artists next door 4 arts awards 6
susan smith 9
yale repertory theater 10
The Arts Paper a free publication of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven • newhavenarts.org
December 2014
Directing War
The Arts Paper december 2014
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Artists Next Door Jazz Musician Jeff Fuller Answers The Call from Within
staff Cynthia Clair executive director Soonil Chun director of finance Julie Trachtenberg director of development Debbie Hesse director of artistic services & programs Stephen Grant communications manager Winter Marshall executive administrative assistant Denise Santisteban events & advertising coordinator David Brensilver editor, the arts paper Amanda May Aruani design consultant
board of directors Robert B. Dannies, Jr. president Eileen O’Donnell vice president Lois DeLise second vice president Ken Spitzbard treasurer Mark Potocsny secretary directors Daisy Abreu Laura Barr Wojtek Borowski Susan Cahan Charles Kingsley Kenneth Lundgren Jocelyn Maminta Josh Mamis Dr. James McCoy Elizabeth Meyer-Gadon Frank Mitchell Mark Myrick Vivian Nabeta Uma Ramiah David Silverstone Dexter Singleton Lindsay Sklar Richard S. Stahl, MD Rick Wies honorary members Frances T. “Bitsie” Clark Cheever Tyler
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Arts Awards Arts Council Celebrates “Small City, Big Art”
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Susan Smith Retires Led Creative Arts Workshop for 27 Years
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 Denise Santisteban at the Arts Council. 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
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Directing War Director Lileana Blain-Cruz Returns to Yale
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 Yale University senior patrons Knights of Columbus L. Suzio York Hill Companies Odonnell Company Webster Bank corporate partners AT&T Coordinated Financial Resources/Chamber Insurance Trust Firehouse 12 Fusco Management Company Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven Yale-New Haven Hospital
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 Lenny & Joe’s Fish Tale Newman Architects Wiggin and Dana
business members Beers, Hamerman & Company Brenner, Saltzman & Wallman, LLP Duble & O’Hearn, Inc. Griswold Home Care United Aluminum Corporation foundations and government agencies The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven Connecticut Arts Endowment Fund DECD/CT Office of the Arts Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation The Ethel & Abe Lapides Foundation First Niagara Foundation The George A. and Grace L. Long Foundation, Bank of America, N.A. and Alan S. Parker, Esq. Trustees The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation NewAlliance Foundation Pfizer The Wells Fargo Foundation The Werth Family Foundation media partners New Haven Independent WPKN
Department of Economic and Community Development Office of the Arts
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The Arts Paper december 2014
Letter from the editor If it’s December, it’s time for the Arts Council’s annual Arts Awards luncheon, which will take place on Friday, December 5, at the New Haven Lawn Club. In the November issue of this publication, we introduced you to the winners of this year’s awards, whose theme is “small city, big art.” In this month’s edition, we introduce you more thoroughly to Cesar Pelli, Karyl Evans, Kellie Ann Lynch, Barbara Pearce, Winfred Rembert, and Pequeñas Ligas Hispanas de New Haven, an organization coordinated by Peter Noble. As always, this year’s Arts Awards spread includes portraits by Harold Shapiro. This issue of The Arts Paper also turns out to be one in which we bid farewell – as an organization and as a community – to several wonderful individuals. Stephen Grant, who’s been the Arts Council’s communications manager for the past year or so, is leaving this month to begin a new chapter of his life in Sao Paolo, Brazil. In a column
about his departure and his future plans, Stephen invites us to follow that journey in a blog series he’s launched at stephenjgrant.com. I, for one, will be taking him up on that invitation. The Arts Council’s executive director, Cindy Clair, has also contributed a column about Stephen’s departure from the organization. Also leaving positions they’ve long held are Susan Smith and Tina and Netta Hadari. Smith is stepping down after more than 25 years at the helm of Creative Arts Workshop. In a story about her retirement, Hank Hoffman tells us that “Smith cemented (CAW’s) status as an anchor arts venue in New Haven, expanded the faculty and programming, and doubled the enrollment.” In a piece about Tina and Netta’s decision leave Music Haven, I’ve quoted Tina as saying, “The organization is in a great place,” and Netta as saying, “We’re both really committed to working to make some impact in whatever community we end up in.” I’ve long admired Tina and Netta and thank them for the extraordinary contributions they’ve made to this community. Music Haven is a remarkable organization and one that should and does serve as a model for what can be achieved by good people determined to make a difference
in others’ lives. Also included in this issue of The Arts Paper are a profile by Hank Hoffman of jazz bass player Jeff Fuller, who’s preparing to release a CD called The Call from Within, an article about the circumstances in which the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts joined the University of New Haven, and an interview with 2012 Yale School of Drama graduate Lileana Blain-Cruz, who’s currently directing the world-premiere production of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ War at the Yale Repertory Theatre. We 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
In the next issue …
On the Cover In the January-February 2015 issue of The Arts Paper, we’ll explore Vertical Reach, an exhibit at Artspace that focuses on art as a means of political protest. Pictured here is David Livingston’s manipulated photograph The Candidacy, part of a project commissioned by Livingston and Artspace. Photo courtesy of Artspace.
Lileana Blain-Cruz by Sarkis Delimelkon. BlainCruz is directing War at the Yale Repertory Theater. See story on pages 10 & 11. Photo courtesy of Yale Rep.
Celebrate the Holidays with the New Haven Symphony! Home for the Holidays
Handel’s Messiah
Chelsea Tipton, Principal Pops Conductor
William Boughton, conductor Christ Church Choir
December 13 & 14 Hamden Middle & Shelton Intermediate Schools
December 18 7:30pm Woolsey Hall
Celebrate the most wonderful time of Proceeds from this holiday the year with seasonal favorites like performance to benet the New Haven “White Christmas,” “Sleigh Ride,” and Community Soup Kitchen. an audience sing-along!
203.865.0831 x20 NewHavenSymphony.org • december 2014
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The Arts Paper december 2014
artists next door
Answering The Call From Within Jazz Musician Jeff Fuller Readies First Solo CD hank hoffman
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azz bass player Jeff Fuller hits “play” in iTunes and a rough mix of his song “One For All” dances from his studio speakers. Recorded the day before with pianist Darren Litzie and drummer Ben Bilello, the tune is a mélange of Latin influences and swinging post-bop in the style of saxophonist Wayne Shorter. It is slated to be included on his first solo record, The Call from Within, which he will release on his Quadrangle Music label by the end of the year. As the song plays — sculptural in its deft harmonic twists and rhythmic turns — Fuller deconstructs the elements that make it work. The verses are based on a “circle of fifths chord progression” like the standard “Fly Me to the Moon.” But each expected resolution along that progression “is tweaked so it doesn’t sound like a typical circle of fifths,” Fuller explains. “Each one is shifted, distorted, pushed slightly out of shape.” At the beginning of this past summer’s New Haven Jazz Festival, Jazz Haven honored Fuller with its third annual Unsung Heroes Award for his contributions as a performer and educator. For Fuller, the award was a welcome spur to record this first solo record. This need to have his compositional voice heard is expressed in the title track, “The Call From Within.” “The idea came to me — don’t wait around for someone to call,” Fuller recalls. “The call comes from within.”
calist Isabella Mendes, will soon be releasing its own CD, recorded live at the Unitarian Church of Westport this past June.) He has been featured on innumerable recordings as a sideman with such jazz luminaries as saxophonist Lou Donaldson—with whom he worked for 15 years— and Paquito D’Rivera. Fuller earned his B.A. and master’s degrees in music theory and composition at Yale University in the 1960s. He spent about ten years playing in New York City—gigging with jazz groups and learning from masters of Cuban and Brazilian music — before returning to New Haven in 1986. Along with a full schedule of performing in concerts, jazz clubs, and jazz-friendly restaurants like Sage American Grill, Fuller has taught music for 20 years at ACES Educational Center for the Arts and Neighborhood Music School, both in New Haven.
“We’re talking to each other in the language of music — pitch, rhythm, harmony, density, tension, and resolution.” – Jeff Fuller
The CD — which will be credited to Jeff Fuller and Friends — is a long time coming; Fuller has been writing music since he was young. He has shelves full of compositions in his basement studio. Fuller is best known for his virtuosic and expressive bass playing, both on upright bass in jazz combos and on six-string electric bass guitar in his Brazilian music group Sambeleza. (Sambeleza, which also features guitarist Joe Carter and pianist/vo-
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Like most working jazz musicians, Fuller is used to playing cover tunes, standards from the jazz songbook. “But these songs of mine do not give the audience the opportunity to relate their expectations to what they have heard before,” Fuller says of the suite of songs on his new record. Still, as a mixture of all his influences from a long career, they are “familiar sounds arranged in a new way. “It doesn’t burst the envelope but it
Jeff Fuller. Photo by studioDUDA.
pushes the envelope,” says Fuller. Many of his songs originate in improvisations, the wellspring of jazz inspiration. “I see no difference between composition and improvisation,” Fuller says. “Composition is improvisation slowed down. Improvisation is composition speeded up.” The in-the-moment improvisation of the trio enriches Fuller’s compositions on The Call From Within. Pianist Litzie has room to interpret the melodies, inhabit their spirit. Neither Fuller’s bass parts nor Bilello’s drum parts are written out. “We’re having a conversation. That’s a critical part of understanding jazz,” says Fuller. “We’re talking to each other in the language of music — pitch, rhythm, harmony, density, tension, and resolution.” His love of jazz began early. Fuller’s father was an amateur jazz pianist who hosted the occasional home jam session. In his youth, Fuller took lessons on violin, saxophone, and piano. He picked up the guitar in college in order to play in rock bands; it was the era of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Chuck Berry riffs. But he quickly realized that his heart was with jazz, not rock. “Playing jazz on the guitar was much more challenging. It engaged the mind, body and soul,” Fuller says. “The emotional depth of jazz was what I was looking for.” Fuller took up bass — initially an electric bass — for the most practical of reasons.
It seemed like all the bass players in New Haven had decamped to other locales, opening up opportunities to play regularly. His first gig on bass guitar was in 1973 with pianist Eddie Cercone. (Fuller still plays occasionally with Cercone, who is now in his 90s.) He switched to upright bass in 1975. “It opened up more doors than any single move in my career has,” Fuller says. “What bass allowed me to do was explore jazz from the bottom up.” Still, Fuller believes his experience playing lead guitar has enabled him to be a more lyrical soloist. That lyricism comes to the forefront playing Brazilian music, particularly the gorgeous melodies of composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. Over the past two decades, Fuller has performed with the now-defunct Hartford-based Samba Brasil and, since 2009, with Sambeleza. Deploying his sixstring bass guitar in those combos has afforded him the ability to simultaneously play chords and bass lines as well as to sing. He encourages his students to answer their own calls from within. “If you are curious how music is put together and structured, then learn music theory,” he tells them. “And explore music through improvisation and composition in order to find your own voice. “In my life, you couldn’t stop me from doing music,” exclaims Fuller. “I’m still trying to get my voice heard.” n
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The Arts Paper december 2014
Bon Voyage Working in the Arts and Embarking and Goodbye to on a Journey Stephen Grant stephen says, the ac sounds off on ...
