fritchey and Rashmi Talpade remake the rules of a game played by the American author Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, in his Hartford home, bringing it into the white-cube setting. Presented at The Gallery at Constitution Plaza in the Connecticut Office of the Arts. On view through March 4. Free. DaSilva Gallery 897-899 Whalley Ave., New Haven. 203-387-2539. dasilva-gallery.com. Journeys. Oil on canvas by Barry Zaret. On view January 7-30. Open Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Artist reception: Thursday, January 7, 5:30-8 p.m. Free. Susan Clinard. The act of making art is solitary and personal; I’m at my best working alone in my studio. However, alongside this I recognize the undeniable importance of sharing my work with the outside world. It is, after all, the public response which helps define the work’s meaning and place. Celebrate and share with me! On view February 5-March 1. Artist reception: Friday February 5, 6-8 p.m. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. Hamden Art League Miller Library Senior Center, 2901 Dixwell Ave., Hamden. 203-494-2316. hamdenartleague.com. Annual Silverbells Exhibition and Sale. A wide array of original art by league members will be on display, including paintings in oils, watercolors, and acrylics, as well as mixed media, graphics, and pastels. Many pieces available for purchase. On view through January 5. Viewing hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. If library is closed due to inclement weather, reception will be cancelled and possibly rescheduled.

yale institute of sacred music presents Maurice Duruflé: The Complete Organ Works Eric Wm. Suter, organ

sunday, january 31 · 7:30 pm

Woolsey Hall · 500 College St., New Haven Great Organ Music at Yale

Eliza Griswold, poet and journalist

Author of The Tenth Parallel, I Am the Beggar of the World and more thursday, february 4 · 5:30 pm

Whitney Humanities Center · 53 Wall St., New Haven Yale Literature & Spirituality Series; Poynter Fellow in Journalism Both events are free; no tickets required. ism.yale.edu

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Kehler Liddell Gallery 873 Whalley Ave, New Haven, CT. 203-389-9555. www.kehlerliddell.com New Year/New Work. A member group exhibition featuring 20 of Connecticut’s highest-achieving mid-career and emerging artists in a full range of media, from painting, printmaking, and works on paper to photography and sculpture. On view January 14-February 14. Opening reception: January 24, 3-6 p.m. Open Thursday & Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Couples. On the cusp of Valentine’s Day, New Haven’s Kehler Liddell Gallery presents the evocative work of artist Kathleen Zimmerman, whose drawings, prints, and sculpture will be on display January 14-February 14. Opening reception: January 24, 3-6 p.m. includes performance by award-winning actor Casey McDougal (SAG-AFTRA). Open Thursday & Friday, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. New Haven Museum 114 Whitney Ave., New Haven. 203-562-4183. newhavenmuseum.org. The Nation’s Greatest Hits: 100 Years of New Haven’s Shubert Theatre. The New Haven Museum spotlights one of the Elm City’s most celebrated cultural institutions. On view through February 27. Dates, hours, and admission fees vary; see website. Spectrum Gallery and Store 61 Main St., Centerbrook. 860-767-0742. spectrumartgallery.org. Let There Be Light Holiday Show. Featuring work by fine artists, sculptors, photographers, and mixed-media artists who use reflective surfaces, glass, mirrors, or depict light in unique ways. Included in the Artisan’s Store is an assortment

of pottery, glassware, and ceramics with serving ware, home décor, jewelry, fiber art, and fine wood gift items. Visit online for art classes and events. On view through January 10. Open Wednesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. The Grove, 760 Chapel Street, New Haven. 203812-9093. grovenewhaven.com/ Serendipity: Marks of Abstraction Artist Carmen Lund, MFA, has devoted her creative lifetime to close observation of nature, from which she creates abstract paintings and collages. The various levels of abstraction inspire openness to possibility. Paintings by Annie Sailer and drawings by Giada Crispiels further explore the theme of abstraction from nature. Curated by Elinor Slomba and presented by Arts Interstices. On view through January 10. Open during business hours Monday-Friday (8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.) and on weekends by appointment. Free and open to the public. Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History 170 Whitney Ave., New Haven. 203-432-5050. peabody.yale.edu. Samurai and the Culture of Japan’s Great Peace. This exhibition brings to life the many-layered history of the samurai and those they ruled — a history full of drama and paradox. In the 1500s, samurai nearly destroyed the Japanese state in their incessant wars. But after 1615, they presided over 250 years of peace, the longest that any large society has ever known. On view through January 3. Open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 12-5 p.m. $5-$9.

The Shubert Theatre presents the award-winning musical Once January 28-31. Pictured here is the Melbourne Theatre Company production starring Tom Parsons, left, and Madeleine Jones. Photo (detail) by Jeff Busby.

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The Arts Paper january | february 2016

Choreographer Kota Yamazaki and his company, Fluid Hug-Hug, perform the New England premiere of OQ, a work inspired by Japanese renga, a form of collaboratively composed poetry, on February 12 at the Wesleyan University Center for the Arts. Image courtesy of Wesleyan CFA.

Film January 28 Thursday Film Series: Investigation of a Flame 7 p.m. Presented by the Yale Institute of Sacred Music at the Whitney Humanities Center, 53 Wall St., New Haven. 203-432-3220. ism.yale.edu.

Kids & Families Musical Folk First Presbyterian Church, 704 Whitney Ave., New Haven. 203-691-9759. MusicalFolk.com.

