City-Wide Open Studios opens Thursday night, fills the weekend

Artspace
50 Orange St., New Haven, (203) 772-2709
City-Wide Open Studios
Oct. 2—5, 2008

Press release

City-Wide Open Studios is a program of Artspace, a Connecticut non-profit organization presenting local and national visual art, providing access, excellence and education for the benefit of the public and the arts community.

City-Wide Open Studios celebrates contemporary art in all its myriad forms, and is undoubtedly Connecticut’s leading visual arts festival. Art dealers and curators from the region and beyond have used CWOS as a resource to discover new artists, plan upcoming shows, and buy art. One of the largest Open Studios programs in the country, CWOS unites hundreds of local artists with the Greater New Haven community.

The 2008 CWOS partners with five Greater New Haven neighborhoods: Westville, Fair Haven, Downtown, Hamden/Newhallville and West Haven. Our goal is to empower neighborhoods by uniting artists working in these neighborhoods with the local community and businesses. We welcome artists from outside New Haven to also engage with these communities by activating temporary studio spaces. Visitors to CWOS are invited to explore these neighborhoods where they will find art in new and unusual spaces; discover local businesses and restaurants; and join guided walking, bike and bus tours connecting all satellite neighborhoods with the festival hub at Artspace.

Artist Studios • One of the country’s largest concentrations of professional artists is right here in the Greater New Haven region. Hundreds of artists across the city of New Haven, and in the nearby towns of West Haven and Hamden will open their private art studios to the public. Also featured are a number of artists working in temporary studio spaces in local businesses, vacant spaces and in fellow artist’s studios. See the October 2, 2008 issue of the New Haven Advocate for the Official 2008 CWOS Map & Guide containing studio addresses and maps.

2008 City-Wide Open Studios Festival Calendar:

October 2 • 5–8 p.m.: CONNcentric Preview Reception and Festival Kick-off at Artspace

October 3 • 4–8 p.m.: Studios and Special Exhibitions Open

October 4 • 12–8 p.m.: Studios and Special Exhibitions Open

October 5 • 12–8 p.m.: Studios and Special Exhibitions Open

GETTING AROUND:

Getting around the 2008 City-Wide Open Studios is simple. Artspace serves as the hub for the 2008 CWOS and offers many transportation options. Participate in an expert-led bus, bike or walking tour, travel from each AIRS site and neighborhood by shuttle or in your own car. To prepare for your visit, The New Haven Advocate provides a special CWOS section, the Official 2008 CWOS Map and Guide. The Map & Guide lists the participating artists with their studio location, exhibition site locations, and maps of each neighborhood with shuttle routes marked. Additional detailed information, as well as studio locations, maps, tour and event schedules will be available from the City-Wide Open Studios website by September 24, 2008.

SHUTTLE BUSES (SATURDAY / SUNDAY) • FREE Shuttles run back and forth between each site (Hamden, Fair Haven, West Haven, and Westville) and Artspace, coming back to Artspace on the hour. Donations Suggested.

Saturday, October 4 Shuttle runs from Artspace to each Artist-in-Residence Site starting at 2 pm and running until 7 pm.

Sunday, October 5 Shuttle runs from Artspace to each Artist in Residence Site starting at 12 pm and run until 7 pm.

GUIDED BUS TOURS • Friday, October 3 • Bus Tour, Tour meets at Artspace at 4:30 pm. Departs for Downtown and East Rock Studios at 5:00 pm. FEE: $5

Saturday, October 4 • Bus Tour, Tour meets at Artspace at 12 pm. Departs for Westville, West Haven, and Hamden at 12:30 pm. FEE: $5

Sunday, October 5 • Bus Tour Tour meets at Artspace at 12 pm. Departs for Downtown and Fair Haven at 12:30 pm. FEE: $5

GUIDED BIKE TOURS • Saturday, October 4 • Bike Tour. Tour meets at Artspace at 12:00 pm. Departs for Downtown and Fair Haven studios at 12:30 pm. 8 miles round trip from Artspace.

Sunday, October 5 • Bike Tour. Tour meets at Artspace at 12:00 pm. Departs for Downtown, West Haven, and Westville studios at 12:30 pm. 14 miles round trip from Artspace.

NOTE: Helmets, water, and spare tubes recommended. Rides are slow paced and fairly easy. Donations Suggested.

SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS:

The 2008 CWOS introduces the Artist-in-Residence program and CONNcentric, two new and exciting exhibition programs planned alongside the Festival.

CONNcentric is an exhibition showcasing exemplary work by City-Wide Open Studios registrants Connecticut artists, represented by 1–2 artworks each participating in the 2008 CWOS program. The exhibition will be presented in the Artspace gallery at 50 Orange Street in the Ninth Square Downtown neighborhood of New Haven. Each selected artist will be represented by 1—2 artworks.

ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE • An Artist-in-Residence (AIRS) exhibition will be centered in each of the five key neighborhoods: Downtown, Westville, Fair Haven, Hamden/Newhallville and West Haven, occupying vacant buildings or storefront spaces. These five thematic exhibitions showcase the work of 10—15 artists, and are each curated by a distinguished team of jurors—a commercial gallerist and a local university art faculty member. Artists who participate in this program are encouraged to present new work.

AIRS: DOWNTOWN • 122 Court Street (between Orange and State Streets)

AIRS: WESTVILLE • 838 Whalley Street (at corner of West Rock Avenue)

AIRS: FAIR HAVEN • 278 Grand Avenue (between Blatchley and Poplar Streets)

AIRS: WEST HAVEN • 14 Gilbert Street (off Orange Avenue)

AIRS: HAMDEN • 60 Connolly Parkway, Building 6A (off Dixwell Ave across from Hamden High School)