“thank you, and goodnight”
cindy clair
The Arts Council is sad to bid farewell to Communications Manager Stephen Grant, but excited for him as he begins this next chapter of his life in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Since Stephen arrived at the Arts Council a little more than a year ago, he’s brought energy, passion, and talent to our team. As our in-house social-media guru, Stephen added Instagram to our social-media portfolio, created the hashtag #ArtNHV as a way to brand all things arts in New Haven, and increased our presence on Facebook and Twitter, in part by sharing some fantastic videos he produced. Stephen moved the online version of The Arts Paper to a new, easier-to-read format on ISSUU to better serve our growing number of readers who prefer to access the paper online. After just a few weeks of recording a weekly radio spot for WPKN, Stephen was invited to host a monthly program. This veteran radio deejay slipped easily into to the host chair, interviewing artists and arts managers about projects and events in our region. He invited local musicians to submit recordings for the musical interludes on the show, giving them coveted airtime. Stephen’s love of music led him to guest curate a show in our Sumner McKnight Crosby Jr. Gallery in February 2014. Once in a Lifetime, a music inspired exhibit based on a Talking Heads song, featured works by many young artists and attracted a capacity crowd to our opening reception. A gregarious people connector, Stephen was one of the most enthusiastic staff voices clamoring for the return of Artspot! He jumped in to help with planning and coordinating our quarterly arts happy hours. And as a writer yearning to support other writers, he worked with Arts Paper editor David Brensilver and board member and writer Daisy Abreu to bring about the Council’s Writers’ Circle project. We’re thankful for all Stephen has contributed to the Arts Council, his numerous efforts to share the work of our organization and the massive number of arts events happening throughout the region. We will miss Stephen’s welcoming smile, his ideas, and his enthusiasm. Good luck to you Stephen! n
stephen grant
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hen I left my job at a tech startup back in the summer of 2013 I told myself that I would only apply to jobs that truly resonated with my passions. Though I enjoyed my time learning important Web skills and promoting sustainable wedding practices, it was not the way I envisioned my career going. There was something missing. My aspiration in life has always been to work in the arts. I have been writing since I can remember and I come from a family of singers, so music has been with me since birth. When I was in college, I combined both of those skills and began blogging and hosting a radio show. I even interned with my favorite music-production company and hosted my own monthly art gathering at a coffee shop in downtown New Haven. It is safe to say that working in the arts is my calling in life and when the opportunity came to make it my career I jumped at the chance. The Arts Council called me on August 14, 2013, and told me that I got the job as communications manager. This would have been my mom’s 47th birthday, so I took it as a sign that I was taking a step in the right direction. I would finally be able to apply all of my passions to an organization that shares the same enthusiasm about local art as I do. When I arrived at my office, I immediately said to myself, “This is where I need to be.” I set a goal to collaborate as much as possible and to fully embrace the artist in me. A little over a year later and I can safely say that I have done that. During my time at the Arts Council I have met amazing artists that make New Haven a fantastic place to discover art. I have had great conversations with the movers and shakers of our city and I am always impressed with the ideas that our arts organizations and artists have. It has been an honor to learn from, work, and share with these amazing talents. Thank you for accepting my ideas and for helping me to fully embrace the artist inside of me. As they say, the show must go on. For me, the next stop is Sao Paulo, Brazil, where I hope to meet another group of inspiring artists with whom I can share stories about the New Haven arts community. Though I will be miles away, I will always be the biggest cheerleader for New Haven. That will never change because I love this city and I will do my best to make you proud. If you are interested in following my journey in Brazil, visit the Stephen Grant: Life in a New World blog series online at stephenjgrant.com. n
Stephen Grant, communications manager extraordinaire. Photo by Arts Council staff.
Cindy Clair is the Arts Council’s executive director.
Stephen Grant has been the Arts Council’s communications manager.
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The Arts Paper december 2014
2014 Arts Awards Arts Council Celebrates “Small City, Big Art” ac staff photos by harold shapiro unless otherwise noted
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he Arts Council of Greater New Haven is excited to announce the winners of the 2014 Arts Awards, the theme for which is “Small City, Big Art,” a nod to creativity’s ability to transcend geography and offer boundless inspiration. C. Newton Schenck III Award for Lifetime Achievement in and Contribution to the Arts Having literally changed the skylines of cities around the world, architect Cesar Pelli’s presence in New Haven has inspired us to look up, to think big, and to celebrate the visionary work that happens in our small city each and every day. Born in Argentina, Pelli’s influence has been profound wherever he’s worked – from Kuala Lumpur, where his design for the iconic Petronas Towers earned him a 2004 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, to New Haven, where the Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School he conceived shapes tomorrow’s creative minds. As a project designer for Eero Saarinen’s architecture team, Cesar lent his vision to the design of Morse and Stiles colleges at Yale University, where he later served as dean at the School of Architecture. A member of such distinguished communities as the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Cesar has earned the respect and admiration of his peers, his colleagues at Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, and countless residents in cities across the globe. In 1995, the American Institute of Architects awarded Cesar its highest honor, the Gold Medal, which recognizes significant contributions to the field. Today, we do the same, proud that Cesar lives and works here among us. With her compelling documentaries, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Karyl Evans has masterfully shared with us stories of the extraordinary treasures and institutions that have contributed so much to the region’s rich cultural history. Karyl has trained a sharp focus on the African American experience here in Connecticut and beyond with such films
Karyl Evans
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as The Road to Freedom: Connecticut’s African American Freedom Trail and The Amistad Revolt: “All We Want Is Make Us Free.” She has taken us behind the scenes at local arts institutions with Creating the Peabody’s Torosaurus: Dinosaur Science, Dinosaur Art; New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s Youth Orchestra Festival; and Making a Joyful Noise, about Long Wharf Theatre’s 1996 production of James Baldwin’s play The Amen Corner. And she has shared with us secrets of otherwise taken-for-granted cultural sites with The New Haven Green: Heart of a City, and Grove Street Cemetery: City of the Dead, City of the Living. Today, with great enthusiasm, Karyl is exploring some of the state’s most celebrated and important museums. The awards she has earned, including five Emmy Awards and a Gracie Award from American Women in Radio and Television – now the Alliance for Women in Media – reflect Karyl’s deep understanding of her subjects and her sincere dedication to telling honest, thoughtful stories. Through her lens, we have been given glimpses into the past and learned more about who we are and where we live. Through her work at the Elm City Dance Collective and elsewhere, dancer, choreographer, and educator Kellie Ann Lynch has invigorated the local dance community, challenging both the artists with whom she shares the stage and those who experience the yield of her expression. The premiere in May 2014 of her evening-length dance work Almost Porcelain proved a landmark moment for the Elm City Dance Collective, which performed the piece and which Kellie co-founded in 2008 upon moving to New Haven. In less than a decade, Kellie has contributed much to the local, contemporary dance scene. As a teacher, she has inspired and enabled those who aspire to dance in her footsteps. As a performer, working with the companies of such innovative choreographers as Adele Myers and Doug Elkins, and on the stages of such prestigious venues as Jacob’s Pillow and The Joyce Theater, she has moved and awed the most discerning of audiences. As a creator of the art form, she has introduced us to new dance vocabularies that are equally brave and breathtaking, elegant, athletic, and dynamic. For decades, arts champion Barbara Pearce has promoted New Haven as a small city whose cultural offerings make it much larger,
Cesar Pelli. Photo submitted.
contributing her time, energy, and impassioned leadership to beloved organizations while insisting that each institution’s strength bolsters the health of the region’s cultural ecology. Barbara was instrumental in the fundraising success of the Greater New Haven Arts Stabilization Project, a years-long effort to bolster the financial security of eight of New Haven’s most important and beloved arts organizations. With Harvard University training in business and law and more than three
decades of experience in real estate, Barbara is among New Haven’s most admired professionals. Generously volunteering to share her leadership and expertise, she’s chaired the boards of Artspace, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, and Long Wharf
Pequeñas Ligas Hispanas de New Haven
Barbara Pearce
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Theatre, and she’s served on the boards of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. An impassioned booster of those organizations, Barbara continues to remind us that the success of each benefits the others, and that the arts are a vital part of New Haven’s economy and its social fabric and a draw for those who live and work outside the region. Winfred Rembert’s artwork, practiced and developed in the harshness of a Georgia prison cell, recalls his often brutal experiences as an African American man in the Deep South, providing for us not just a glimpse into the darkness of our nation’s history, but the story of one man’s courageous journey toward a brighter future. Having lost his youth in the cotton fields of Cuthbert, Georgia, Winfred grew into an activist willing to sacrifice his freedom so that future generations might enjoy just that. Despite enduring unthinkable, racially motivated violence and spending the balance of a decade on a prison chain gang, Winfred embodies the transcendent figure who chooses possibility over being paralyzed by memory and circumstance. In jail, he learned to work with leather, and, years later, he embraced that medium to create vivid and colorful portraits of his challenging youth. In 2000, Winfred’s work was shown at the Yale University Art Gallery, and, since then, it’s been on display in numerous galleries in New York, Georgia, and elsewhere. The subject of the award-winning 2011 documentary film All Me: The Life and Times of Winfred Rembert, Winfred is an artist with an extraordinary story to tell. Coordinated by Peter Noble, Pequeñas Ligas Hispanas de New Haven is an organization that serves as a bridge to important cultural experiences, connecting young people who might otherwise not have access to the arts with programs that foster creativity and greatly enhance lives. Established more than 20 years ago in the Fair Haven home of a mother determined to provide empowerment where traditional community structures were or could not, Pequeñas Ligas Hispanas de New Haven has since provided young people with access to opportunities in the arts and, in a broader sense, in the complicated society we’ve constructed. In 1994, the organization graduated from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts’ Inner City Cultural Development Program. Through the organization’s own initiatives, including robust programs in music,
dance, theater, creative writing, film, and visual arts, among others, creativity is fostered with an eye on developing culturally enriched minds and healthy aspirations. The organization’s MUSA series, which began in 1994 as Musica en la Comunidad, is a dynamic forum for musical collaboration and a vehicle through which Latin American cultures are celebrated locally. At Pequeñas Ligas Hispanas de New Haven, all forms of expression are nurtured, from the athletic to the artistic and all the disciplines therein. The invaluable organization connects families to the city’s diverse and vibrant cultural resources, improves lives, and makes ours a better community. n
The 2014 Arts Awards luncheon is scheduled for Friday, December 5, at 11:45 a.m., at the New Haven Lawn Club, 193 Whitney Ave., in New Haven. For more information and to purchase tickets, call the Arts Council at (203) 772-2788.