Music Together Classes for Babies and Toddlers. A fun, creative music and movement program for babies and those as old as 5, and the ones who love them. Come sing, dance, and play instruments in an informal setting. Classes offered January 11-March 18 (morning, afternoon, and weekend classes available) at various locations in New Haven, Woodbridge, Hamden, East Haven, and Cheshire. Demonstration classes are free. 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Ten-week semester is $216 and includes a CD and book. Each semester features a new collection of music. Shubert Theatre 247 College St. New Haven. 203-562-5666. shubert.com. The Berenstain Bears Live! Adapted from the classic children’s book series, this family musical brings everyone’s favorite bear family to life in a thrilling theatrical experience that kids and their parents will enjoy. Saturday, February 27, 11 a.m. & 3 p.m. $19-$29. Thornton Wilder Hall 2901 Dixwell Ave., Hamden. 203-2872546. hamdenartscommission.org. The Firebird Inspired by the Russian folktale, the impossible is possible as the mythical firebird comes to life and Ivan and Princess Yelena team up to break the enchantment placed over the kingdom. A production by The Puppet People.

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Saturday, January 23, 1 p.m. Admission is $2 for children; $3 for adults.

Music

31 Sunday Great Organ Music at Yale: Erik William Suter Complete organ works of Maurice Duruflé. 7:30 p.m. Free. Presented by the Yale Institute of Sacred Music at Woolsey Hall, 500 College St., New Haven. 203-4325062. ism.yale.edu.

January 16 Saturday Fiesta del Norte An exciting, versatile Mariachi band that comes in traditional “charro” costumes and plays music of Mexico and Latin America. Performed on authentic instruments with beautiful singing throughout. Please note that this is a third Saturday concert this month only. 8-10:30 p.m. $12 for members; $15 for non-members; $5 for children 12 years and younger. Branford Folk Music Society, First Congregational Church of Branford, 1009 Main St., Branford. 203-488-7715. folknotes. org/branfordfolk.

17 Sunday Prometheus Quintet The ensemble returns to Bethesda for a concert of chamber music. The concert is a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity. Reception to follow. Bring a friend! J4 p.m. Freewill offering. Bethesda Music Series, Bethesda Lutheran Church, 450 Whitney Ave., New Haven. 203-787-2346. bethesdanewhaven.org.

24 Sunday St. Luke’s Steel Band: The Joyous Sounds of Steel The high-energy award-winning ensemble’s repertoire includes calypso, reggae, classical, popular, and island folk music. 2 p.m. $7 general admission, $5 for senior citizens, students, and children 12 and younger. Hamden Arts Commission, Thornton Wilder Hall, 2901 Dixwell Ave., Hamden. 203-287-2546. hamdenartscommission.org.

February 6 Saturday Tenet: “The Sounds of Time: Music of the Ars Subtilior” 7 p.m. Free and open to the general public. Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Marquand Chapel, 409 Prospect St., New Haven. 203-432-3220. ism.yale.edu.

11 Thursday Yale Voxtet The ensemble performs a selection of pieces for its winter concert. 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the general public. Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Marquand Chapel, 409 Prospect St., New Haven. 203432-3220. ism.yale.edu.

13 Saturday Larry Unger & Eden MacAdam-Somer This dynamic duo returns to Branford Folk to present a thrilling musical experience in genres that span many continents. Featuring gypsy, Celtic, klezmer, jazz, blues, and more on fiddle, guitar, banjo, and vocals. Upbeat, swinging, and very danceable! 8-10:30 p.m. $12 members, $15 non-members, $5 children 12 years and younger. Branford Folk Music Society, First Congregational Church of Branford, 1009 Main St., Branford. 203-488-7715. folknotes.org/branfordfolk.

21 Sunday Schola Cantorum: Passio The Yale Schola Cantorum performs Arvo Pärt’s Passio, conducted by David Hill. 4 p.m. Free and open to the general public. Presented by the Yale Institute of Sacred Music at Christ Church, 84 Broadway, New Haven. 203-432-3220. ism.yale.edu.

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The Arts Paper january | february 2016

25 Thursday Beethoven and Brahms This New Haven Symphony Orchestra program includes Brahms’ Second Symphony and Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto featuring pianist Nick van Bloss, the international sensation who has inspired audiences with his refined artistry and touched hearts through his battle with Tourette syndrome. KidTix and Blue Star Tickets are available and are sponsored by Frontier. 7:30 p.m. $15-$74. $10 student tickets with ID. Woolsey Hall, 500 College St., New Haven. 203-865-0831. NewHavenSymphony.org.

NEW

The Arts Paper Bulletin Board Listings Policies and Rates, effective with the December 2015 issue.

26 Friday

Call for Artists and Volunteer listings are FREE and must be art related.

Music Haven Our resident musicians and special guest pianist Andrius Zlabys perform the music of Eugéne Ysaÿe, Dimitri Shostakovich, and Bohuslav Martinu. Tickets available at musichavenct.org/ concerts. 7:30 p.m. Admission: $20; $10 students, seniors, and University of New Haven members. Unitarian Society of New Haven, 700 Hartford Turnpike, Hamden. 203-745-9030. musichavenct.org.

Services and Space Listings: Listings for services or space must be arts related. Listings are limited to 350 characters (this includes spaces). All listings must be paid in advance for publication.

