Blogs

Join Artspace New Haven for the opening of our fall exhibitions and continued free and public programming throughout the semester. These exhibitions continue our yearly 2022–2023 theme exploring complex systems exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, these exhibitions address the varying scales and arenas in which extractive capitalism operates.

In her solo exhibition Revelations, artist Ilana Harris-Babou presents recent video installations, collages, and ceramics navigating contradictory desires bound within our all-consuming image culture. Using the aesthetics of advertising and social media DIY influencing within wellness culture, Harris-Babou stages darkly humorous and subversive revelations about material quick-fixes for structural inequities. Rather than offering a critique of biblical proportions, the works disclose Black self-determinations.

Artistic duo Alejandra Salinas and Aeron Bergman (Bergman & Salinas), present a new series of conceptual works including sculptures, wall-mounted mixed-media, photography, painting on canvas, sound, and text works in their solo exhibition Against the Common Good/ Contra el Bien General. This body of work critiques how systems of capitalism corral the commons, against the general good for humans and non-humans alike. The title is borrowed from a print from The Disasters of War series (produced between 1810–1820) by painter and printmaker Francisco Goya (1746–1828).

The exhibitions open on Saturday, September 17th, 6:00–8:00 PM, preceded by a poetry reading from Joan Naviyuk Kane at 5:00 PM, "Saġuiŋaruq: It Is Sinuous." Both exhibitions are accompanied by free public programming series available on our calendar (subscribe to add all to your calendar), in addition to publications. For Bergman & Salinas, the publication Contra el Bien General constitutes a work in the exhibition, and the exhibition catalog for Ilana Harris-Babou's exhibition will be available in December, featuring new scholarship from Re'al Christian, Laurel V. McLaughlin, Yasmina Price, and Wendy Vogel.

If you'd like to schedule a tour of the exhibitions, please reach out and let me know. I'm offering tours in English on Wednesdays/ Thursdays, from 12–6 PM. Our Gallery Assistant, Andry Peña del Jesus, is offering tours in Spanish on Thursdays, 12–4 and Fridays 3–6 PM.

Join us!

All best,

Laurel McLaughlin

SomethingProjects has launched its first project, a statewide Connecticut artist treasure hunt called THE EXCHANGE, on view daily, August 15 - November 1, 2022 (rain or sun). It includes GPS-tracking, QR codes, and adventuring to 15 unique public art installations. The designated sites can be accessed through a map with GPS coordinates or by following clues and video prompts created by each of the artists. Visit www.SomethingProjects.net to learn more about THE EXCHANGE and the participating artists, then…

Get ready for an adventure! Plan your outing to visit the many exciting projects in which the public is invited to engage in fun and meaningful ways in the towns of: Beacon Falls, Branford, Bridgeport, Darien, Easton, Fairfield, Hamden, Hartford, Meriden, New Haven, North Haven, Washington Depot, and Waterbury. Learn about these artists selected from your community by participating in the act of discovering what they have created to exchange with you.