Kellie Ann Lynch
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 of Greater New Haven is pleased to announce the launch of our new blog, #ARTNHV. The blog covers all things art in the Greater New Haven area. 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
Winfred Rembert
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The Arts Paper december 2014
Anatomy of an Educational Merger how and why lyme academy joined unh david brensilver
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n April, the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, in Old Lyme, became a school of the University of New Haven. The merger was the result of the Academy looking to boost enrollment and bolster its financial position. “They fit us very well and we fit them very well, and we’re thrilled to be a part of their mission,” Dr. James McCoy, UNH’s vice president of enrollment management and a member of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven’s board of directors, said. For the Academy, the merger means more resources. For UNH, it means adding an art school to the university’s academic departments. Fritz Jellinghaus, the Lyme Academy’s vice president of development, said that upon arriving at the Academy four years ago, he realized it was undercapitalized in terms of tuition and contributed income, the latter stable but not growing. The art school’s student body was small and there was some concern about sustainability. In terms of enrollment, Jellinghaus said, the school had seen “modest declines in recent years.”
“We weren’t really marketing ourselves properly,” he said, explaining that the Academy had long touted the benefits of being close to New York and Boston, instead of touting the cultural history of Lyme and Old Lyme. Working with Academy board member John Visiglio and his Essex-based marketing agency Outthink, which has provided pro bono consultations over the past three years, the leadership at the Academy reimagined how the school is presented to prospective students. That’s meant emphasizing the benefits of the school’s location and using social media to communicate that message and others. “They’ve been extraordinarily generous to us,” Jellinghaus said of Visiglio and the folks at Outthink. The leadership at Lyme Academy also contracted a Boston-based consulting group to help identify potential partners, like UNH. But it was serendipity that connected representatives of the two institutions. Trustees of the Academy were meeting at the Saybrook Point Inn and Spa, in Old Saybrook, where they had a conversation with the facility’s owner, Stephen Tagliatela, a UNH board member and one who Lyme Academy Campus Dean Todd Jokl said has a “deep vested interest in this community, in the area, (and) in the arts.” It was Tagliatela who connected Lyme Academy to UNH.
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Before the two institutions merged, UNH President Dr. Steven Kaplan directed Lyme Academy’s leadership to raise $1 million in committed pledges per year for three years — to make sure the community was on board with and supported the merger. The Academy raised $850,000 in committed pledges (per year, over three years). The community, Jellinghaus said, turned out in generous fashion to communicate its belief in “the mission of the college and the desire to see it continued.” This year, Lyme Academy has the largest freshman enrollment that it has in some time, Jellinghaus said — 38 freshmen, about half the school’s total student body. The boost was largely the result of the strategy the school employed at the urging of the folks at Outthink. “There is now a business plan for admissions,” Jellinghaus said, explaining that the goal is to bring total enrollment to 160 students, the school’s capacity. Today, Jellinghaus said, “we’re trying to explore how you take the department of art and design at UNH and this fine department here and maximize synergies.” The plan, McCoy said, is to “leave the college for the time being as it always has been.” Still, he said, “it’s going to evolve.” Under the UNH umbrella, Lyme Academy remains a private nonprofit institution. And that’s important.
“Lyme has a very … specific mission and educational and pedagogical approach,” Jokl pointed out, agreeing with Jellinghaus that there are synergies between Lyme Academy’s curriculum and UNH’s art and design department offerings. “This (merger) allowed UNH to think about the arts more holistically,” Jokl said. Lyme Academy’s focus on representational and figurative approaches to art remains firmly intact. While “the emphasis on the fundamentals is not changing,” Jokl said, “we are developing different and new programs that will enable students from both institutions to really benefit from one another.” An example of the benefits the merger has already yielded can be found on UNH’s campus in Prato, Italy. What better place for academy students to study, Jokl asked, rhetorically, than “right in the cradle of the Italian Renaissance?” Likewise, he can imagine UNH students in UNH’s forensic science department studying anatomical drawing at Lyme Academy and students studying sculpture at Lyme Academy learning about engineering at UNH. “This is a sole altruistic decision,” McCoy said. “We want to be involved in the arts.” Lyme Academy, he said, “is something worth saving.” n
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Susan Smith Retires as Head of Creative Arts Workshop hank hoffman
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usan Smith, executive director of Creative Arts Workshop and one of the longest serving arts administrators in the area, retires this December. In her 27 years — half the life of the community-based arts school, which was founded in 1961 — Smith cemented its status as an anchor arts venue in New Haven, expanded the faculty and programming, and doubled the enrollment. Smith also promoted vigorous outreach and interaction with the larger community and has been an advocate for the visual arts before business and political leaders. Creative Arts Workshop’s signature event — and an important and complicated fundraiser — is the holiday season Celebration of American Crafts. Over the past several years, Smith has broadened the scope of that popular event to include panel discussions, a fashion show utilizing garments from the show (“Celebrate Style”), an evening hailing participating artists from Connecticut, and a meet-and-greet with Susan Smith makes opening remarks at the “Celebrate Style” fashion show, during the 45th annual Celebration of American Crafts, 2013. Photo by Katherine Carey. artists (“Crafternoon”). Sheilah Rostow, CAW’s board president sculpture classes, she doesn’t consider herShe has been the face, the voice of the or“She is very clear about the mission of for the past four years (her term ended in self an artist. “When people ask me what ganization.” Creative Arts Workshop and very clear in September), attributes Smith’s longevity to art form I do, I always say ‘administration is Ann Lehman, head of the sculpture dehow she wants to go about fulfilling that “a unique combination of vision and simple partment, was one of the school’s founders an art form.’” mission,” says Rostow. “She has been a hard work.” Smith may not consider herself an artand its first board president. Lehman desteady hand, which is incredibly important. ist, but one of the goals of her tenure has scribes Smith as “absolutely devoted” to been to reach out to people who may not Creative Arts Workshop. self-identify as artists. “We tried to offer “I can’t emphasize enough that running programs that would bring people in at an organization like this is so complex,” their own comfort level,” Smith says. says Lehman, citing the need to oversee “Susan did a very inventive thing. A lot of the faculty and staff, approve which classes are offered, and ensure that those offerings people are intimidated by art or high-end crafts. They say, ‘Oh, I couldn’t do that,’” cover the broadest range of visual arts mediums and fine crafts. And, at the top of the notes Rostow. “She made it much more accessible.” agenda, is managing the finances to keep it Among Smith’s innovations were “Samall running. “She’s been terrific about writpler Sundays,” inexpensive three-hour ing up grants and she gets them because workshops that allowed novices to test the she does it so well.” waters without having to make big financial While Smith’s degree is in economics, or time commitments up front. she tells me in an interview at her CAW ofSmith was the first professional hired to fice that she had always worked in the arts lead CAW. When she started, she realized (except for a stint at the Peabody Museum the organization was somewhat insular, not of Natural History prior to joining CAW). engaged with the community even to the “I like new challenges, such as how to inextent of collaborating with other groups. crease enrollment, what does it take to get She set out “to make the organization people to support the Workshop, how to visible in the community,” recalls Smith. provide more programs in the community, This included broadening collaborations, etc.,” she says when asked what attracted outreach to schools, and expanding scholher to the position. Her role was to be “a facilitator, making sure that there was an arship programs. Recently, the school has environment in which the teaching and sent faculty to three New Haven senior making of art was possible.” To that end, centers to offer lessons. She started a naSmith is particularly proud of the fact that tional juried show to elevate the school’s there was no deficit over the first 25 years name recognition, attracting such distinof her tenure. guished artists as Philip Pearlstein as jurors. Although it wasn’t part of her official duUnder her watch, the workshop has ties, Smith felt compelled to be a voice for hosted several Cultural Passages shows, the visual arts community. “This is primarinviting the participation of different ethnic, ily a performing arts city,” she notes. “I felt political, and social groups. According to very strongly that visual artists needed to Kate Paranteau, CAW’s program director, be represented at almost every major ini“This was a big charge from her — to make tiative” such as the drafting of the Regional these events really important and grounded Cultural Plan. Smith was one of the foundin the community.” ers of the Arts Industry Coalition in 1999, a Paranteau praises Smith’s commitment group that has pushed for consideration of to “reach out to folks who hadn’t thought of the important role the arts play in commuthemselves as artists and nurture the idea nity and economic development. of being creative — help people understand While she has taken pottery and metal that art can be for everyone.” n
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Yale Rep Presents Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ War director lileana blain-cruz returns to new haven david brensilver
A
t press time, the cast of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ War, the world premiere production of which is currently being staged at the Yale Repertory Theatre, had just finished their third week of rehearsals. The play is being directed by 2012 Yale School of Drama graduate Lileana Blain-Cruz, who said, “Branden and I have known each other since undergrad,” and, “I’ve seen pretty much everything that he has done.” Blain-Cruz and Jacobs-Jenkins both did their undergraduate studies at Princeton University. The two later worked together on A Guide to Kinship and Maybe Magic — a collaboration with choreographer Isabel Lewis that was presented in 2012 at New Dance Amsterdam, in New York — and had been looking for an opportunity to work together again. When Jacobs-Jenkins approached Blain-Cruz about War, and she learned that the Yale Rep had commissioned him, she let the organization’s artistic director, James Bundy, know that she’d love to be involved. Blain-Cruz received the script in summer 2013. At press time, with the piece in rehearsals, Jacobs-Jenkins was still tweaking the material, as he is wont to
do. Jacobs-Jenkins is a playwright who uses the rehearsal process to shape his work. He’s known for reworking and rewriting, Blain-Cruz said, “which is exciting,” explaining that he has an “amazing ear” for what a cast is bringing to his work. Because of that, Blain-Cruz said, “it feels very collaborative.” Less than a month before opening, and “not being quite done,” Blain-Cruz said, War was in an exciting place, with director and playwright side by side in rehearsals, reevaluating, recalibrating, and in constant conversation. The cast for War, which stars, among others, Tonya Pinkins — who earned a 1992 Tony Award for her performance as Anita in Jelly’s Last Jam — was something Blain-Cruz and Jacobs-Jenkins talked about a lot — particularly in terms of building biographies of the characters. “This is the first time I’m working with all of them, which is pretty exciting,” Blain-Cruz said of the cast. In War, according to the Yale Rep’s promotional materials, “tensions escalate between Tate and Joanne at their mother’s hospital bedside. As they attack each other’s smallest words and biggest choices, they are ambushed by two
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Photo by Imogen Heath.