Special Events Plein Air Workshop with New Haven Artist Frank Bruckmann Workshop takes place on Monhegan, Island, Maine, June 4-10. Join Frank in painting one of the most beautiful and painted islands in the world. Frank will give instruction on how to create a composition, block in a painting, and then refine your piece using a combination of value, color and drawing. Oils, acrylics, pastels, and watercolor. A quick demonstration on the first day will get everyone going, and then the whole week will be spent painting one beautiful place after another. Get in touch for more information, at bruckmannfrank@ sbcglobal.net, or visit fbruckmann.com, for the week’s schedule which includes ample painting instruction, critiques with cocktails, and guided or free hikes all over this maritime gem. Tuition for workshop is $500, payable in two parts. Accommodations at The Island Inn are the responsibility of the participant.

January Artistry: American Craft Shopping for the Holidays This sale features one-of-a-kind, handmade crafts by more than 250 artists from across America. Items include ceramics, glass, jewelry, fiber, ornaments, accessories, toys specialty foods, and more. Open daily through January 3. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Sunday, 12-5 p.m. Free. 411 Church St., Guilford. 203-453-5947. guilfordartcenter.org.

12 Tuesday January Meeting and Artist Demonstration Local artist Jeanne Ciravolo will be the presenter. Drawing from a live model, she will demonstrate gesture drawing, the first step to creating a powerful, energetic artwork, and will discuss the use of gesture as the foundation for artwork of any subject matter and a variety of media. Jeanne is an award winning figurative and pastel portrait artist. Coffee and conversation at 7 p.m., brief business meeting at 7:15 p.m., followed by the artist’s demonstration at 7:30 p.m. If library is closed due to inclement weather, meeting will be cancelled. Free and open to the public. Hamden Art League, 2901 Dixwell Ave., Hamden. 203-494-2316. hamdenartleague.com.

February 4 Thursday Literature and Spirituality Series: Eliza Griswold A lecture by the author and journalist. 5:30 p.m. Free and open to the general public. Yale Institute of Sacred Music, 53 Wall St., New Haven. 203-4323220. ism.yale.edu.

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Artist Jeanne Ciravolo will give a presentation on gesture drawing during the Hamden Art League’s January 12 meeting and artist demonstration. Pictured here is Ciravolo’s painting Caryatids I. Image courtesy of the Hamden Art League.

The Second City The legendary improv comedy company comes to the Shubert Theatre in Hooking Up with The Second City, a must-see new show about relationships featuring hilarious sketches and songs that make mirth out of all the crazy things we do for love. 8 p.m. $26-$51. Shubert Theatre, 247 College St., New Haven. 203-5625666. shubert.com.

9 Tuesday February Meeting and Artist Demonstration Steve Plaziak will give a presentation called “Fluidity and Spontaneity of the Watercolor Medium.” The Guilford-based artist will show how, using charcoal, ink or watercolor, he first draws an experimental, impulsive sketch trying to capture his initial inspiration. Working from his sketch, he develops a larger watercolor, using a variety of techniques for maximum impact. Refreshment and conversation at 7 p.m.; brief business meeting at 7:15 p.m.; artist’s demonstration at 7:30 p.m. If the library is closed due to inclement weather, the meeting will be cancelled. Free and open to the public. Hamden Art League, 2901 Dixwell Ave., Hamden. 203-494-2316. hamdenartleague.com.

Theater Once This play tells the enchanting tale of a Dublin street musician who’s about to give up on his dream when a beautiful young woman takes a sudden interest in his haunting love songs. It’s an unforgettable story about going for your dreams, not living in fear, and the power of music to connect all of us. January 28-31. Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m. & 6:30 p.m. Ticket price varies by seat location. Shubert Theatre, 247 College St., New Haven. 203-562-5666. shubert.com. Zombie Prom! Atomic Edition Pantochino Teen Theatre presents the hit off-Broadway musical by Dana P. Rowe and John Dempsey. The “girl-meetsghoul” story is set in the atomic 1950s. This fresh, fun blast from the past is performed by area teen actors. At the Milford Fine Arts Council’s Center for the Arts. February 27 & 28. Saturday at 5:30 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m. All tickets $10. Milford Fine Arts Council, 40 Railroad Ave. South, Milford. 203-937-6206. pantochino.com.

The Arts Paper advertising and calendar deadlines: The deadline for advertisements and calendar listings for the March 2015 edition of The Arts Paper is: Monday, January 25, at 5 p.m. Future deadlines are as follows: April 2016: Monday, February 29, 5 p.m. May 2016: Monday, March 28, 5 p.m. June 2016: Monday, April 25, 5 p.m. July/August 2016: Tuesday, May 31, 5 p.m.

Calendar listings are for Arts Council members only and should be submitted online at newhavenarts.org. Arts Council members can request a username and password by sending an e-mail to communications@ newhavenarts.org. The Arts Council’s online calendar includes listings for programs and events taking place within 12 months of the current date. Listings submitted by the calendar deadline are included on a monthly basis in The Arts Paper.

RATES Organizations/Businesses Member organizations and businesses are entitled to three complimentary classified listings in The Arts Paper per year. Listings are also posted on the Arts Council’s website, newhavenarts.org. Rates: $15 per listing, three listings for $30. Listings must be paid for in advance. Artists Individual artist members are entitled to one complimentary classified listing per year. Rates: $10 per listing, three listings for $25. Listings must be paid for in advance. Non-members Rates: $20 per listing, three listings for $50. Listings must be paid for in advance.