THE EXCHANGE ARTISTS

Jeff Becker, Easton

Meg Bloom, New Haven

David Borawski, Hartford

Susan Breen, Bridgeport

Finoula Breen-Ryan

Joy Bush, Hamden

Susan Clinard, New Haven

Jennifer Davies, Branford

Sierra Dennehy, New Haven

Ellen Hackl Fagan, Darien

Crystal Heiden, Milford

Allison Hornak, New Haven

Fritz Horstman, Bethany

THE EXCHANGE ARTISTS

Jeff Becker, Easton

Meg Bloom, New Haven

David Borawski, Hartford

Susan Breen, Bridgeport

Finoula Breen-Ryan

Joy Bush, Hamden

Susan Clinard, New Haven

Jennifer Davies, Branford

Sierra Dennehy, New Haven

Ellen Hackl Fagan, Darien

Crystal Heiden, Milford

Allison Hornak, New Haven

Fritz Horstman, Bethany

Joe Bun Keo,Vernon/Rockville

Judith Kruger, New Haven

Susan McCaslin, New Haven

Adam Niklewicz, North Haven

Jen Payne, Branford

Roxy Savage, Fairfield

Max Schmidt, Meriden

Rosanne Shea, Waterbury

Kim Van Aelst, Hamden

Jo Yarrington, Fairfield

Judith Kruger, New Haven

Susan McCaslin, New Haven

Adam Niklewicz, North Haven

Jen Payne, Branford

Roxy Savage, Fairfield

Max Schmidt, Meriden

Rosanne Shea, Waterbury

Kim Van Aelst, Hamden

Jo Yarrington, Fairfield

ABOUT SOMETHINGPROJECTS

In 2022, longtime friends and artists, Howard el-Yasin and Suzan Shutan decided to partner and launched SomethingProjects: a nomadic and provisional space providing short-term exhibitions that dually highlight artists as well as introducing communities to new viewpoints and practices by state, regional, national, and international artists. As an incubator for ideas, it encourages artists to step outside their boundaries and experiment with the intersection of materials, production, presentation, and means of engagement with audience and space. Their locations will change and offer site-specific opportunities.

THE EXCHANGE is generously supported by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Connecticut Office of the Arts, which also receives support from the federal ARPA.

For more information about SomethingProjects and THE EXCHANGE, visit www.SomethingProjects.net.

Visit the Careers page on the GreenWave website for a full job description (including responsibilities and required knowledge, skills, and abilities) and application instructions: https://www.greenwave.org/careers

Synopsis: 

The Office Coordinator will support day-to-day operations of the organization and manage the office at GreenWave’s Headquarters (HQ) in New Haven, CT, where our seaweed hatchery and ocean farm operations are housed. Reporting to the Co-Executive Directors, the Office Coordinator will be responsible for providing administrative support for all activities that occur at HQ and some activity led by staff working remotely around the country. This position requires the ability to work successfully within a team environment, build effective working relationships, maintain a comprehensive awareness of the organization, and become the “go-to” person for support activities. This position is based in New Haven, CT and is full-time in-person.

Compensation package includes:

Annual salary $55,000-65,000 ● Health and retirement benefits ● Generous paid vacation and holiday leave

People of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and LGBTQ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. GreenWave is committed to a diverse workplace, and to supporting our staff with ongoing career development opportunities. GreenWave is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its employment decisions. GreenWave provides reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees as required by law.

“Where are the Native Americans now?” asked fifth grade students in an Iowa City classroom last year. There are many ways their teacher, Melanie Hester, might have answered. She could have pointed out that today Native Americans live in cities and towns across the U.S. About 20 percent live on reservations, and Hester could have used that to open a discussion of the U.S. government’s forcible movement and isolation of tribes. Hester might have also discussed how European and American settlers brutally killed many Native Americans in the 18th and 19th centuries...

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/in-schools-honest-talk-about-racism-can-reduce-discrimination/

Community Impact, Program Assistant

 We Love What Makes You Unique

Your perspective fuels our mission-driven work at United Way of Greater New Haven. We are committed to building a team that is inclusive across race, gender, age, religion, identity, and lived experience. As an organization, we are committed to addressing systemic racism and injustice in our community, our partnerships, and our practices. 

Who We Are Looking For

Do you enjoy organizing information and facilitating effective communications between community organizations? Are you the type of person who takes pride in getting the details right and is excited to support programs that help families thrive in greater New Haven? Are you enthusiastic about using your organizational talents as a force for good in our community?

United Way is seeking a full-time Program Assistant who is passionate and organized to support two programs that help families in greater New Haven improve their lives: Early Head Start, which serves families with infants and toddlers, and the Coordinated Access Network, which helps people who are at-risk of, or experiencing, homelessness.

This is an hourly position.  The pay range is $16 - $18/hour and includes benefits.