strangers who make a shocking claim about their grandfather’s WWII tour of duty.” Writing about family dynamics seems to be, largely, Jacobs-Jenkins’ creative modus operandi, as evidenced by his plays Appropriate and Neighbors. Those
plays, along with An Octoroon — an adaptation of 19th century Irish playwright Dion Boucicault’s The Octoroon — are also vehicles through which Jacobs-Jenkins explores issues of race. Among Jacobs-Jenkins’ strengths, Blain-Cruz said, is his ability to establish
ON VIEW THROUGH DECEMBER 14
picture talking James Northcote & the Fables
SLAVERY AND PORTRAITURE IN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY
ATLANTIC BRITAIN
Odd Volumes
Book art from the allan Chasanoff Collection On view through February 1, 2015 Connecticut (un) Bound, a companion exhibition at Artspace, features additional works from Chasanoff’s collection as well as responses by local artists. On view through January 31, 2015 Yale UniversitY art GallerY Free and open to the public Tues.–Fri. 10 am–5 pm | Thurs. until 8 pm (Sept.–June) | Sat.–Sun. 11 am–5 pm 1111 Chapel Street, New Haven, Connecticut | 203.432.0600 | artgallery.yale.edu Image: Chris Perry, 86 Ripples: Droplet, 2011. Artist’s book with gel acetate and wood. Yale University Art Gallery, The Allan Chasanoff, B.A. 1961, Book Art Collection, curated with Doug Beube. © Chris Perry
ArtsCouncil_December_final3.indd 1
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The Center will be closed for building conservation January 2015–February 2016
On the corner of Chapel & High Streets Admission is free | britishart.yale.edu left to right: Samuel William Reynolds, after James Northcote, Lion and Snake, 1799, mixed method engraving, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection • Studio of Francis Harwood, Bust of a Man, ca. 1758, black limestone on yellow marble socle, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
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The Arts Paper december 2014
connections between audience members and the experiences of the characters onstage. And certainly, as evidenced by the other above-mentioned plays, Jacobs-Jenkins isn’t shy about being provocative.
“He makes your mind race as you’re experiencing the show.” – Lileana Blain-Cruz, on Branden Jacobs-Jenkins “He likes to create explosive situations,” Blain-Cruz said, which makes his work more relatable by making characters’ relationships more complicated. While Blain-Cruz said she believes Jacobs-Jenkins is, with War, once again ex-
ploring the idea and layers of the “Black family drama,” this play is somehow different in its approach and perspective than his earlier works. Its subject matter deals with a history that Jacobs-Jenkins began exploring, if indirectly, when he studied in Berlin several years ago on a Fulbright scholarship — and before that, when he spent time in Munich during his undergraduate years. War frames “the way history ends up affecting the way people live their lives,” Blain-Cruz said, by way of exploring the African American experience in Germany during and after World War II. Her goal — an extension of JacobsJenkins’ — is to help and encourage the cast to live that history. And they have been amazing, she said, in terms of investing in that history. Blain-Cruz described Jacobs-Jenkins’ work as “exuberantly theatrical” and said, “He’s so in tune with what makes a space vibrate.” In every one of Jacobs-Jenkins’ plays she’s attended, Blain-Cruz said she’s felt an electricity in the room. Jacobs-Jenkins has an awareness of the audience and the situations he creates, and a sense of humor about creating juxtapositions. An audience member will laugh and ask himself or herself why, given the uncomfortable nature of what’s being presented. “He makes your mind race as you’re experiencing the show,” Blain-Cruz said
Lileana Blain-Cruz, left, with Tonya Pinkins. Photo courtesy of Yale Rep.
of Jacobs-Jenkins, whom she described as a very quick thinker, something that’s somehow contagious during rehearsals and among cast members. Blain-Cruz included the audience in that equation, too, pointing out that everyone in the theater is experiencing the play together and are thus related to one another in that way. And while she and Jacobs-Jenkins are making their Yale Rep debuts, the production marks a return for her to familiar territory. Even if her classmates have
since left New Haven, the faculty and administrative staff remain much as they were when she was studying here a few years ago. “It’s nice to kind of return as a peer,” she said. n The world-premiere production of War continues through December 13 at the Yale Repertory Theatre. Visit yalerep.org for more information.
Buon Natale Crèches of
DEC 1 to FEB 1
Italy
1 State Street, New Haven • kofcmuseum.org • Free admission & parking
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CALENDAR Classes & Workshops ACES Educational Center for the Arts 55 Audubon St., New Haven. 203-777-5451. aces.org/ schools/eca. Creative Dramatics. Quality acting classes for kids and teens offered on Saturdays through May. Ages 8-11 and 12-16 years. Call Ingrid Schaeffer, chair, theater department, at 203-795-9011 or email ingrids@optonline.net. Classes are 9-10:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Contemporary Technique Dance Class (Intermediate). Instructor: Pamela Newell. Classes meet on Mondays, 6:00-7:30 p.m., through December 1. $15 per class, $100 for 10 classes, free for ECA alumni. Connecticut Natural Science Illustrators Yale Peabody Museum Community Education Center, 230 West Campus Drive, Orange. 203-934-0878. ctnsi.com. Art Classes in Natural Science Illustration. Delve into natural history drawing and painting with a wide array of courses through December 13. We offer classes and workshops in Beginning Drawing, Botanical Watercolor, The Science of Color, Drawing and Painting Birds, Landscapes in Oil, Colored Pencil, and Insects Writ Large. See details online or email ctnsi.info@gmail.com. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Creative Arts Workshop 80 Audubon St., New Haven. 203-562-4927. birdabode2014.org. Fall Session: Classes and Workshops. Have you ever wanted to paint a landscape? Or shoot great family photos? Or make your own jewelry? Give your creativity a kick-start with visual-art classes for all ages and experience levels in book arts, design, drawing and painting, fiber, fashion, jewelry, photography, pottery, and sculpture. Register online today! Session runs through December 5. Elm City Dance Collective Connecticut Capoeira and Dance Center, 1175 State St. (Trolley Building), New Haven. 203-645-8472. elmcitydance.org. Club Fusion Dance Class – Beginners Welcome. Come and get your groove on in this non-stop follow-along-style movement experience that will leave you energized and sweaty. No dance experience is needed as you will be guided through basic club style dance steps from beginning to end, rounded out by a series of dance conditioning and stretching exercises for warm up and cool down. Tuesday evenings through December 16. $15 drop in $60 for five-class pass, $150 for all-semester pass (includes Sunday Contemporary and Tuesday Club Fusion only. Expires December 31). 6:45-7:45 p.m. Neighborhood Music School 100 Audubon St., New Haven. 203-624-5189. neighborhoodmusicschool.org. English Country Dance. Beautiful music, cheerful dance, and friendly community. All dances taught by Paul McGuire. Come on December 5 and December 19, 8-10:30 p.m., with or without a partner. Beginners welcome. Live music by Marshall Barron, Grace Feldman, Phoebe Barron, Margaret Ann Martin, and musicians from Marshall’s Dance Band Workshops. Royal Country Scottish Dance Society Whitney Arts Center, 591 Whitney Ave., New Haven. 203281-6591. rscdsnewhaven.org. Scottish Country Dancing. Enjoy dancing the social dances of Scotland. Come alone or with a friend. All dances taught. Wear soft-soled non-street shoes. Every Tuesday evening through December 9. $8 per evening. First night free. 7:45-10 p.m. Yale Center for British Art 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. 203-432-2800. britishart.yale.edu.
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Angélique Kidjo, a Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter from Benin, appears at Woolsey Hall in a special performance on December 6. Photo courtesy of the Yale School of Music.
Sketching in the Galleries. Sketch from original works of art in the Center’s collections and special exhibitions, on December 3 and December 10, with Jaime Ursic, Yale MFA ‘02 and the Center’s assistant curator of education. Drawing materials provided; all skill levels welcome. Free. Preregistration required. Email ycba.education@yale.edu. 5:30-7 p.m.
Dance 10-11 Wednesday-Thursday Rough Edges 2014 See details online at aces.org/ schools/eca. Snow date: December 12. 7 p.m. ACES Educational Center for the Arts, 55 Audubon St., New Haven. 203-777-5451. aces.org/ schools/eca.
19-21 Friday-Sunday The Nutcracker The New Haven Ballet presents The Nutcracker at the Shubert Theater featuring guest artists from New York City Ballet and New Haven Ballet Orchestra directed by Richard Gard. Friday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, December 20 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.; Sunday, December 21 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Call the New Haven Ballet at 203782-9038 or visit newhavenballet.org. Shubert Theater, 247 College St., New Haven.
20-21 Saturday-Sunday The Nutcracker The New England Ballet Company is celebrating its 25th season with performances of the annual family holiday classic The Nutcracker under the artistic direction of Victor Trevino. Clara’s dream is brought to life in a large-cast production with exquisite costumes and dazzling choreography. The cast consists of company dancers, students of New England Dance Arts School, and members of the community. A won-
derful ballet for the entire family, The Nutcracker is the perfect way to introduce children to the magic and beauty of classical ballet. Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. The Klein Memorial Auditorium, 910 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport. Tickets are available at newenglandballet.org.
Exhibitions Artspace 50 Orange St., New Haven. 203-7722709. artspacenh.org. Connecticut (un)Bound. A collaboration between the Yale University Art Gallery and Artspace that features eight Connecticut artists who have been commissioned to create work in response to the Allan Chasanoff Book Arts Collection at YUAG as well as objects from the collection itself. On view through February 7, 2015. Davison Art Center Wesleyan University Center for the Arts, 301 High St., Middletown. 860-6852500. wesleyan.edu/dac. Call to Action — American Posters in World War I Exhibition. Selected from the collection of the Davison Art Center, this exhibition includes more than 30 American World War I posters designed by James Montgomery Flagg, Howard Chandler Christy, and others. On view through December 7, 12-4 p.m. Free. Create and Curate — Student-Organized Exhibition. The Friends of the Davison Art Center coordinate the second student-curated exhibition of work created by current students. Addison McDowell ’16 will serve as curator, guided by Sasha Rudensky, assistant professor of art and Friends of the Davison Art Center board member. On view through Tuesday-Sunday, 12-4 p.m., through December 7. Free.