Please note that the size limitation of listings is 350 characters with spaces. The Arts Council reserves the right to edit your listing for length or content. The Arts Council provides these listings as a service to the community and is not responsible for the content or deadlines. Call for Artists/Volunteers are free and open to all arts organizations, educational institutions, and creative businesses. To submit a Bulletin Board listing please email your listing to: communications@newhavenarts.org

january | february 2016 •

The Arts Paper january | february 2016

BULLETIN BOARD Call For Artist Members The Kehler Liddell Gallery in New Haven is seeking applications from new prospective members. Visit kehlerliddell.com/membership for more information. Artists The Monotype Guild of New England’s Fourth National Juried Exhibition. Deadline for entry is February 1. Show dates: April 6–May 7. Location: Attleboro Arts Museum, Attleboro, Massachusetts. Juror: Andrew Stevens, curator of prints, Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin. Cash Prizes worth more than $1,800. For prospectus and easy online submission, visit mgne.org. Artists For Arts Center Killingworth’s 2015–2016 Spectrum Gallery exhibits, including the Gallery Show. Seeking fine artists and artisans in all media. For artist submission, visit spectrumartgallery.org or email barbara@spectrumartgallery.org. Spectrum Gallery and Store, 61 Main St., Centerbrook. Artists The Gallery Review Committee of The New Alliance Gallery at Gateway Community College is looking for artists to submit their resumes and images for possible exhibition in the 2016 calendar year. Please send your resume and cover letter along with a DVD of not fewer than 20 and no more than 25 images to: Gallery Review Committee, Gateway Community College, 20 Church St., Room S329, New Haven, CT, 06510. Artists The Tiny Gallery: a very big opportunity for very small art. The Tiny Gallery is a premiere space for “micro” exhibitions in the historic Audubon Arts District, located within the lighted display “totem” outside Creative Arts Workshop, at 80 Audubon St., in New Haven. The Tiny Gallery is open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Submissions will be considered on a rolling basis and should include a written proposal, artist statement, and images of artwork. Call (203) 5624927 x. 14, email gallery@creativeartsworkshop. org, or visit creativeartsworkshop.org/tiny. Artists, Volunteers, and Board Members Secession Cabal, a New Haven-based group of outsider artists working in theater, film, visual art, and other mediums, seeks people for our board, sponsors, volunteers with fundraising experience, and artists working in all mediums who agree with our mission and create radical, brave work. Volunteers/ prospective board members/sponsors: please send a brief introduction. Artists: please email a letter of interest/introduction with examples of your bravest work. Visit art-secesion.org for more details and contact information. Filmmakers The Yale Film Colloquium seeks short film submissions by female filmmakers for its forthcoming Bad Girls season. If you’re a female filmmaker and have made a short film about Bad Girls, please consider submitting it for our special Bad Girls short film night. We’re looking for short fiction, documentaries, experimental films, animations, and music videos about any kind of Bad Girls. If you’d like to submit a short film for consideration then please email kirsty.dootson@yale.edu for more information. Musicians The New Haven Chamber Orchestra has openings in the violin, viola, and bass sections for the 2015–2016 season. The orchestra rehearses on Tuesday evenings at the Fair Haven School, 164 Grand Ave. Rehearsals begin after Labor Day. To sit in on a rehearsal or to audition, contact the orchestra via email at info@newhavenchamberorchestra.org.

• january | february 2016

Music-Theater Submission Online submissions are being accepted for the 2016 Yale Institute for Musical Theatre. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mark Brokaw, two original music-theater works will be selected for the 2016 institute’s summer lab, which will take place June 12–26 in New Haven. Online applications are being accepted through January 8, 11:59 p.m. (EST) at drama.yale. edu/YIMT. Photographers Are you a fan of photography? A program of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, the Photo Arts Collective aims to cultivate and support a community of individuals who share an interest in photography through workshops, lectures, exhibitions, portfolio reviews, group critiques, and special events. The Photo Arts Collective meets the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Kehler Liddell Gallery, 873 Whalley Ave., New Haven. Singers The Greater New Haven Community Chorus invites you to join the ensemble. Rehearsals for the group’s spring concert begin January 7 at 7 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 704 Whitney Ave., New Haven. No audition is necessary if you join during the open enrollment period, January 7–21. For more detailed information, visit gnhcc.org or email info@gnhcc.org. Singers The award winning Silk’n Sounds Chorus is looking for new members from the area. We invite women to join us at any of our rehearsals to learn more. We enjoy four part a cappella harmony in the barbershop style, lively performances, and wonderful friendships. Rehearsals are every Tuesday, 6:30–9 p.m., at the Spring Glen United Church of Christ, 1825 Whitney Ave., Hamden. Contact Lynn at (203) 623-1276 for more information or visit silknsounds.org. Singers The New Haven Oratorio Choir invites choral singers (all parts) to audition. We are a chamber ensemble rehearsing weekly (Wednesday nights) at Church of the Redeemer, in New Haven, under the leadership of Daniel Shaw. We perform a varied repertoire of sacred and secular classical music, including contemporary composers, with two main concerts per season (December and May). Our 2015–16 season will include works by Tavener, Gardiner, and Brahms. An audition consists of meeting with Artistic Director Shaw, doing some general vocalizing and performing a 1–2 minute unaccompanied selection chosen by the singer. An audition may be scheduled at that time. Visit nhoratorio. org to learn more and follow the link to schedule an audition. Visual Artists Maple and Main Gallery of Art in Chester, Connecticut, seeks artists working in a variety of media for its inaugural juried show. The gallery is housed in an iconic historical building downtown and is in its sixth year of business showing the work of Connecticut artists. The exhibition runs January 28-March 13. First prize is a solo show in Maple and Main’s well-appointed Stone Gallery in April. Juror: Robert Norieka. Submission fee: $15 first piece; $10 additional; limit three. Online submission deadline: January 11; in-person receiving dates: January 24 & 25. For more information and to view prospectus, visit mapleandmaingallery. com/juried-show. Volunteers Volunteers are a vital part of Artspace’s operation. Volunteering with Artspace is a great way to support the organization, meet new people, and develop new skills. Our volunteers provide a service that is invaluable to making Artspace function smoothly. We simply couldn’t operate without the tremendous support of our volunteers. To find out more about volunteer opportunities, please contact Shelli Stevens at shelli@artspacenh.org.