What You Will Do

• Prepare and execute contracts
• Review and submit housing applications
• Review and submit invoices for processing
• Organize and maintain file system, and file correspondence and other records
• Prepare materials for presentations and events
• Coordinate and schedule meetings and events
• Answer emails and correspondence
• Develop meeting agendas and take meeting minutes
• Develop memos, reports and other regular correspondences as requested
• Create and distribute surveys
• Participate in trainings and committee work as applicable
• Participate in program strategic planning and self-assessment processes
• Develop relationships with community partners
• Assist in special projects as requested
• Maintain a high sense of confidentiality, initiative, and good judgment
• Other duties as assigned

 What You Need

• Minimum experience of 2 years working in an administrative capacity
• Ability to work as part of a team as well as independently
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
• Training and experience using Microsoft Office 365 products
• Ability to travel to Partner sites in the Greater New Haven area

In accordance with organizational policies, this position requires a criminal background check as a condition of employment.  In accordance with Head Start Program Performance Standards, this position also requires a medical physical and proof of Covid-19 vaccination as a condition of employment. 

About United Way

United Way of Greater New Haven brings people and organizations together to create solutions to Greater New Haven’s most pressing challenges in the areas of Education, Health, and Financial Stability grounded in racial and social justice. We tackle issues that cannot be solved by any one group working alone. We operate according to these organizational values.

United Way staff are currently working hybrid, with at least two days per week in our office in New Haven.

United Way is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

So you think it’s hot out there now? Consider the summer of 2053. That’s what researchers at First Street Foundation, a New York nonprofit that studies climate risk, have done in a report published today.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-15/us-south-midwest-will-reach-temps-of-125-f-by-2050s

Art competitions formed part of the modern Olympic Games during its early years, from 1912 to 1948. The competitions were part of the original intention of the Olympic Movement's founder, Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin. Medals were awarded for works of art inspired by sport, divided into five categories: architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_competitions_at_the_Summer_Olympics#%3A%7E%3Atext%3DThe_competitions_were_part_of%2Cmusic%2C_painting%2C_and_sculpture.?wprov=sfla1

Connecticut is not on track to meet the greenhouse gas emission goals set by the legislature — and transportation emissions are the main culprit.

The state’s annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory released Monday, which looks at data through 2018, shows transportation emissions are higher than they were in 1990, despite greater fuel efficiency in motor vehicles...

https://ctmirror.org/2021/09/07/ct-greenhouse-gas-emissions-rise-transportation-climate-initiative/

Climate change is widely acknowledged as the existential crisis of our time, a “code red for humanity,” in the words of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. With the Senate’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act on Sunday — in the middle of a summer that has brought record heat and innumerable weather-related disasters — it looks like the federal government will finally take some long overdue action on climate change...

https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/3594406-can-philanthropy-rise-to-the-challenge-of-combating-climate-change/

How are the deep racial disparities in reproductive health care being addressed in light of Roe v. Wade’s overturning?

Connecticut nurse-midwife, nurse educator and historian Dr. Lucinda Canty recently launched Lucinda's House, to help local women of color...

https://www.ctpublic.org/show/where-we-live/2022-08-09/addressing-dire-racial-disparities-in-reproductive-health-care-is-critical-post-roe-say-advocates

Connecticut’s Office of Workforce Strategy will receive $24 million in federal funding to expand job training programs that have struggled to meet demand amid a shortage of skilled workers in the state...

https://ctmirror.org/2022/08/03/ct-workforce-office-wins-24-million-american-rescue-plan-grant/

The New Haven based Perrin Family Foundation is seeking dynamic and experienced individuals to join their team as Manager of Operations and Manager of Strategy and Learning. 

Learn more about the positions and how to apply here:

https://www.perrinfamilyfoundation.org/join-our-team/

Priority consideration will be given to applications received by August 22, 2022. Please share with your networks! 

