Category: Arts and Culture

Pride Center Convenes Community To Heal

by Grayce Howe, Nov. 14, Arts Paper

Art acted as a form of resistance and relief last week, as dozens of community members gathered at the New Haven Pride Center for a night of post-election healing and artmaking. Often, they found themselves leaning on each other for support and encouragement, even as they searched for an answer to some of the grief and despair… The evening was co-hosted by the Greater New Haven Arts Council. In the interest of full transparency, the Arts Paper lives within, but is editorially independent from, the Arts Council.

Throughout the evening, the gathering aimed to combat feelings of unease that followed the election of Donald Trump… As president, he instituted legislative measures that included a ban on Muslim immigrants and refugees, multiple appointments to a now-conservative, anti-choice Supreme Court, significant environmental rollbacks, and direct calls meant to invigorate and activate millions of followers who were fueled by anti-Black, anti-immigrant, anti-woman ideals of a white nationalist America. During his 2024 campaign, he expanded that rhetoric, from calling into question whether Vice President Kamala Harris was and is in fact Black… to pushing for harsher immigration policies to insulting Haitians, Puerto Ricans, and all childless women within weeks of the election. In New Haven—a sanctuary city that has for years championed LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights—Tuesday’s result came as a crushing blow to many.

Thursday, it seemed that only compassionate community filled the room. In addition to a workshop from [Pride Center Executive Director Juancarlos] Soto—who, in addition to leading the Center, is a visual artist and fierce activist—the night included offerings from movement facilitator Vee Warden, holistic healer Thema Graves, drag queen Xiomarie LaBeija and poet, organizer and spoken word artist Sun Queen.

Throughout the evening, comments also came from Soto, Mayor Justin Elicker, and ACGNH Program Director Rebekah Moore and Executive Director Hope Chávez. The evening also included catering from the Ninth Square business Blue Orchid.

By the end of the night, participants’ moods were visibly lighter. Faces held smiles and laughed with new-made friends, inspired and hopeful for the future while empowerment overtook the previously overruling stress. That continued this week, as staff at the Pride Center set up a new corner of their space dedicated entirely to self-care.

[To read the original article visit https://www.newhavenarts.org/arts-paper/articles/pridecenter-convenes-community-to-heal

A Vision for Peace Appears In Fair Haven

by Lee Cruz and Lucy Gellman, Nov. 12, Arts Paper

Just off Grand Avenue, one side of the Fair Haven Branch Library has come to life. It marks the culmination of a new peace-themed mural at the Fair Haven Branch Library, thanks to a collaboration among CITYarts, the Yale School of Art, Creative Arts Workshop, ACES Educational Center for the Arts and the New Haven Free Public Library… The mural, which artists began working on in August, has been months in the making. Earlier this year, [CITYarts Founder and Executive Director Tsipi] Ben-Haim connected with CAW Director Trina Mace Learned, who hosted an exhibition in the Audubon Street space in June and July. They envisioned the mural with input from high school students, community partners, and artists Mitchell Rembert, Carlos Perez, and Irisol Gonzalez-Vega, currently an MFA candidate at Yale. Lauren Flaaen was also an early collaborator.

The team worked closely with the library, which has supported arts initiatives in Fair Haven for years. Branch Manager Kirk Morrison helped install a CITYarts exhibition featuring work from young people in over 120 countries. At the mural’s ribbon cutting, Morrison encouraged attendees to reflect on the pieces, which envision peace amid global violence.

The mural integrates designs from 10 ACES Educational Center for the Arts (ECA) students, including doves, flowers, vegetables from the library’s garden, and silhouettes of buildings. During this time, Cruz and Sustainable CT launched a fundraising campaign, which raised $4,300 from over 40 donors.

Professor Kymberly Pinder, Yale School of Art’s dean, saw the mural as an opportunity for greater community collaboration. In September, ECA students joined the artists for two days of mural work, and local youth from Fair Haven, including library regulars, also contributed to completing the piece.