Creative Services Art Consulting Services Support your creativity! Low-cost service offers in-depth artwork analysis, writing, and editing services by former arts newspaper editor, current art director of the New Haven Free Public Library, and independent curator of many venues. Call Johnes Ruta at (203) 387-4933, visit azothgallery.com, or send email to azothgallery@comcast.net. Art Installation Specialists, LLC An art-handling company serving homeowners, art professionals, offices, galleries, and museums. We offer packing, long-distance or local shipping and installation of paintings, mirrors, plaques, signage, tapestries, and sculpture, as well as framing, pedestals, exhibit design, and conservation. Contact Paul Cofrancesco at (203) 752-8260, Gabriel Da Silva at (203) 9823050, e-mail: artinstallationspecialistsllc@gmail. com, or visit artinstallationspecialistsllc.com. Birthday Parties Did you know that Creative Arts Workshop is available for birthday parties? Have your birthday party in an art studio. CAW faculty members will lead the party in arts or crafts projects, lasting approximately 1 1/2 hours, leaving time for cake, presents, and memory-making. Choose from a variety of themes and projects. For more information or to schedule a party, call the office at 562-4927. A fantastic idea for children of all ages. Chair Repair We can fix your worn-out chair seats if they are cane, rush, Danish cord, Shaker tape, or other woven types. Celebrating our 25th year! Work is done by artisans at The Association of Artisans to Cane, a project of Marrakech, Inc., a private nonprofit organization that provides services for people with disabilities. Open Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.; Friday 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (203) 776-6310. Creative Events/Crafting Parties Our beautiful light-filled space in East Rock is the perfect spot to host an intimate creative gathering or party. We’ll work with you to provide the programming, snacks, drinks, and decorations that will make your event memorable. Rent our space for up to three hours. thehvncollective.com. Historic Home Restoration Contractor Period appropriate additions, baths, kitchens, and remodeling. Sagging porches, straightened/leveled, wood windows restored, plaster restored, historic, molding and hardware, Vinyl/aluminum siding removed, wood siding repaired/replaced. Connecticut and New Haven Preservation Trusts. RJ Aley Building Contractor (203) 226-9933. jaley@rjaley.com. Japanese Shoji Screens Designed for Connecticut homes. Custom built for windows, doorways, or freestanding display, they allow beautiful filtered light to pass through while insulating. For a free quote, contact Phillip Chambers at (203) 8884937 or email pchambers9077@sbcglobal.net. Modern/Contemporary Dance Classes Taught by Annie Sailer. Ongoing, adult, intermediate-level classes. Mondays, 6–7:30 p.m. and Thursdays (time to be announced). New Haven area. Contact Annie for location. Cost: $15 per class. anniesailer@ gmail.com. anniesailer.com. Private Art Instruction For adults and children. Learn in a working artist’s studio. Ideal for artists, homeschooled youngsters, and those with special needs. Portfolio preparation offered. Draw, paint, print, and make collage in a spacious light-filled studio at Erector Square in New Haven. Relaxed and professional. I can also come to you. Lessons created to suit individual. References available. Email lizpagano@snet.net.

Professional Art Installation Professional art installer for residential and commercial work. More than 17 years’ experience in museums, galleries, hospitals, and homes in New York City, Providence, New Haven, Chester, etc. Rate is $30–$40 an hour, no job too small or large. Contact Mark at (203) 772-4270 or livepaint@aol.com. More information and examples at ctartinstall.com. Quartets Deliver Singing Valentines Send a singing valentine to your special someone. Quartets will perform throughout Greater New Haven and along the shoreline. They will travel to offices, homes, nursing facilities, restaurants, singing to spouses, loved ones, and friends. All day. Starting at $35. 203-314-8661. silknsounds.org. Web Services Startup business solutions. Creative, sleek Web design by art curator for art, design, architectural, and small-business sites. Twenty-five years’ experience in database, logistics, and engineering applications. Will create and maintain any kind of website. Hosting provided. Call (203) 387-4933, visit azothgallery.com, or send email to azothgallery@comcast.net. Writing Workshops The Company of Writers is a new creative community for writers of all ages and levels of experience. We offer prose and poetry workshops, in-person and online services, a summer writers’ conference for teens, and a manuscript consultancy for book-length material. All our faculty are published authors, and many are teachers, editors, or publishers. Course descriptions available online at companyofwriters.net, or by contacting Terry at (203) 676-7133. We all have a story to tell. What’s yours?