Fred.Giampietro Gallery 91 Orange St., New Haven. 203-777-7760. giampietrogallery.com. Elizabeth Gilfilen: Laid Ledge, and New Work by Jeremy Chandler. On view Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., or by appointment, through December 20. Free. Holiday Exhibition. An exhibition including works from all of our gallery artists. Come find a unique holiday gift for your special someone. Gallery hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., or by appointment, through December 23.Opening reception: Friday, December 5, 6-8 p.m. Free. Hamden Art League at Miller Library Senior Center 2901 Dixwell Ave., Hamden. 203-4942316. hamdenartleague.com. Silverbells Art Exhibition. This annual show includes a variety of original art in oils, acrylics, watercolor, pastels, graphics, and mixed media by Hamden Art League members, with many works offered for sale in time for the holidays. Reception: Tuesday, December 9, 7-9 p.m., includes raffle of art-related items and presentation of monetary awards donated by local businesses and benefactors. Exhibit open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., through December 23. Free and open to the public. Kehler Liddell Gallery 873 Whalley Ave., New Haven. 203-389-9555. kehlerliddell.com. Kehler Liddell Gallery Group Show: Inside the Box. What happens when artists think inside the box? Kehler Liddell Gallery present its fall group show, Inside the Box, through December 21. The show features work by all 22 Kehler Liddell Gallery member artists. Free. Main Gallery, Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery Wesleyan University Center for the Arts, 283 Washington Terrace, Middletown. 860-685-3355. wesleyan.edu/dac.
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A World of Dreams — New Landscape Paintings by Tula Telfair Exhibition. This exhibition includes new large-scale paintings in which professor of art Tula Telfair presents monumental landscapes and epic-scale vistas that are simultaneously awe-inspiring and intimate. She combines stillness with motion, solitude with universality, and definition with suggestion in her bold and quiet works. On view 12-5 p.m. through December 7. Free.
Dickens classic is directed by Brian Desmond Hurst (not rated; 86 minutes). 6 p.m. Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. 203432-2800. britishart.yale.edu.
Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies Gallery Wesleyan University Center for the Arts, 343 Washington Terrace, Middletown. 860685-2330. wesleyan.edu/cfa. Not of This World Exhibition. To inaugurate Wesleyan University’s College of East Asian Studies, students curated this exhibition of the most compelling artworks from the collection. The divine, the uncanny, and the surreal all merge into our lived reality in this selection of objects and images. On view Tuesday-Sunday, through December 5. Free.
Arts Awards The Arts Council of Greater New Haven’s 2014 Arts Awards luncheon is scheduled 11:45 a.m. at the New Haven Lawn Club, 193 Whitney Ave., in New Haven. Ticket prices are $85 for Arts Council members, $100 for non-members. For more information and to purchase tickets, call the Arts Council at 203-772-2788 or email info@newhavenarts.org.
New Haven Museum 114 Whitney Ave., New Haven. 203-562-4183. newhavenmuseum.org. From Clocks to Lollipops: Made in New Haven. From the Colonial era to the present, New Haven has produced an astonishing array of goods including carriages, auto parts, guns, corsets, clocks, and candy ─ just to name a few. More than 100 objects, ads, photos, and more from the Museum are featured in this fascinating look at the production of consumer goods in New Haven over the past three centuries. On view through May 30, 2015. Adults $4, seniors $3, students $2, children younger than 12 admitted free. Free, the first Sundays of the month, 1-4 p.m. Paul Mellon Arts Center Choate Rosemary Hall, 332 Christian St., Wallingford. 203-697-2398. choate.edu/boxoffice. Marked by Line — Installation and New Work by Sculptor Shelby Head. Installation by the Madison, Connecticut-based sculptor. On view 9 a.m.-9 p.m. through December 19 (when school is in session). Free.
Manic Productions presents singer-songwriter Stephen Kellogg at the Ballroom at The Outer Space in Hamden on December 26. Photo by Ryan Mastro.
Galas & Fundraisers 5 Friday
Kids & Families
Paintings by Hannah Baldwin are on display alongside textiles by Owen Sea Luckey and jewelry by Kristin Merrill at the Luckey and Merrill Studio through December 20. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Reynolds Fine Art 96 Orange St., New Haven. 203-498-2200. reynoldsfineart.com. Out on 9. Reynolds Fine Art is pleased to present this group exhibition that speaks to the experience of individuals who identify as members of the LGBTQ community and the narratives of being an LGBTQ person in the 21st century. Out on 9 will showcase works by national artists whose themes focus on these experiences. On view through December 2. Gallery hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; or by appointment. Open to the public. Whitney Humanities Center 53 Wall St. New Haven. 203-432-0670. yale.edu/whc/ GalleryAtTheWhitney/current.html. Conversing with Things: Drawings, Paintings, and Pastels by Karsten Harries. These pictures by Karsten Harries do not try to make a point. They do not demonstrate anything. They seek to respond to some often not particularly memorable objects, a rock formation, a seashell, roots, flowers, fruit, garbage, and especially the sea. On view Monday and Wednesday, 3-5 p.m., or by appointment (by calling 203-432-0670) through December 10. Free. Yale Center for British Art 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. 203-432-2800. britishart.yale.edu. Picture Talking: James Northcote and the Fables. Celebrating an extraordinary manuscript in the Center’s collection, a set of fables written and illustrated by James Northcote (1746-1831), this exhibition will present Northcote as artist, cultural broker, gossip, and chronicler of his time. On view Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, 12-5 p.m., through December 14. Open until 8 p.m. on Thursdays, December
4, December 11, and December 18. Free; all are welcome. Figures of Empire: Slavery & Portraiture in 18th-Century Atlantic Britain. This exhibition explores the complex relationship between slavery and portraiture in 18th-century British art, as represented in the collections of the Center and neighboring Yale University institutions. On view Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, 12-5 p.m., through December 14. Open until 8 p.m. on Thursdays, December 4 and December 11. Free; all are welcome. Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History 170 Whitney Ave., New Haven. 203-432-5050. peabody.yale.edu/exhibits/ farmers-warriors-builders-hidden-life-ants. Farmers, Warriors, Builders: The Hidden Life of Ants. The word is small — and so are they — but their world is enormous. With complex and wildly diverse lifestyles, ants are everywhere, living lives mostly hidden from plain sight. But what if we could see into their world — on their level? What would we learn? And what similarities would we find between them and us? On view Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, 12-5 p.m., through January 4, 2015. $5-$9.
Film 18 Thursday A Christmas Carol This rendition of the Charles
Call or click to discuss your project. www.meamobile.com 59 Elm Street | New Haven, CT
info@meamobile.com 203.599.1111
• december 2014
Musical Folk First Presbyterian Church, 704 Whitney Ave., New Haven. 203-691-9759. MusicalFolk.com. Daily Music Together Classes for Toddlers. A fun creative music and movement program for kids ages 0-5 and the grownups who love them. Come sing, dance, and play instruments in an informal setting. Classes and demonstration classes ongoing throughout the year in New Haven, Woodbridge, Hamden, East Haven, and Cheshire. 9:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Classes are held every day (morning, afternoon, and weekend classes available). Demonstration classes are free and open to the public. Eleven-week semester is $249 and includes a CD and songbook. Each semester features a new collection of music. Shubert Theatre 247 College St., New Haven. 203562-5666. shubert.com. Shubert Holiday Open House. The Shubert Theater invites the community to join us as we celebrate the Shubert’s 100th anniversary and enjoy a day of free family-friendly activities including arts and crafts, face-painting, refreshments, holiday film shorts, and pictures with Santa. Free and open to the public. Saturday, December 13, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free and open to the public. Thornton Wilder Hall in Miller Cultural Complex 2901 Dixwell Ave., Hamden. 203-287-2546. hamdenartscommission.org. Crabgrass Puppet Theatre – Mr. Punch’s Christmas Carol. Based on the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, this adaption offers outrageous holiday hilarity full of ghosts, geese and Tiny Tim, too. Crabgrass Puppet Theatre combines handcrafted puppets, rod puppets, and shadow puppets. December 6, at 2:30 p.m. $ 2 children, $ 3 adults.
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Yale Center for British Art 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. 203-432-2800. britishart.yale.edu. Family Day at Yale Center for British Art. Explore the Yale Center for British Art through art making, activities, and performances in the galleries. Everyone is welcome. December 6, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Free.
Music Free Live Music Weekly Mondays: The Pasofino Social Club (Latin). Tuesdays: The Red Planet (rock, honky tonk, blues, jam). Wednesdays: The Hakins Jazz Collective. Free, 9-12 a.m., through January 28, 2015. The Owl Shop, 268 College St., New Haven. 203-624-3450. owlshopcigars.com.
3 Wednesday Chamber Music Concert Graduate students from the Yale School of Music perform chamber music in the Center’s Library Court. Please note that seating is limited. 12:30 p.m. Free. Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. 203432-2800. britishart.yale.edu.
4 Thursday ACES Educational Center for the Arts Winter Concert Jazz selections by Horace Silver, “Water Music” by G.F. Handel, and choral classics by Mendelssohn, Mozart, and others. Snow date: December 5. 6:30 p.m. Suggested donation: $5 individual, $20 group. ACES Educational Center for the Arts, 55 Audubon St., New Haven. 203777-5451. aces.org/schools/eca.
5 Friday The Gibson Brothers The Gibson Brothers duo, with bass. The International Bluegrass Music Association’s “Entertainers of the Year” in 2012 and 2013. The brothers’ harmonies have been compared to the Louvin and Everly brothers. 8 p.m. $25 row seating, $35 table seating. Presented by GuitartownCT Productions at the Spaceland Ballroom, 295 Treadwell St., Hamden. 203-4306020. guitartownct.com.
6 Saturday Faculty Concert Series: A Celebration of Flute and Guitar Elaine Thoma, flute, and Neal Fitzpatrick, guitar. Works by Piazzola, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, and Domeniconi. 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. Neighborhood Music School, 100 Audubon St., New Haven. 203-624-5189. neighborhoodmusicschool.org. Yale Camerata: Advent Concert Dona Nobis Pacem. Marguerite L. Brooks, conductor. Music by J.S. Bach, Vaughan Williams, Kyr, and Marshall. 7:30 p.m. Free. Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Battell Chapel, 300 College St., New Haven. 203-4325062. ism.yale.edu/event/ yale-camerata-advent-concert-5.
11 Thursday Concert: Cantata Profana This new vocal and instrumental ensemble, dedicated to presenting eclectic masterpieces, will present works by English composers Thomas Adès, Harrison Birtwhistle, and Ralph Vaughn Williams; settings of English texts by Elliot Carter and Igor Stravinsky; and early English songs by Henry Purcell. Decem-
ber 11 . 5:30 pm Free. Please note that seating is limited.. Yale Center for British Art, Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. 203432-2800. britishart.yale.edu Yale Camerata and Yale Philharmonia: New Music New Haven 7:30 p.m. Tickets at: music. yale.edu/concerts/series/philharmonia. Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Woolsey Hall, 500 College St., New Haven. 203-432-5062. ism.yale.edu/ event/yale-camerata-new-music-new-haven.