Photo: Jennifer Simpson

Photo: Jennifer Simpson

[For entire article: https://www.newhavenarts.org/artspaper/articles/a-vision-for-peace-appears-in-fair-haven]

Amistad: Retold

by New Haven Museum

The reconceived exhibition “Amistad: Retold” takes a new angle on the familiar story of the Amistad, centering [on] the people who led the revolt and their collective actions to determine their own lives. It also foregrounds New Haven as the site of their incarceration and organizing by Black and white abolitionists.

The 1839 Amistad Revolt was led by 53 West African captives who were being trafficked from Havana’s slave markets on the schooner La Amistad after being kidnapped from their homelands, despite European treaties prohibiting the Atlantic Slave Trade. The Museum notes the diversity of the Amistad captives—their multiethnic, multilingual, and economic backgrounds, with trades that ranged from rice farmer to blacksmith, in addition to weavers, hunters, and merchants.

Incarcerated for nearly 19 months in New Haven, the Amistad captives worked closely with anti-slavery activists who formed the Amistad Committee and connected with networks of engaged citizens to organize and fundraise for their legal defense. Artists, particularly those based in New Haven, gave representation to the movement by creating engravings and paintings that enabled the public to envision the circumstances of the captives and recognize their individuality and resolve in protecting their freedom. A number of those significant works made their way to the New Haven Museum collection.

Visitors will be immediately surprised by the new visual experience of the gallery – its vibrant colors, transformation of the space, as well as a new acquisition – the color serigraph of artist Jacob Lawrence’s “Revolt on the Amistad,” created in 1989 to commemorate the Amistad Revolt sesquicentennial. A cover image from a Golden Legacy comic book offers a 1970s pop-culture adaptation of NHM’s iconic Sengbe Pieh portrait, which was painted in 1840 by Nathaniel Jocelyn at the time of the trials. The painting has returned to view after two years, following its inclusion in “Afro-Atlantic Histories,” a major traveling exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

In response to questions and comments from students and teachers during workshops, the new exhibition includes a large-scale map that charts the voyages of the Amistad rebels. The map provides context about the continual resistance to the slave trade in West Africa and across the Atlantic, as well as the changing Trans-Atlantic politics in the years preceding the Amistad Revolt in 1839.

This article can be read in its entirety at www.newhavenmuseum.org/education/current-exhibitions. The New Haven Museum is located at 114 Whitney Ave.

Celebrating James Baldwin with Kulturally LIT

The Elm City LIT Fest is now the Kulturally LIT Fest, back for their 5th annual celebration on Saturday, October 5th from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. In continuing with the #YearofBaldwin, this year’s LIT Fest will focus on the works of James Baldwin, as Kulturally LIT continues to commemorate his centennial year and look beyond.

Held on the ConnCat campus at 4 Science Park, the Kulturally LIT Fest: Baldwin Forever will be a vibrant celebration of the centennial year of James Baldwin, one of the most influential voices in Black literature. This day-long festival will immerse you in Baldwin’s enduring legacy through engaging panels, hands-on workshops, and powerful performances. Explore a diverse marketplace featuring local vendors, connect with fellow literature lovers, and be inspired by the words and wisdom of Baldwin in this unforgettable celebration of Black literary excellence. RSVP online at https://tinyurl.com/2xb6eweu or email [email protected] for more information.

October Community Engagement Workshops at the New Haven Free Public Library

by Rory Martorana, NHFPL Public Services Administrator for Communications and Adult Services

Every few years, the New Haven Free Public Library (NHFPL) crafts a Strategic Framework—a roadmap of initiatives designed to bring our Mission, Vision, and Values to life. These frameworks are built on the insights and ideas shared by you—the residents of New Haven and visitors to NHFPL—to meet the city’s informational, cultural, and educational needs.
We need your help to make this project successful. Share feedback on what our community needs. Tell us what you love, what we might do differently, and your thoughts on new and innovative programs you would like to see at NHFPL. Your input will help guide our goals and services for the next three years.