Space Artist Studio West Cove Studio and Gallery offers work space with two large Charles Brand intaglio etching presses, lithography press, and stainless-steel work station. Workshops and technical support available. Ample display area for shows. Membership: $75 per month. 30 Elm St., West Haven. Call (609) 638-8501 or visit westcovestudio.org. Community Living Space Rocky Corner, the first cohousing community in Connecticut, is seeking new members. It’ll be built on 33 acres in Bethany, near New Haven, will feature 30 homes (including 13 affordable ones), a 4,500-square-foot common house with workshop/kitchen/etc., and an organic farm. Visit rockycorner.org or email welcome@ rockycorner.org to learn more. Live/Work Space ArLoW (Arts Lofts West). Fabulous lofts in New Haven’s first artist-housing development. The units contain high ceilings with flexible options for living and working spaces. Great natural light and interior spaces. Please contact Lynn Calabrese c/o Wm. M. Hotchkiss, management agent, at (203) 772-3200 x. 20 for a rental application. Studio Space Thirteen-thousand square feet of undeveloped studio space available in old mill brick building on New Haven harbor. Conveniently located one minute off I-95, Exit 44 in West Haven. Owners willing to subdivide. Call 609-638-8501.

Jobs Please visit newhavenarts.org for up-to-date local employment opportunities in the arts.

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The Arts Paper january | february 2016

Where the Walls Speak appreciating public art in são paulo by stephen grant

eaving New Haven, the greatest small city in the world for São Paulo, the 13th-largest city in the world, was a huge change. I went from New Haven’s unique gothic-themed center to a city engulfed in tall office and apartment buildings that predominantly look the same. São Paulo certainly has its own special beauty in the form of public parks, museums, chapels, and the city’s infatuation with vertical gardens. And although the buildings may seem all too familiar, it is what’s written on the walls that makes São Paulo a metropolitan treasure. São Paulo is home to hundreds if not thousands of street artists and when the city decided to abolish billboard ads, local officials turned to street artists to paint the town. Nearly every corner, whether in a favela or an affluent neighborhood, has a striking image that often confronts the issues of the city or just invites one to stop and stare. When I moved to the city a year ago from New Haven, this form of public art became my north star when I was lost, my muse for photographs and an artsy look into the minds of Brazilians. My favorite image I encountered is a mural by internationally known artist Eduardo Kobra called Welcome to Real Brazil. The colorful image, created during the 2014 World Cup, addresses the issue of poverty and is perfectly located on a main avenue where there is heavy tourism traffic. When talking about the mural with me for an interview for Brasil Wire, Kobra said one of his goals was to show a side of Brazil that is screaming for help. Social commentary is a major part of street-art culture, but not always the subject for creators. Artists like Os Gemeos, Onesto (Alex Hornest), and Paulo Ito create images that rival work that could easily be found in contemporary art galleries or on comic-book covers. It’s not all about the boys either. Women street artists like Nina Pandolfo and Mag Magrela are also adding to the conversation. But the real beauty of street-art culture in São Paulo is how much the city appreciates it. São Paulo was one of the first cities to create an open-air museum that stretches for miles down several avenues, transforming highways and sidewalks into colorful scenes. This appreciation for public art makes art accessible to everyone and is a great reminder to look up at the world around you or to wake up to the issues that are still at hand. n Stephen Grant is a former Arts Council staff member. Visit him online at stephenjgrant.com.

Mag Magrela’s Entre cacos e cortes, a dor de se redimir, in Vila Madalena, São Paulo, Brazil. The title of this piece translates as “between pieces and cuts, the pain to redeem himself,” a fancy way of saying “broken into pieces.” Photo by Stephen Grant.

Eduardo Kobra’s Welcome to Real Brazil, in Jardim Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil, address issues of poverty in the city and was created during the World Cup as a reminder to tourists that there is a part of Brazil that is screaming for help. Photo by Stephen Grant.

SANDRA M. DE ROSE, PH.D. 129 Church Street | Suite 609 New Haven, Connecticut 06510 (203) 787-5381

I specialize in the treatment of artists. I am ever mindful of your legitimate concerns regarding psychotherapy diminishing creative processes. Our work together will be focused on creativity, as well as working through blockages and entrepreneurial issues. Call if you are interested in working with me.

My fee is based on a sliding scale basis.

18 • newhavenarts.org

Everything you need to have a Creative Winter All Ages Art & Craft Supplies Cards & Games Novelties & Creative Gifts Journals & Notebooks Fine Writing Instruments Decorative Papers Amazing Custom Framing Ready-Made Frames 1144 Chapel St. New Haven 203.865.4855 Open 7 Days HullsNewHaven.com Much More than an Art Supply Store!

january | february 2016 •

The Arts Paper member organizations & partners

Arts & Cultural Organizations 1253 Whitney 1253whitney.com A Broken Umbrella Theatre abrokenumbrella.org 203-868-0428 ACES Educational Center for the Arts aces.k12.ct.us Alyla Suzuki Early Childhood Music Education alylasuzuki.com 203-239-6026 American Guild of Organists sacredmusicct.org Another Octave CT Women’s Chorus anotheroctave.org ARTFARM art-farm.org Arts Center Killingworth artscenterkillingworth.org 860-663-5593 Arts for Learning Connecticut www.aflct.org Artspace artspacenh.org 203-772-2709 Artsplace: Cheshire Performing & Fine Art cpfa-artsplace.org 203-272-2787 Ball & Socket Arts ballandsocket.org