12 Friday Yale Schola Cantorum: Splendor and Introspection Music of Charpentier: In nativitatem Domini canticum, H.416; Litanies de la Vierge, H.83; Te Deum, H.146. Simon Carrington, guest conductor. 5 p.m. Free. Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Christ Church Episcopal, 84 Broadway St., New Haven. 203-432-5062. ism.yale.edu/event/ yale-schola-cantorum-splendor-and-introspection. Maxi Priest Guitarist JJ Sansaverino Blue Plate Radio brings you the return of Maxi Priest guitarist JJ Sansaverino and his band and his “Waiting for You” holiday tour to benefit Branford’s Community Dining Room. Last year’s benefit greatly helped the CDR accomplish its holiday goal of collecting non-perishable food items to help feed area families. Doors open at 7 p.m. and show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door if the show is not sold out. All attendees are asked to bring a bag of non-perishable food items to the show that will be donated to Branford’s Community Dining Room. A limited number of tickets are available. Blue Plate Radio, Home Restaurant, 14 Garden St., Branford. 203483-5896. blueplateradio.com/tickets.
13 Saturday New Haven Chorale: Home for the Holidays Join the Chorale with orchestra and delightful soprano soloist Louise Fanteux for the Chorale’s annual holiday celebration, featuring Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s buoyant Te Deum, J.C. Bach’s exuberant Magnificat, festive a cappella favorites, moving spirituals for the season, and a sing-a-long of holiday favorites with orchestral accompaniment. 7:30 p.m. $20 general, $15 seniors, children, and students with ID. Free. New Haven Chorale, Trinity Lutheran Church, 292 Orange St., New Haven. 203-776-SONG. newhavenchorale.org. Jim Brickman: On A Winter’s Night Celebrating the sounds of the season, Jim Brickman will showcase new music, holiday favorites, and the hits that made him famous. 8 p.m. Prices vary by location. Shubert Theater, 247 College St., New Haven. 203-562-5666. shubert.com. Haven String Quartet Presents The Haven String Quartet is joined by Miki Sawada (piano), Tina Lee Hadari (viola), and Kemp Jernigan (oboe) to present the music of Beethoven, Britten, and Brahms. 7:30 p.m. Admission: $20, $10 students, seniors, and Unitarian Society of New Haven members. Tickets and series subscriptions available at musichavenct.org/concerts. Music Haven, Unitarian Society of New Haven, 700 Hartford Turnpike, Hamden. 203-745-9030. musichavenct. org. Pete Rushefsky and The Ternovka Ensemble This special Hanukkah concert and dance party takes us on a musical tour of the shtetls and cities of Eastern Europe that formed klezmer’s wellspring and trace its evolution to the New World. Rushefsky is recognized as a leading performer of the tsimbl, the traditional hammered dulcimer of klezmer music. Dance steps taught. Join the party. 8-10:30 p.m. General admission $15. Branford Folk Music Society, First Congregational Church of Branford, 1009 Main St., Branford. 203488-7715. folknotes.org/branfordfolk.
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14 Sunday Lessons and Carols Don’t miss this wonderful, annual holiday tradition on the Choate Rosemary Hall campus. The Festival of Lessons and Carols is based on the service of scripture and song held in King’s College Chapel, Cambridge. Readings from the Bible are interspersed with anthems sung by Choate choruses and the congregation in a spirit-filled celebration of the holiday season. Seymour St. John Chapel, 66 Curtis St. 5 p.m. Free. Choate Rosemary Hall, Paul Mellon Arts Center, 332 Christian St., Wallingford. 203-697-2398. choate.edu/boxoffice. Amahl and the Night Visitors: A Family Holiday Tradition Bring children to this hour-long charming holiday opera, presented by opera students from Western Connecticut State University, led by Margaret Astrup. A child sings the lead role of this catchy and dance-filled production. Free parking. Reception to follow. 7 p.m. Freewill offering. Bethesda Music Series, Bethesda Lutheran Church, 450 Whitney Ave., New Haven. 203-787-2346. bethesdanewhaven.org. Holiday Concert 2014 Join us for our annual December holiday concert as we perform various classical pieces directed by Christopher J. Hisey. 3-4:30 p.m. A contribution of $10 for students and seniors and $15 for individuals is suggested. Civic Orchestra of New Haven, Battell Chapel, Corner of Elm and College streets, New Haven. 203-287-9174. civicorchestraofnewhaven.org. Happy Holiday Harmonies Silk’n Sounds will be presenting its annual holiday performance from 2-4 p.m. Hear this award winning women’s a Capella chorus and enjoy refreshments and raffled Baskets. General admission $12, seniors and students $10, children 12 and younger admitted free. Contact Donna for tickets at 203-248-7348. Silk’n Sounds, Spring Glen Church, 1850 Whitney Ave., Hamden. 203-248-7348. silknsounds.org.
18 Thursday Classics Series: Handel’s Messiah – The Joy of the Season Celebrate the season with an uplifting performance of Handel’s masterpiece, Messiah, featuring the soaring voices of the Christ Church Choir. 7:30-9:30 p.m. $15-$74, students $10, KidTix free with adult. New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Woolsey Hall, 500 College St., at Grove St., New Haven. 203-865-0831. NewHavenSymphony.org.
19 Friday Music Haven Winter Performance Party Celebrate the accomplishments of our 75 promising young students. Performances by Music Haven students and their teachers, the Haven String Quartet and pianist Miki Sawada, are followed by a potluck feast. Come for the music, stay for the food and community spirit! Charles Garner Recital Hall, Southern Connecticut State University, Engleman C112. 6 p.m. Free. Southern Connecticut State University, 501 Crescent Street, New Haven. 203-745-9030. musichavenct.org.
20 Saturday Neighborhood Music School Holiday Play-in and Sing-Along Join us in celebrating the holiday season by participating in our play-in and sing-along. We’ll do simple sight-reading of familiar favorites from many different cultures. Musicians and singers welcome. Sheet music provided. Play-in directed and coordinated by Julia Blue Raspe and Grace Feldman. 10 a.m. Free. Neighborhood Music School, 100 Audubon St., New Haven. 203-624-5189. neighborhoodmusicschool.org.
Special Events Listen Here: “Love Is All Around” The Institute Library, New Haven Review, and New Haven Theater Company are pleased to announce the return of Listen Here, the short-story reading series in which actors from the New Haven Theater Company
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Christ Church Choir joins the New Haven Symphony Orchestra for a performance of Handel’s Messiah on December 18 at Woolsey Hall. Photo courtesy of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.
read short stories chosen by New Haven Review editors. On Wednesday, December 10, 7-8:30 p.m., in a program called “Love is All Around,” actors will read Steve Almond’s “The Soul Molecule” and Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory.” Join us for the reading, coffee, and snacks, capped off by a half-hour “talk back” at the end with the performers and editors. Free; donations accepted. If you enjoyed this fall’s three readings, join us in the spring for a monthly event, January-May, 2015. The Institute Library, 847 Chapel St., New Haven. 203-562-4045. institutelibrary.org. Celebration of American Crafts An annual exhibition and sale of fine, contemporary crafts sponsored by Creative Arts Workshop. The exhibition is held through December 24 in CAW’s handsome
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two-story Hilles Gallery. All proceeds from the Celebration of American Crafts directly support the artists and CAW’s community programming. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sundays, 1-5 p.m.; December 24, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Creative Arts Workshop, 80 Audubon St., New Haven. 203-562-4927. creativeartsworkshop.org. Artistry: American Crafts for the Holidays Handmade crafts by more than 250 American artists, including ceramics, glass, jewelry, fiber, ornaments, accessories, toys, and specialty foods. Works fill the Guilford Arts Center’s shop and gallery in a bountiful, festive display. New works are added regularly. Proceeds benefit exhibiting artists and GAC’s educational programs. Open
through January 4, 2015. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and Sunday, 12-5 p.m. Free. Guilford Art Center, 411 Church St., Guilford. 203453-5947. guilfordartcenter.org. Holidays at Luckey and Merrill Studio Owen Sea Luckey, textiles, Kristin Merrill, jewelry, Hannah Baldwin, painter, Jen Payne, writer. Every Saturday through December 20. Also open Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and by appointment 12-4 p.m. Free. 181 Main Street, Branford. 203589-6995. luckeyandmerrillstudio.com.
1 Monday Artwork by Lorene Sholl Longtime Madison resident and painter Lorene Sholl works primarily with acrylics, both on canvas and on paper.
Lorene has exhibited at many of the shoreline’s summer art shows. She has studied at the Guilford Art Center, Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven, and at the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts in Old Lyme. lasholl36@comcast.net. December 1-January 15, 2015. 2-4 p.m. Docent tour every Saturday, 2-4 p.m. Free. Evergreen Woods, 88 Notch Hill Road, North Branford. 203-4888000. EvergreenWoods.com.
4 Thursday Late Night Thursday at Yale Center for British Art Enjoy the Center’s galleries and Museum Shop tonight until 8 p.m. Free. Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. 203432-2800. britishart.yale.edu.
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Demetri Martin: The Persistence of Jokes Demetri Martin brings his new comedy show to the Shubert Theater. 8 p.m. $38. Shubert Theater, 247 College St., New Haven. 203-562-5666. shubert.com. Jewelry and Champagne Evening Annual celebration of handmade bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and more. One-of-a-kind pieces by more than 85 American jewelers, a highlight of the Guilford Art Center’s Artistry: American Craft for the Holidays. Visitors can sip champagne while shopping for a huge range of jewelry and accessories to suit every style. 5-8 p.m. Free. Guilford Art Center, 411 Church St., Guilford. 203-453-5947. guilfordartcenter.org.
6 Saturday Look Up! Book Signing and Holiday Open House Join Branford writer Jen Payne at Holiday Open House with Owen Sea Luckey and Kristin Merrill. 12-4 p.m. Giveaways, refreshments, book signing for Look Up! Musings on the Nature of Mindfulness. For details, call 203-483-5353, or visit lookupthebook.com. Free. 181 Main Street, Branford. 203-481-1100. luckeyandmerrillstudio.com. Holiday Craft Fair Sponsored by Silk’n Sounds at the Knights of Columbus Lodge located at 2630 Whitney Ave., in Hamden. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Join us for loads of shopping fun for that special holiday item. Enjoy our “White Elephant and Penny Raffle,” too. Contact Louise at 203-239-7104 or visit silknsounds.org
… all crafts are welcome. This event is a fun and inclusive occasion for makers of all media to come together and work side-by-side during the Celebration of American Crafts. Please bring your own supplies. 2-4 p.m. Free and open to the public. Creative Arts Workshop, 80 Audubon St., New Haven. 203-562-4927. creativeartsworkshop.org.
with one of our instructors, and enjoy evening shopping hours at Artistry: American Craft for the Holidays, the Guilford Art Center’s annual extravaganza of handmade American crafts. 5:30-8 p.m. Free. Guilford Art Center, 411 Church St., Guilford. 203-453-5947. guilfordartcenter.org.
erature. Reception and book-signing to follow. Presented in collaboration with the Yale Divinity Student Book Supply. 5:30 p.m. Free. Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Marquand Chapel, 409 Prospect St., New Haven. 203-432-5062. ism. yale.edu/event/ literature-spirituality-marilynne-robinson.