A Photography Exhibit and Book Signing with Karen Klugman

The 70 photographs by Karen Klugman on display at New Haven’s City Gallery capture the funky Old Country atmosphere of Upper State Street in 1978 when most of the businesses were antique stores and self-described junk shops. Among the peeling paint, cracked walls, and piles of merchandise, the shop keepers would often hang out on chairs on the sidewalk and were always game for a friendly chat. For the exhibit UPPER STATE STREET 1978: AT THE HEIGHT OF ITS DECLINE, Klugman has recreated a bit of this flea market vibe by presenting differently-sized clusters of images, verbatim quotes by people in the photos, a map matching photographs to locations, and a scavenger hunt for kids. Like the antique stores of old, the show offers hidden delights for everyone. It will be on display from August 5 - August 21, with an Opening Reception & Book Signing on Friday, August 5 from 4pm – 7pm.

In the long and illustrious history of State Street, the late 1970s would have the distinction of being the height of its decline. Only six years after Klugman documented the neighborhood,  the people and places that she photographed would all be gone. The antique shops were replaced by a mix of vibrant businesses, and the new neighborhood was honored by the National Registry of Historic Places.

At the gallery, visitors can purchase Upper State Street, New Haven: At the Height of Its Decline, a book containing the photographs, quotes from shop owners in 1978, and Klugman’s essay about the enduring charm of State Street throughout its history. The photographs of Upper State Street are in the collection of the New Haven Museum and the book is in the collection at the Whitney Library.

The State Street project, Karen Klugman’s initial foray into street photography, evolved into a passion for learning about places by hanging out with people, listening, and taking pictures. Her subsequent street photography was supported by two Connecticut Artist Grants and is represented in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, Wesleyan University, and the Dansforth Museum. Klugman taught photography at Creative Arts Workshop, the Wesleyan Liberal Studies Program, Choate School and was Chair of the Art Department at Hopkins School. She photographed for and co-authored two cultural studies books: Inside the Mouse: Work and Play in Disney World and Strip Cultures: America in Las Vegas and produced the exposé of children’s toys, “A Bad Hair Day for G.I. Joe.” Klugman lives in the woods in Guilford and, taking a break from street photography during the pandemic, now hosts a nature blog.

UPPER STATE STREET 1978: AT THE HEIGHT OF ITS DECLINE is free and open to the public, and runs August 5 - August 21, with an Opening Reception & Book Signing on Friday, August 5 from 4pm – 7pm. Copies of Upper State Street, New Haven: At the Height of Its Decline (8.5 x 11 hardcover, 76 pages, black and white photos) may be purchased at the gallery during the exhibit for $40 ($60 afterwards). City Gallery is located at 994 State Street, New Haven, CT 06511. Gallery hours are Friday - Sunday, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m., or by appointment. City Gallery follows New Haven City’s mask mandate policy. For further information please contact City Gallery, info@city-gallery.org,www.city-gallery.org.

2022 responsive grant awards reach highest total ever distributed by The Foundation.

Organizations working to advance racial equity and provide vital services in the community as it recovers from COVID – including affordable housing, entrepreneurship, food, basic needs, arts and youth programs – receive funding.    

New Haven, CT (Aug.1, 2022) – In the second year of an unprecedented spending increase to advance racial equity and address the impacts of COVID-19, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven has awarded $3,097,307 in one-year and multi-year grants to 63 Greater New Haven nonprofit organizations. The Foundation made the awards through its responsive grants process, its largest annual competitive grant program.

In addition to the 63 new grants being recommended for 2022, The Foundation is distributing $2,083,500 in grants to 73 organizations that were awarded multi-year grants in 2021 and 2020. The total distribution represents the largest amount of funding The Foundation has ever made through the responsive process in a single year and the highest number of organizations funded in a single year. 

The funding level was made possible by a historic increase in spending from The Foundation’s endowment under  Stepping Forward, a $26 Million commitment The Foundation launched in early 2021 to advance racial equity and address the impact of COVID-19.

The Community Foundation’s grant funding and strategic program decisions are informed by listening sessions and roundtable discussions with community stakeholders, nonprofit reports, nonprofit sector analysis, and community data reports. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a lasting impact in many areas of the community, including rising demands for basic needs, affordable housing and mental health services. Across nonprofit sectors, advancing racial equity has become a central priority for Greater New Haven.