Branford Folk Music Society folknotes.org/branfordfolk

Gallery One CT galleryonect.com

Linda S. Marino Art lindasmarinoart.com

Center for Independent Study cistudy.homestead.com

Greater New Haven Community Chorus gnhcc.org 203-624-1979

Long Wharf Theatre longwharf.org 203-787-4282

Chestnut Hill Concerts chestnuthillconcerts.org 203-245-5736 The Choirs of Trinity Church on the Green trinitynewhaven.org City Gallery city-gallery.org 203-782-2489 Classical Contemporary Ballet Theatre ccbtballettheatre.org Connecticut Dance Alliance ctdanceall.com Connecticut Gay Men’s Chorus ctgmc.org 1-800-644-cgmc Connecticut Natural Science Illustrators ctnsi.com 203-934-0878 Creative Arts Workshop creativeartsworkshop.org 203-562-4927 Creative Concerts 203-795-3365 CT Folk ctfolk.com DaSilva Gallery dasilva-gallery.com 203-387-2539

Bethesda Music Series bethesdanewhaven.org 203-787-2346

Elm Shakespeare Company elmshakespeare.org 203-874-0801

Blackfriars Repertory Theatre blackfriarsrep.com

Firehouse 12 firehouse12.com 203-785-0468

• january | february 2016

Guilford Art Center guilfordartcenter.org 203-453-5947 Guitartown CT Productions guitartownct.com 203-430-6020 Hamden Art League hamdenartleague.com 203-494-2316 Hamden Arts Commission hamdenartscommission.org Hillhouse Opera Company hillhouseoperacompany.org 203-464-2683 Hopkins School hopkins.edu

Lyman Center at SCSU www.lyman.southernct.edu

New Haven Paint and Clay Club newhavenpaintandclayclub.org 203-288-6590 New Haven Symphony Orchestra newhavensymphony.org 203-865-0831 New Haven Theater Company newhaventheatercompany.com

The Second Movement secondmovementseries.org

Creative Businesses

Theater Department at SCSU/ Crescent Players southernct.edu/theater

Access Audio-Visual Systems accessaudiovisual.com 203-287-1907

University Glee Club of New Haven universitygleeclub.org

Blue Plate Radio blueplateradio.com 203-500-0700

Madison Art Society madisonartsociety.blogspot.com 860-399-6116

One True Palette onetruepalette.com

Marrakech, Inc./Association of Artisans to Cane marrakechinc.org

Orchestra New England orchestranewengland.org 203-777-4690

Mattatuck Museum mattatuckmuseum.org

Pantochino Productions pantochino.com

West Cove Studio & Gallery westcovestudio.com 609-638-8501

Meet the Artists and Artisans meettheartistsandartisans.com 203-874-5672

Paul Mellon Arts Center choate.edu/artscenter

Whitney Arts Center 203-773-3033

Reynolds Fine Art reynoldsfineart.com

Whitney Humanities Center yale.edu/whc

Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, New Haven Branch nhrscds.org

Yale Cabaret yalecabaret.org 203-432-1566

Shoreline Arts Alliance shorelinearts.org 203-453-3890

Yale Center for British Art yale.edu/ycba

DECD/CT Office of the Arts cultureandtourism.org 860-256-2800

Yale Institute of Sacred Music yale.edu.ism 203-432-5180

Fractured Atlas fracturedatlas.org

Milford Fine Arts Council milfordarts.org 203-878-6647

Hugo Kauder Society hugokauder.org

Music Haven musichavenct.org 203-215-4574

The Institute Library institutelibrary.org

Musical Folk musicalfolk.com

International Festival of Arts & Ideas artidea.org

Neighborhood Music School neighborhoodmusicschool.org 203-624-5189

International Silat Federation of America & Indonesia isfnewhaven.org

New Haven Ballet newhavenballet.org 203-782-9038

Jazz Haven jazzhaven.org

New Haven Chorale newhavenchorale.org 203-776-7664

Kehler Liddell Gallery 203-389-9555 kehlerliddell.com

New Haven Free Public Library nhfpl.org

Knights of Columbus Museum kofcmuseum.org

New Haven Oratorio Choir nhoratorio.org

Legacy Theatre legacytheatrect.org

New Haven Museum newhavenmuseum.org 203-562-4183

Shubert Theater shubert.com 203-562-5666 Silk n’ Sounds silknsounds.org Silk Road Art Gallery silkroadartnewhaven.com Susan Powell Fine Art susanpowellfineart.com 203-318-0616 The Bird Nest Gallery thebirdnestsalon.com

Vintanthromodern vintanthromodernvintage.com Wesleyan University Center for the Arts wesleyan.edu/cfa

Foundry Music Company www.foundrymusicco.com Hull’s Art Supply and Framing hullsnewhaven.com 203-865-4855 Toad’s Place toadsplace.com

Community Partners Department of Arts Culture & Tourism, City of New Haven cityofnewhaven.com 203-946-8378

JCC of Greater New Haven jccnh.org

Yale Repertory Theatre yalerep.org 203-432-1234

The Amistad Committee ctfreedomtrail.org

Yale School of Music music.yale.edu 203-432-1965

Town Green Special Services District infonewhaven.com

Yale University Art Gallery www.artgallery.yale.edu

Visit New Haven visitnewhaven.com

Yale University Bands yale.edu/yaleband 203-432-4111

The Company of Writers companyofwriters.net 203-676-7133

newhavenarts.org • 19

The Arts Paper arts council programs

Harlem Held Me By Frederick-Douglass Knowles II

Steve Prince’s The Gospel Lesson. Sumner McKnight Crosby Jr. Gallery.