18 Thursday JCC Holiday Craft Fair Gifts, accessories, home décor, pottery, jewelry, and more from local artisans. Free and open to the public. JCC of Greater New Haven, 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge. 203387-2522. jewishnewhaven.org/events/ jcc-10th-annual-arts--crafts-fair.
11 Thursday Late Night Thursday at Yale Center for British Art Enjoy the Center’s galleries and Museum Shop until 8 pm. December 11 . Free. 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. 203-432-2800. britishart.yale.edu Patti LuPone: The Concert Event for the Shubert’s 100th Star of Broadway and two-time Tony Award-winner Patti LuPone performs a special concert on the 100th anniversary of the legendary Shubert Theater’s opening. LuPone’s performance, “Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda,” features songs from some of Broadway’s most memorable shows and, of course, songs from her Tony Award-winning performances in Evita and Gypsy. 7:30 p.m. Prices vary by seating location. Shubert Theater, 247 College St., New Haven. 203-562-5666. shubert.com.
7 Sunday
12-19 Friday-Friday
Crafternoon Grab your projects-in-progress and join us for a session of communal crafting. Knit, bead, stamp, stitch, bind, crochet, sew, carve, fold
Friday Nights at Artistry A creative, social gathering to celebrate the holidays; visitors can savor wine and snacks, make a simple holiday craft
Late Night Thursday Enjoy the Yale Center for British Art’s galleries and Museum Shop until 8 p.m. Free. Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. 203-432-2800. britishart.yale.edu.
Talks & Tours Yale Center for British Art The Center offers a series of daytime talks and tours focused on its collections and current exhibitions. Drop by the Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven, for more information, call 203-432-2800, or visit britishart.yale.edu.
1 Monday Liturgy Symposium with Paul Bradshaw “The Changing Face of Early Christian Worship ,” presented by Paul Bradshaw, visiting professor of liturgical studies. 4:30 p.m. Free. Yale Institute of Sacred Music, ISM Great Hall, 409 Prospect St., New Haven. 203-432-5062. ism.yale.edu/event/ liturgy-symposium-paul-bradshaw.
4 Thursday Literature and Spirituality with Marilynne Robinson “The Givenness of Things,” the Lana Schwebel Memorial Lecture in Religion and Lit-
Theater War World premiere production. About War (from the Yale Repertory Theatre): “Tensions escalate between Tate and Joanne at their mother’s hospital bedside. As they attack each other’s smallest words and biggest choices, they are ambushed by two strangers who make a shocking claim about their grandfather’s WWII tour of duty.” Play by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz. November 21-December 13. Yale Repertory Theatre, 1120 Chapel St., New Haven. 203-432-1234. yalerep.org/on_stage/2014-15/war.html. Dylan Thomas: Return Journey The acclaimed Welsh actor Bob Kingdom portrays the poet Dylan Thomas in this spell-binding theatrical piece, originally directed by Sir Anthony Hopkins. Combining theater and poetry, Kingdom explores Thomas’s life and work. Please note that seating is limited. December 4. 6 p.m. Free. Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. 203432-2800. britishart.yale.edu. Yale’s Improv Group Founded in 1985, this improv group draws its name from Crockett Johnson’s children’s book Harold and the Purple Crayon, which tells of a young boy who uses a purple crayon to spontaneously bring his imagination
HOLIDAY BRASS AT BEINECKE Monday, Dec 15, 5:15 pm
... may 2015 bring a year of
Brass returns to the Beinecke for its annual “Sounds of the Season” concert. This popular concert promises to be a holiday celebration for the whole family!
kindness and wisdom...
Free and open to the public. Limited seating.
Judy Sirota Rosenthal
Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library 121 Wall Street, New Haven, Connecticut beinecke.library.yale.edu
~ info@sirotarosenthal.com ~ www.sirotarosenthal.com ~ 203-281-5854 16 • newhavenarts.org
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friendly musical about Santa’s magical station. December 12-28. All seats $18 online, or $20 at the door. Milford Arts Council, 40 Railroad Ave., South, Milford. 203-937-6206. pantochino.com. Winterfest: Awake and Sing by Clifford Odets Set in the Bronx, New York City in 1933, this play is about the impoverished Berger family and their conflicts as the parents scheme to manipulate their children’s relationships to their own ends, while their children strive for their own dreams. December 18 and December 19. Snow date: December 21. 7 p.m. Tickets: $12. The Little Theatre, 1 Lincoln St., New Haven. 203-777-5451. aces.org/eca. Winterfest: Scenes from the Federal Theatre Project Part of a New Deal project to fund theatre and other live artistic performances in the United States during the Great Depression. December 20. Snow date: December 21. 7 p.m. Tickets: $8. The Little Theatre, 1 Lincoln St., New Haven. 203777-5451. aces.org/eca. Grayson DeJesus, left, and Robbie Tann star as Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein, respectively, in Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile, on stage at Long Wharf Theatre through December 21. Photos courtesy of Long Wharf Theatre.
to life. Interaction with the audience is a crucial part of every Crayon show. December 5. 7:30 p.m. Adults $20, senior citizens 65 and older and non-Choate students $15. Choate Rosemary Hall, 332 Christian St., Wallingford. 203-697-2398. www.choate.edu/boxoffice Winterfest: The Living Newspaper A look at the Michael Brown tragedy in Ferguson, Missouri. December 11. Snow date: December 12. 7 p.m.
Tickets: $8. The Little Theatre, 1 Lincoln St., New Haven. 203-777-5451. aces.org/eca. Christmas at Santa Claus Station, the Musical All aboard for the happiest holiday musical in town, starring Santa Claus himself. The merriest musical of the season takes place right here at Santa Claus Station where all roads lead to Christmas. Milford’s Center for the Arts, a former train depot, is the perfect setting for this original family
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas The stage adaptation of the beloved classic film is full of dancing, romance, laughter, and memorable hits such as “Happy Holiday,” “Sisters,” “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep,” and the unforgettable title song. This holiday musical promises a merry and bright theatrical experience for the whole family. December 30 at 7:30 p.m. and December 31 at 8 p.m. Prices vary by seating location. Shubert Theater, 247 College St., New Haven. 203-562-5666. shubert.com.
Arts Paper ad and calendar deadlines The deadline for advertisements and calendar listings for the January-February 2015 issue of The Arts Paper is Monday, November 24, at 5 p.m. Future deadlines are as follows: March 2015: Monday, January 26, at 5 p.m. April 2015: Monday, February 23, at 5 p.m. May 2015: Monday, March 30, at 5 p.m. June 2015: Monday, April 27, at 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 info@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.
BULLETIN BOARD
The Arts Council provides the job and bulletin board listings as a service to our membership and is not responsible for the content or deadlines.
Call For Artists in All Disciplines Applications are available for the Shoreline Arts Alliance’s scholarship in the arts for high school juniors and seniors. Visit shorelinearts.org or call 203-453-3890. $1,000 cash prizes awarded in creative writing, dance, instrumental music, vocal music, theater, and visual arts. Applicants must reside in one of the 24 towns served by the Shoreline Arts Alliance. Application postmark deadline: December 19. Auditions/portfolio reviews in late January and early February. Authors and Illustrators New Voices in Children’s Literature: Tassy Walden Awards. This statewide competition is open to unpublished Connecticut children’s book writers and illustrators. Postmark submission deadline: February 2, 2015. Submission guidelines and entry form available at: shorelinearts.org or by calling 203-453-3890. Craft Artists Guilford Art Center is seeking contemporary craft artists to participate in Craft Expo 2015, one of the oldest and finest outdoor craft shows in the Northeast. The juried show, to be held on July 17-19, 2015, is open to crafts made by hand or with the use of appropriate tools, by an individual and/or with help from a limited number of assistants/apprentices. Works must be handmade in the United States or Canada, be of high quality and well-designed, and convey artistic originality and vision. Event benefits Guilford Art Center’s educational programs. Visit zapplication.org. Entry deadline is January 11, 2015. $40 entry fee; $60 late fee. Also visit guilfordartcenter.org. Photographers A program of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, the Photo Arts Collective aims to cultivate and support a community who share an interest in photography through workshops, lectures, exhibitions, portfolio reviews, group critiques, and special events. The Photo Arts Collective
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meets the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at Kehler Liddell Gallery, 873 Whalley Ave., New Haven. Singers The award-winning Silk’n Sounds Chorus is looking for new members from the Greater New Haven area. We invite women to join us at any of our rehearsals to learn more. We enjoy four part a cappella harmony, lively performances, and wonderful friendships. Rehearsals are held on Tuesdays, 6:30-9 p.m., at the Spring Glen United Church of Christ, 1825 Whitney Ave., in Hamden. Contact Lynn at 203-623-01276 for more information or visit silknsounds.org. Visual Artists Kehler Liddell Gallery in New Haven is seeking applications for new visual arts members. For more information please visit kehlerliddell.com/membership. 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 Grey Freeman greyf@artspacenh.org.
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 203387-4933, visit azothgallery.com, or send email to azothgallery@comcast.net.
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. 203-776-6310. 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 203-888-4937 or email pchambers9077@sbcglobal.net. Professional Art Installation For residential and commercial work. More than 16 years’ experience in museums, galleries, hospitals, and homes in New York City, Providence, New Haven, Chester, and elsewhere. Rate is $30 an hour, no job too small or large. Call Mark at 203-772-4270 or send email to livepaint@aol.com. More information and examples at ctartinstall.com. 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 203387-4933, visit azothgallery.com, or send email to azothgallery@comcast.net.
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 609638-8501 or visit westcovestudio.com. 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. 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.
Jobs Please visit newhavenarts.org for up-to-date local employment opportunities in the arts.