“The 63 organizations that are receiving funding in this docket are at the forefront of our community’s efforts to build equity and opportunity for everyone,” said The Community Foundation President and CEO Will Ginsberg. "The Foundation is committed to supporting their work now, during this time of transformation, and for the long term."

The significant investment in multi-year grants in 2021 and 2022 has been critical in helping provide stability to nonprofits operating under the burden of the pandemic.

In addition to increasing grant resources with Stepping Forward, The Foundation modified its application process to increase accessibility by streamlining application forms and eliminating traditional prerequisites. As a result, 20 percent of the grant awards went to organizations that were applying for the first time.

Among the first-time recipients, The Black Business Alliance (BBA) received $70,000 over two years to help Black-owned businesses access capital and other resources to seed and grow their businesses. Other grantees working to advance equity in new business creation include the Collab, Gather New Haven, MakeHaven and the Dixwell Community House (Q House). The Q House was reborn in New Haven’s historically Black Dixwell neighborhood, and is providing activities, classes and programming in its recreational and kitchen facilities for arts, culture, fitness, business, education, innovation and entrepreneurial ventures.

The three largest grants were made to Beulah Land Development Corporation ($135K), Boys & Girls Club of New Haven ($120K) and Fellowship Place ($110K); these organizations address some of the most pressing needs in the community including mental health, basic needs, affordable housing, and childcare; and all three primarily serve Black and Brown populations.

Among other grantees working to advance equity are: New Haven Ballet, which recently hired a dancer from the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater to direct its children’s program; Educators for Excellence, which is working to ensure that diverse perspectives from educators are involved in educational policy; and the educational program, Discovering Amistad.

About half of the grant recipients are working to address COVID relief and recovery, including organizations such as New Reach, Operation Fuel and Gaylord Specialty Healthcare.

The Community Foundation’s responsive grants process represents one piece of The Foundation’s overall grantmaking each year. In addition to the new responsive grantmaking and multiyear commitments, throughout the year The Foundation has been awarding small grants of up to $15,000 on a rolling basis for general operating, program or capacity/capital support.

In 2022, The Foundation expects to spend approximately $32.2M in total grantmaking and program and leadership activities, including non-competitive grants from designated, donor advised and organization funds, as well as competitive grants under other processes.

2022 Responsive Grant Awards

About The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven in Connecticut is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the U.S. and was established in 1928 as the permanent charitable endowment for New Haven and its surrounding communities of: Ansonia, Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, Derby, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, Wallingford, West Haven, and Woodbridge. In 2020, The Foundation began implementing a 5-year strategic plan and enacted new mission and vision statements toward expanding opportunity and equity in Greater New Haven. In 2021, it launched Stepping Forward, a $26 million commitment to addressing the impact of COVID-19 and advancing racial equity. The Foundation’s mission is to inspire, support, inform, listen to and collaborate with the people and organizations of Greater New Haven to build an ever more connected, inclusive, equitable and philanthropic community.

For more than three generations, generous local donors have built The Community Foundation’s endowment by establishing permanent funds or making gifts to existing funds that distribute grants to a broad variety of issues and organizations. These donors, past and present, make their gifts to ensure that programs and causes that matter most to them will be supported today and forever. As of December 31, 2021, The Foundation’s assets were valued at more than $871 million after distributing more than $35 million in grants and distributions into the community that year. For more information about The Foundation visit www.cfgnh.org or follow @cfgnh on facebook and twitter.

A champion of immigrant rights who turned her lived experience into a platform for organizing and outreach. A tireless salsera whose decades-long practice has criss-crossed the city and made her “an honorary Boricua.” A Hill neighborhood institution where Latino seniors can age with dignity in an affordable housing crisis. And a military veteran with a message that nada es impossible—if you are willing to be presente...

https://www.newhavenarts.org/arts-paper/articles/la-mujer-puertorrique%C3%B1a-takes-center-stage-in-jubilant-pru-gala-return