Mark Murphy III’s Michelle. Sumner McKnight Crosby Jr. Gallery.

Barbara Marks’ No. 7, Casetta Suite. Perspectives... The Gallery at Whitney Center.

In the Roaring 20s, the boys were dire to Cash a kiss on the lips of the cute, caramel, young gal cloaked in the cinnamon cloche. My silky soothe Creole soul, soaked in BessieSmithBlues solely for the The Duke sippin’ Hooch ’til the Heat came & closed the Joint. No Depression ever depressed me in the 30s. Harlem held me. Lenox Ave. lit up like St. Nick’s rosy red tip sidekick on the eve of the 25th. I was Butter and Egg Fly standin’ on the corner of 1-2-5 catchin’ cold, to catch a cab to catch Cab Calloway Jitterbuggin’ up & down the band stand. Every day was Billie’s Holiday when she sashayed the stage “God Bless the Child” who held her own. Rent-Parties in the 40s packed Alabama bad-boys your granddaddy:) fresh off the docks decked in “Dress Whites” “Dixie Cup” caps and “Black Oxfords” spit-shined bright like Harlem moonlight. Dizz was never Dizzy Wit a Dame gettin’ busy on the B chord, balloonin’ his cheeks to the offbeat … “Salt Peanuts, Salt Peanuts,” Lindy Hoppin’ to what the old geezers deemed the “devil’s music.” Ella was an angel. Bird flew amongst mountaintops. Miles played marathons. Count was infinite. Mecca. From 110th to 155th Harlem held me like a baby baptized in the Dream Boogie Blues, nestled in her nocturne ’til daylight subsided to “The boogie-woogie rumble of a dream (never) deferred.” Sumner McKnight Crosby Jr. Gallery.

Perspectives … The Gallery at Whitney Center Location: 200 Leeder Hill Drive, South Entrance, Hamden Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4-7 p.m., and Saturdays, 1-4 p.m.

Traduzindo Cor Curated by Debbie Hesse and Jose Monteiro Artists from Cape Verde and New Haven present work that, using colors, patterns, and textures, represents a universal language. Dates: January 16-April 29 Opening reception: Saturday, January 16, 3-5 p.m., with artist talks from 2-3 p.m.

Sumner McKnight Crosby Jr. Gallery Location: The Arts Council of Greater New Haven, 70 Audubon St., 2nd Floor, New Haven Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Jazz: An Exhibition of Poetry, Prints, and Photography Curated by Shaunda Holloway and Debbie Hesse This exhibition explores thoughts and emotions relating to the musical genre. Each image and or poem is a unique sensory response from the artist. Dates: January 13-March 4 Opening reception (open to the public): Thursday, January 21, 5-7 p.m. Vocalist, Yolanda Coggins will perform and several poets will read from their work.

Advice from the AC Need help finding exhibition space/opportunities, performance/ rehearsal space, or developing new ways to promote your work or creative event? Schedule a free one-on-one consultation by calling (203) 772-2788. Dates: Please check our website and social pages for more information on January and February advice sessions.

Arts ON AIR Listen to the Arts Council’s Arts ON AIR Broadcast every third Monday of the month during WPKN’s Community Programming Hour. Hosted by the Arts Council’s communications manager, Arts ON AIR engages in conversations with local artists and arts organizations. Links to past episodes are available on our blog at artnhv.com/on-air.

Writers Circle Please visit newhavenarts.org and the Arts Council’s social pages for information about the Writers Circle. To be added to the Writers Circle email list, please send a message to Communications@NewHavenArts.org. Dates: The Writers Circle plans to meet on Thursday, February 18, 5:30-7 p.m. Location: TBD

Photo Arts Collective The Photo Arts Collective is an Arts Council program that aims to cultivate and support a community of individuals who share an interest in photography, through workshops, lectures, exhibitions, portfolio reviews, group critiques, and events. The Photo Arts Collective meets the first Thursday of the month at the Kehler Liddell Gallery, 873 Whitney Ave., New Haven, at 7 p.m. To learn more, send email to photoartscollective@gmail.com.

Arts Council Seeks Proposals for Community-Engagement Projects Sumner McKnight Crosby Jr. Gallery. Shaunda Holloway.

The Arts Council is pleased to announce the third round of support for creative community-engagement projects. Artists and arts organizations are invited to submit proposals for projects that actively engage community members in the creative process. We believe that participatory art-making experiences can have a profound impact on our community. They can enrich the quality of community life, enhance the lives of individuals, and build connections between people. Small project stipends of $1,000 to $2,000 will be given to selected projects. Dates: Deadline for proposals is January 15. For details, visit newhavenarts.org/seeking-communityengagement-through-art-proposals.

For more information on these events and more visit newhavenarts.org or check out our mobile events calendar using the Arts, Nightlife, Dining & Information (ANDI) app for smartphones.