Community Engagement Workshops Schedule for October:

  1. Oct. 1, 6-7:30 p.m. at Wilson Branch, 303 Washington Ave. (Spanish)
  2. Oct. 2, 6-7:30 p.m. at Stetson Branch, 197 Dixwell Ave. (English)
  3. Oct. 8, 6-7:30 p.m. at Ives Main Library, 133 Elm St. (Mandarin)

Registration is required and refreshments will be served. Each workshop is limited to 25 participants. For more information and to register, call 203-946-8130, ext. 101.

Check our planning progress at http://nhfpl.org, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok @nhfpl for the latest updates, details on Community Engagement Workshops, and more. Let’s work together to create a better future for New Haven.

The Great Give Giving Event May 1-2

Celebrating its 15th year in 2024, The Great Give returns on May 1-2. This 36-hour, online, community-wide giving event was created by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven to raise visibility and resources for nonprofits serving Greater New Haven.

With more than 530 participating local nonprofits, you can find organizations and causes you care about to support in The Great Give 2024. Look through the list of organizations today, find your favorites and find new ones to support. Be ready to give during the 36 hours between 8 a.m. on May 1 and 8 p.m on May 2. Join thousands of others with a gift of $5 or more to support our community. Together we raise, together we rise! Go to www.thegreatgive.org for info.

A New Book of Interest: Radical Connecticut: People’s History in the Constitution State

by Andy Piascik and Steve Thornton

Radical Connecticut tells the stories of everyday people and well-known figures whose work has often been obscured, denigrated, or dismissed. …

Unlike a traditional history that focuses on the actions of politicians, generals, business moguls and other elites, this volume features workers, the poor, people of color, peacemakers, women, students, artists and others who joined the never-ending struggle for justice and freedom … a fresh look at history that can spark young people to engage in social justice work in an increasingly complex and dangerous world.

It can also be used as a guide for strategy and tactics useful to those who are engaged in today’s social struggles. Whether you are a veteran or a novice, Radical Connecticut reminds us that today—and down through the years—organizing is always worth the effort.

Purchase the book for $20 at Barnes and Noble, Powell’s Books, Hard Ball Press, and other internet bookstores.

African American Women’s Summit: A Sister’s Collaborative March 30

The African American Women’s Summit brings together African American women’s organizations in the New Haven area. It focuses on the issues and concerns that affect the lives of African American families and communities.

The Annual African American Women’s Summit will be held on Saturday, March 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Dixwell Community Center (Dixwell Q House), 197 Dixwell Avenue, New Haven. The event is free to the public. This year’s theme is “AAWS Rocks the Vote 2024: Let’s Get Out the Vote!” A free continental breakfast and hot lunch will be served.

In addition to adult workshops, we will also have several youth workshops for ages 10 and up.  Please contact Dr. Cynthia McCraven [email protected], Linda Jackson [email protected], or Robin Wilson [email protected] if you have questions.

People’s World Amistad Awards Honor Connecticut Fighters for Justice and Solidarity

by C. D. Carlson and Jahmal Henderson

December 14, 2023 NEW HAVEN, Conn.—Solidarity and joy filled the air, along with a determination to continue the struggle for justice, at the 2023 People’s World Amistad Awards held in New Haven on Dec. 10. Under the theme, “It’s an ‘Enough is Enough’ Moment—Time to Organize,” a diverse crowd of union and community leaders, grassroots activists, elected officials, and youth from across Connecticut came together at the annual event, which also marks the anniversary of the Communist Party’s founding….

Barbara Vereen and Ken Suzuki, leaders of Local 34, announced the 40th anniversary celebration of their union. Paul Seltzer, a leader of Local 33, announced to a standing ovation that the 3,000-member graduate workers union just signed a tentative agreement with the university for its first contract after a 30-year organizing effort.

