ALL Gallery opening and Erector Square After Party this Saturday

ALL Arts & Literature Laboratory
Erector Square, 319 Peck St. Building 2, New Haven, (203) 671-5175
Contemporary Perspectives: The 2007 ALL Members & Friends Exhibition
Oct. 13—Nov. 8, 2007
Artists' reception & CWOS Erector Square After Party: Sat., Oct. 13, 5—7 p.m.

Press release

Contemporary Perspectives is a special exhibition of recent work by twenty-five Connecticut and national artists who are also members and friends of ALL. The show will feature works that express the artists' individual perceptions of the world. It presents an opportunity for the artist to propose and/or answer questions about local, regional, national, and global issues that confront all citizens.

On Sat., Oct. 13, from 5-7 p.m., ALL will once again host an Artists' Reception and After Party, celebrating the first day of City-Wide Open Studios Erector Square Weekend. The event is free and open to the public.

Featured artists include: Meg Bloom (New Haven, CT); Jay Bright (New Haven, CT); Ashley Caputo (Meriden, CT); Melanie Carr (New Britain, CT); Jeanne Criscola (North Haven, CT); Marian Doherty (Milford, CT); Howard el-Yasin (New Haven, CT); Kathryn Frederick (Killingworth, CT); Michael Galvin (Glastonbury, CT); Laurie Grace (Glastonbury, CT); Lee LaForte (West Haven, CT); Joyce Harris Mayer (Medford, NJ); Sarah McCoy (Des Moines, IA); Liz Pagano (New Haven, CT); Jane Rainwater (Andover, CT); Kathryn Richardson (New Haven, CT); Lawrence Russ (Southport, CT); Joseph Saccio (North Haven, CT); Inger Schoelkopf (Madison, CT); Mari Skarp (Harwinton, CT); David Taylor (Hartford, CT); Kate Themel (Cheshire, CT); Colleen Tully (New Haven, CT); Mary Vannucci (West Haven, CT); and Jennifer VanElswyk (New Haven, CT).

A few highlights of the exhibition include:

• Ashley Caputo's work from her photographic series, "Homemaking," addresses the expectations that society holds for the domestic space in regards to women who are mentally and emotionally preconditioned to live a "happy and successful" home life as dictated by daily influences, such as interactions with family members, television, movies, advertising and stories. Caputo's homemaker already knows what to think, feel, say and do, before she meets with these situations in reality.

• "By the River" by Laurie Grace explores the extinction of beautiful open landscape spaces encroached upon by humans, while the animals that live in these open spaces are forever evicted.

• "Chinatown" by Kate Themel is part of a series entitled "Gypsy Quilts," which explores the nature of memories and the way they can be transformed, manipulated and distorted over time. Emotion and a sense of nostalgia, too, often alter our perception of people, places and events.