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The Arts Paper december 2014
Founder Bidding Farewell to Music Haven tina and netta hadari stepping down david brensilver photos by kathleen cei
T
he May 2010 issue of The Arts Paper included an article about Music Haven that read, in part: “(Tina Lee) Hadari, who founded Music Haven in 2006, earned her bachelor of music degree from New England Conservatory, her master of music degree from the Yale School of Music, and her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado. Along the way, she spent three years working with Opus 118 Harlem School of Music – the subject of the 1995 documentary Small Wonders and the inspiration for the 1999 movie Music of the Heart starring Meryl Streep – an organization that provides musical instruction to Harlem students. ‘That really shaped kind of how I … viewed perhaps what I was going to do with my future and kind of the intersection of music and service,’ Hadari said.” Having announced that she and her husband, Netta Hadari, the organization’s development director, who studied violin at Southern Methodist University and at the Yale School of Music, will leave Music Haven on June 30, 2015, Tina said in October, “We just felt like it’s time for the next chapter of our lives.” For the balance of a decade, under her leadership, Music Haven has provided free instrumental lessons to residents of the city’s four Empowerment Zones and students who attend schools in those neighborhoods. That won’t change, but the faces of the organization will. “The organization is in a great place,” Tina said, praising her colleagues and the organization’s board — the strongest one she’s experienced. In making their decision to step down, she and Netta wanted to make sure the organization was on solid ground. She got to observe Music Haven operate without her in September and early October, when she was on maternity leave. The couple has two daughters, Talya, 4, and Emma, who was 6 weeks old at press time. Tina and Netta started planning their departure from the organization in May and June, at the end of the last fiscal year. Leaving what they’ve created over nearly 10 years is “very difficult,” Tina said, particularly because of the relationships they’ve built with young people and their families. “Community development happens one relationship at a time,” she said. Still, the relationships Tina’s most looking forward to developing at this point are with her daughters. And maintaining a balance between work and family life has been difficult. She stepped down at the end of 2013 from her position as a violinist with the Haven String Quartet — the musicians who, along with pianist Miki Sawada, make up Music Haven’s faculty — to more fully fulfill role as executive director. The current makeup of the quartet is violinists Yaira Matyakubova and Gregory Tompkins, violist Colin Benn, and cellist Philip Boulanger.
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Tina Hadari
What’s next for Tina and Netta? “An adventure,” she said, laughing. “We’re both really committed to working to make some impact in whatever community we end up in,” Netta said. He’s pursuing an MBA at the University of Connecticut and hopes to finish the degree program this summer. A search committee of five board members and a consultant has been organized and a national search is underway to find the best candidates to succeed Tina and Netta as executive director and development director, respectively. The plan, Netta said, is to hire new people in time for there to be some overlap, before he and Tina leave at the end of June. “We’ll miss the students and their families and our colleagues,” Netta said, encouraging people to continue supporting Music Haven. n Visit musichavenct.org to learn more about the organization.
Netta Hadari
“The organization is in a great place.” – Tina Lee Hadari “We’re both really committed to working to make some impact in whatever community we end up in.” – Netta Hadari december 2014 •
The Arts Paper member organizations & partners
Arts & Cultural Organizations ACES Educational Center for the Arts aces.k12.ct.us 203-777-5451 Adele Myers and Dancers adelemyersanddancers.com Alyla Suzuki Early Childhood Music Education alylasuzuki.com 203-239-6026 American Guild of Organists sacredmusicct.org The Amistad Committee ctfreedomtrail.org Another Octave CT Women’s Chorus anotheroctave.org ARTFARM art-farm.org Arts Center Killingworth artscenterkillingworth.org 860-663-5593 Artspace artspacenh.org 203-772-2709 Artsplace: Cheshire Performing & Fine Art cpfa-artsplace.org 203-272-2787 Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library library.yale.edu/beinecke Bethesda Music Series bethesdanewhaven.org 203-787-2346 Blackfriars Repertory Theatre blackfriarsrep.com Branford Art Studio branfordartstudio.com 203-488-2787 Branford Folk Music Society folknotes.org/branfordfolk
Center for Independent Study cistudy.homestead.com 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 Civic Orchestra of New Haven conh.org Classical Contemporary Ballet Theatre ccbtballettheatre.org Connecticut Dance Alliance ctdanceall.com Connecticut Gay Men’s Chorus ctgmc.org 800-644-cgmc Connecticut Guild of Puppetry ctpuppetry.org Connecticut Natural Science Illustrators ctnsi.com 203-934-0878 Creative Arts Workshop creativeartsworkshop.org 203-562-4927
Fellowship Place fellowshipplace.org Firehouse 12 firehouse12.com 203-785-0468 Fred Giampietro Gallery giampietrogallery.com 203-777-7760 Greater New Haven Community Chorus gnhcc.org 203-624-1979 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 203-287-2546 Hillhouse Opera Company hillhouseoperacompany.org 203-464-2683 Hopkins School hopkins.edu Hugo Kauder Society hugokauder.org
Creative Concerts 203-795-3365
The Institute Library institutelibrary.org
CT Folk ctfolk.com
International Festival of Arts & Ideas artidea.org
DaSilva Gallery gabrieldasilvagallery.com 203-387-2539 Elm City Dance Collective elmcitydance.org
International Silat Federation of America & Indonesia isfnewhaven.org John Slade Ely House elyhouse.org
Long Wharf Theatre longwharf.org 203-787-4282
New Haven Chorale newhavenchorale.org 203-776-7664
Susan Powell Fine Art susanpowellfineart.com 203-318-0616
Lyman Center at SCSU www.lyman.southernct.edu
New Haven Free Public Library nhfpl.org 203-946-8835
Theatre 4 t4ct.com 203-654-7711
New Haven Oratorio Choir nhoratoriochoir.org
Trinity Players/ Something Players 203-288-6748
Madison Art Society madisonartsociety.blogspot.com 860-399-6116 Madison Lyric Stage madisonlyricstage.org Make Haven makehaven.org Mamas Markets mamasmarketsllc.com Marrakech, Inc./Association of Artisans to Cane marrakechinc.org Meet the Artists and Artisans meettheartistsandartisans.com 203-874-5672 Milford Fine Arts Council milfordarts.org 203-878-6647 Music Haven musichavenct.org 203-215-4574 Music Mountain musicmountain.com 860-824-7126 Music with Mary accordions.com/mary Musical Folk musicalfolk.com Neighborhood Music School neighborhoodmusicschool.org 203-624-5189 New England Festival of Ibero American Cinema nefiac.com
Elm Shakespeare Company elmshakespeare.org 203-874-0801
Kehler Liddell Gallery kehlerliddell.com
New Haven Ballet newhavenballet.org 203-782-9038
Encore Music Creations encoremusiccreations.com
Knights of Columbus Museum kofcmuseum.org
New Haven Chamber Orchestra newhavenchamberorchestra.org
• december 2014
New Haven Museum newhavenmuseum.org 203-562-4183 New Haven Paint and Clay Club newhavenpaintandclayclub.org 203-288-6590 New Haven Preservation Trust nhpt.org New Haven Symphony Orchestra newhavensymphony.org 203-865-0831 New Haven Theater Company newhaventheatercompany.com Pantochino Productions pantochino.com Paul Mellon Arts Center choate.edu/artscenter Play with Grace playwithgrace.com Reynolds Fine Art reynoldsfineart.com Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, New Haven Branch nhrscds.org Shoreline Arts Alliance shorelinearts.org 203-453-3890 Shubert Theater shubert.com 203-562-5666 Silk n’ Sounds silknsounds.org Silk Road Art Gallery silkroadartnewhaven.com Site Projects siteprojects.org
Creative Businesses Best Video 203-287-9286 bestvideo.com Blue Plate Radio 203-500-0700 blueplateradio.com Fairhaven Furniture fairhaven-furniture.com 203-776-3099
University Glee Club of New Haven universitygleeclub.org
Foundry Music Company www.foundrymusicco.com
Wesleyan University Center for the Arts wesleyan.edu/cfa
The Funky Monkey Café & Gallery thefunkymonkeycafe.com
West Cove Studio & Gallery westcovestudio.com 609-638-8501 Whitney Arts Center 203-773-3033
Hull’s Art Supply and Framing hullsnewhaven.com 203-865-4855 The Owl Shop owlshopcigars.com
Whitney Humanities Center yale.edu/whc Yale Cabaret yalecabaret.org 203-432-1566
Toad’s Place toadsplace.com
Community Partners
Yale Center for British Art yale.edu/ycba
Department of Arts Culture & Tourism, City of New Haven cityofnewhaven.com 203-946-8378
Yale Glee Club yale.edu/ygc Yale Institute of Sacred Music yale.edu.ism 203-432-5180
DECD/CT Office of the Arts cultureandtourism.org 860-256-2800 Fractured Atlas fracturedatlas.org
Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History peabody.yale.edu
JCC of Greater New Haven jccnh.org
Yale Repertory Theatre yalerep.org 203-432-1234
Overseas Ministries Study Center omsc.org
Yale School of Music music.yale.edu 203-432-1965
Town Green Special Services District infonewhaven.com
Yale University Bands yale.edu/yaleband 203-432-4111
Visit New Haven visitnewhaven.com
Young Audiences of Connecticut yaconn.org
Westville Village Renaissance Alliance westvillect.org
newhavenarts.org • 19
The Arts Paper arts council programs
Perspectives … The Gallery at Whitney Center Location: 200 Leeder Hill Drive, South Entrance, Hamden Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4-7 p.m. & Saturdays, 1-4 p.m.
On The Spiritual in Art Curated by Debbie Hesse Dates: Through February 15 Public reception: Saturday, January 17, 3-5 p.m. Arts Awards. Photo by Judy Sirota Rosenthal.
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.
More Than a Face Curated by Marissa Rozanski Dates: Through January 2
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 e-mail to photoartscollective@gmail.com.
ON AIR
Photo Arts Collective. Beverly Peterson Stearns.
Listen to the Arts Council’s Arts ON AIR broadcast every third Monday of the month during WPKN’s community programing 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.
The Writers’ Circle Connect with writing professionals in the Greater New Haven area. For more information visit us online at newhavenarts.org. Date: December 18 Location: The Arts Council of Greater New Haven, 70 Audubon St., New Haven
Make.Art.Work. Business skills for visual artists. Register now for our 2015 program. Learn more at makeartwork.com.
2014 Arts Awards Date: Friday, December 5, 11:45 a.m. Location: New Haven Lawn Club, 193 Whitney Ave., New Haven See pages 6&7 for award winners.
ArtSpot! Arts and Culture Happy Hour Visit newhavenarts.org for dates and updates.
Sumner McKnight Crosby Jr. Gallery. Irene Miller (detail).
Perspectives ... The Gallery at Whitney Center. Jessica Cuni.
For more information about these events and more visit newhavenarts.org or check out our mobile events calendar using the ANDI app for smartphones.