[For an article on Local 33 and the new agreement: yaledailynews.com/blog/2023/12/08/local-33-and-yale-reach-historic-tentative-agreement]

The Amistad Awards bear the symbolic name of the 50 men of the Amistad … who broke their chains, fought their captors, and seized their freedom … and affirmed their freedom in a legal battle that reached the Supreme Court, a result of the Black and white unity forged in their defense.

In this spirit, the awardees are chosen because they embody solidarity against the politics of hate, bigotry, and division while embracing bold solutions to transform our country and put people, peace, and planet before profits.

The three working-class champions honored this year for their achievements and hard-fought struggles for dignity, unity, and solidarity were State Sen. Gary Winfield, Stacie Harris-Byrdsong, President of AFSCME Council 4, and Luis Luna, coalition manager of Husky 4 Immigrants….

Renowned jazz drummer and reggae percussionist Pheeroan akLaff and his band kept the energy upbeat during the event with lyrics calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and no war….

Following the awards presentation, event attendees stood in solidarity with members of the Blake Street Tenants Union, who revealed the fantastic results of their organizing, which has forced mega-landlord Ocean Management in New Haven to stop eviction proceedings, recognize the union, and negotiate a contract, now being finalized, that governs rent increases and protections. The Connecticut Tenant Union said they are organizing renters across the state….

Each awardee provided warnings from their organizations that the working class is confronting a period of fascist danger….

The event opened and closed with a call for a ceasefire in the ongoing Israeli war on Palestine, with those in attendance signing postcards to Congress demanding a ceasefire.

[Read the full article here: peoplesworld.org/article/peoples-world-amistad-awards-honor-connecticut-fighters-for-justice-and-solidarity/]

[For a video of the full event: www.facebook.com/CTPeoplesWorld/videos/338322185614918.]

CT Folk Board Accepting Applications

Dear Friends and Family of CT Folk,

CT Folk is currently accepting applications for the Board of Directors. Do you love music? Do you have a passion for environmental sustainability and social justice? Or do you know someone who does? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then we strongly encourage you to reach out to us.
We are looking for members with several specific areas of expertise but encourage anyone excited by this opportunity to apply.

New members will be elected to serve a three-year term beginning with our Annual Meeting in January 2024.

Board members are stewards for the organization and have a higher expectation for service than other volunteers in the organization. Board members are also expected to participate in monthly board meetings and in the CT Folk Festival & Green Expo on Sept. 7, 2024.

For more information, please visit ctfolk.org/become-a-board-member.

World AIDS Day 2023 Commemoration

anchorhealthct.org

Join Anchor Health and the New Haven Mayor’s Task Force on AIDS on December 1 to commemorate World AIDS Day 2023. First observed in 1988, World AIDS Day was the first-ever international day for global health. Every year, on December 1, communities worldwide unite to show support for people living with HIV and AIDS and remember the lives lost to AIDS-related illnesses.

This community gathering will feature the voices of HIV advocates, New Haven community leaders, and people personally touched by HIV to remember the past, reflect on the present, and rally for the future. It’s free and open to all at the United Church on the Green, 270 Temple St.

We’re committed to providing as safe a meeting space as practicable and strongly encourage mask-wearing to protect yourself and others. Masks will be provided to attendees who did not bring their own. We ask that you stay home if you aren’t feeling well.

Free parking is available behind the church’s Parish House (323 Temple St). Metered street parking near the venue is available as well.

We strive to create an inclusive, accessible space that enables all individuals to participate. This event is wheelchair accessible and will provide seating. To be respectful of those with allergies and environmental sensitivities, please refrain from wearing strong fragrances.

To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact Michael DeWolfe at
[email protected]. For all other questions, please contact Caroline Chadwick at [email protected].

anchorhealthct.org/event/world-aids-day-2023/

More info: anchorhealthct.org.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day’s Solidarity on the Green

Lucy Gellman, Arts Paper

The sound of drums coasted over the New Haven Green, mingling with the scent of sage still in the air. …Monday [Oct. 9], [Jennifer] Rawlings and her son, Dyami Pimentel, joined close to 50 people observing Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the Green, which sits on unceded Quinnipiac land across from New Haven’s City Hall. Organized by longtime activist Norm Clement, this year’s gathering made space for Indigenous storytelling, culture, and ceremony across cultural and geographic borders, addressing colonialism as both an ongoing problem and source of deep generational trauma….

“I hope we’re bringing some love and community here today,” said Clement, who is a water protector, confederate member of the Quinnipiac tribe, and a member of the Penobscot nation. “We are still here. They’ve tried for [over] 500 years to get us, but we’re still here.”…

Monday, that sense of solidarity was everywhere, from attendees who came straight from the [Palestine] rally to those who shared stories of growing up Indigenous in New Haven, in Connecticut, and across the country. As Clement filled a polished abalone shell with sage, fanning it with a turkey feather, Rawlings stepped in close, listening to details about the ceremony to come. …[Clement] called for a moment of silence to remember Sadé Heart of the Hawk, who for decades dedicated her life to suicide prevention, trauma reduction, and education and advocacy for Two-Spirit people.…“She is now one of our ancestors,” Clement said, his voice strained and reverent as Ricky Looking Crow lifted a drum and began to play….

Before the observance concluded, Clement and Looking Crow held up a banner that they planned to place at the Knights of Columbus Museum on State Street, a final act of resistance and solidarity. … A number of red handprints crowded the top register, a reminder of the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women in this country and well beyond it. 500 Years of Genocide/And/We Are Still Here, it read. And Clement had added two green, white, and red Palestinian flags.

[Read the article in its entirety at https://www.newhavenarts.org/arts-paper/articles/indigenous-peoples-day-centers-celebrates-solidarity-on-the-green

Martin Luther King Mural in Hamden Unveiled

Dorothy Johnson stands next to a portrait of her sister Lula White.

The unveiling of the Martin Luther King mural outside Miller Memorial Library, 2901 Dixwell Avenue, was held on Saturday, June 17, as the opening event of the Juneteenth Celebration.

RiseUP for Arts partnered with the Town of Hamden, local businesses, organizations, and community members in Hamden to create a large-scale public art mural in collaboration with artist Emida Roller on the Dixwell-facing side of Hamden’s Miller Memorial Library that celebrates the diversity and cultures of the community and highlights the messages of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hamden is the 16th town to produce an MLK39 Racial Equity Mural.

Each MLK39 Racial Equity Mural is inspired by the community. Hamden residents participated in a mural design survey that guided the mural design, and many took part in community volunteer paint days.

The mural celebrates the global legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and his dedication to advancing civil rights. For more information about the statewide campaign visit: www.theriseupgroup.org/mlk39.

Paula Panzarella photos

Others depicted on the mural are Hamden residents or people with deep ties with the town of Hamden who have passed on.

  • Mattie Mims, first African American woman elected to the Hamden Legislative Council
  • Rabbi Robert Goldburg, who invited Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King to speak at Hamden’s Congregation Mishkan Israel
  • Samuel Augustus Jones, first African American career firefighter for Hamden
  • Beulah Jacobs, first African American to teach in Hamden Public Schools
  • Fred Parris, founder of the Five Satins and creator of the classic song “In the Still of the Night”
  • Barbara Welfare, first African American master’s credentialed librarian at the Whitneyville branch
  • Samuel William Jones, first African American police officer in Hamden
  • Lula Mae White, Freedom Rider who non-violently fought against the segregation laws in this country. In 1961, she spent two months in Parchman State Penitentiary for sitting in the “whites only” waiting room of the bus terminal.

Lula’s inclusion in the mural is especially heart-warming for many PAR readers who knew her and worked with her for many years. Lula was a New Haven schoolteacher for almost three decades and was arrested and jailed during the teachers’ strike of 1975; she took part in many protests against war and other injustices; she was an active member of the Greater New Haven Labor History Association (at the Sept. 10 GNHLHA annual meeting she was given a post-humous award); and worked with many progressive organizations, including the PAR newsletter (see par-newhaven.org/?s=lula+white).

Also on the mural are the names of living individuals who are either firsts in their elected or district-appointed office, or have advanced the discussion of racial equity through literature.

You can see the news broadcast of the mural’s unveiling at www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/new-haven/hamden-unveils-mural-to-commemorate-juneteenth.

Hamden Celebrates PRIDE Month June 2, 10

by Town of Hamden and the Hamden PRIDE Committee

The Town of Hamden and the Hamden PRIDE Committee are excited to announce free events in celebration of PRIDE Month throughout the month of June.

The Town of Hamden in partnership with the Hamden PRIDE Committee is celebrating PRIDE in June with the Flag Raising Ceremony and Community Conversations: Forum and Dinner at Memorial Town Hall on Friday, June 2 at 5 p.m., and the Pride in the Park Festival at Town Center Park on Saturday, June 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

On Friday, June 2 at 5 p.m., all are invited to attend a PRIDE Month Flag Raising Ceremony in front of Memorial Town Hall, 2372 Whitney Ave., with parking onsite at 2900 Dixwell Ave. Following the flag-raising ceremony, the Town of Hamden and the Hamden PRIDE Committee invites you to stay for Community Conversations: Forum and Dinner also held at Memorial Town Hall. This event is free and will feature educational presentations and a diverse panel discussion over food. Stop and Shop of Hamden will be sponsoring this event by providing the dinner.

On Saturday, June 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Town of Hamden and the Hamden PRIDE Committee invite you to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community at the main event, Hamden’s Pride in the Park Festival at Hamden’s Town Center Park, 2761 Dixwell Ave. To park at Town Center Park, please enter through the Hamden Middle School, 2623 Dixwell Ave. Parking can also be found at the Miller Cultural Complex, 2901 Dixwell Ave. The Pride in the Park Festival will be hosted by the talented Drag Performers, Summer Orlando and Barbra Joan Streetsand. Festivities at this free, family-friendly celebration will include kid-friendly performances, various food trucks, a DJ, live musicians, over 35 vendors, and fun kids’ activities.

The Town of Hamden and the Hamden PRIDE Committee invite all to gather to celebrate and embrace the LGBTQIA+ members of our diverse community.

For more information, contact Deputy Chief of Staff, Alexa M. Panayotakis, at (203) 287-7100 or email [email protected].

PAR Newsletter Job Opening

Paula Panzarella, PAR Planning Committee

There are many tasks involved in creating the PAR newsletter, and PAR wants to hire one or two people to help keep the print version of PAR in production. This is a chance to involve yourself with activism and be paid for it.

We are offering this opportunity first to our print subscribers because you are the most familiar with the quality of our newsletter and aware of the various activist organizations in the greater New Haven area. Without additional people taking part in the work, the printed PAR newsletter may not continue after December 2023.

The new member(s) of the production team must have writing and computer skills and have time flexibility to work on the newsletter intensely in the four days after each issue’s due date for articles. Working as part of the team is vital! If you would like this job, call Paula at 203-562-2798.

Join the Conversation with New Haven’s Big Read!

New Haven Free Public Library

The NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. This year’s selection is Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body, by Rebekah Taussig. Visit the Arts and Ideas NEA Big Read website for more events and information.

Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body is a memoir-in-essays from disability advocate, Rebekah Taussig, processing a lifetime of memories to paint a beautiful, nuanced portrait of a body that looks and moves differently than most. Through poignant and lyrical essays, Taussig illustrates the need for more stories and voices to understand humanity’s diversity. Sitting Pretty challenges us as a society to be patient and vigilant, practical and imaginative, kind and relentless, as we set to work to write an entirely different story.

Rebekah Taussig writes personal essays about disability and runs an Instagram account, @sitting_pretty, where she regularly crafts “mini-memoirs” that explore what it means to live in her (disabled, female) body.

Free copies of the book are available at any NHFP library while supplies last. Copies are also available for checkout. New Haven Free Public Library, 133 Elm St. nhfpl.org.

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