City-Wide Open Studios starts this weekend; opening Friday night

Artspace
City-Wide Open Studios
50 Orange St, New Haven, (203) 772-2709
City-Wide Open Studios
Sept. 25—26, 2010: Erector Square
Oct. 2—3, 2010: New Haven Neighborhoods & Artspace Underground
Oct. 9—10, 2010: Alternative Space
Gallery 1 & 2: Festival Exhibit
Gallery 3: Bernd Krauss: Hortus Conclusus
Gallery 4: Meredith Nickie: Deploy Black
Gallery 5: Ilona Anderson: Dwell
Gallery 7: Taryn Wells: Inbetween Worlds
Sept. 24—Oct. 23, 2010
Opening Reception and CWOS Festival Kickoff Party: Fri., Sept. 24, 5—8 p.m.

Press release

This year's Open Studios promises exciting events and interactive demonstrations, plus the return of the Alternative Space!

This Fri., Sept. 24, from 5—8 p.m., we'll be kicking things off the right way with an opening bash for our Festival Exhibit at Artspace, 50 Orange Street, New Haven!

Wine and light refreshments will be provided, and DJ Nate Dizzy of EULA will provide a soundtrack as eclectic as the works and installations on display. We're especially grateful to our reception sponsor, the Opici Wine Company of Connecticut.

The Festival Exhibit features representative works from over 200 participating artists. It will be on display in Galleries 1 and 2 through Oct. 23.

Also opening that night will be four exciting gallery exhibits.

In Gallery 3, Bernd Krauss (Web)has constructed his Hortus Conclusus, a situational site-specific installation comprised of materials culled from our basement. Gallery 4 contains Deploy Black, a new series of works by Meredith Nickie (Web) exploring scenes of subjugation. Dwell by Ilona Anderson is a series of drawings assembled into fragmented wall installations intended to simultaneously disorient and engage the viewer; it is on view in Gallery 5. Finally, in Gallery 7, Taryn Wells' (Web) Inbetween Worlds uses the self-portrait to explore themes of race and identity. These exhibits will be on display until October 30.

And in case you missed them, there are still two exciting installations on display from this past summer. Particular Heights is an interactive, site-specific installation in the Lot at Chapel and Orange, developed by artists Paul Theriault (Web) and Siebren Versteeg (Web). Tag and Repeat X2 is the collaborative project of master artist Cat Balco (Web) and the Summer Apprentice program, and it is on display in both the Lot and the Long Wall of gallery. These will be on display until Oct. 30, too!

While you're in the neighborhood, be sure to check out two exciting satellite events. The first is Micro-Fest!, hosted by our neighbors at Project Storefronts where demonstrations and musical performances will be ongoing from 5—8 p.m. The second is WPKN's ArtFest 2010 Preview Party at Erector Square, from 7—10 p.m. ArtFest 2010 takes place at Erector Square in tandem with City-Wide Open Studios' first weekend.

September 25—26: Visit Erector Square

If you can't make the opening reception and festival kick-off, don't worry. There's still plenty more to do. The weekend of Sept. 25—26 is focused at Erector Square, where we have several interactive demonstrations scheduled. On Sat., Sept. 25, at 1 p.m. Kerri Sancomb and Jeff Mueller will offer the opportunity to make and take home a small poster book designed by Dexterity Press and printed on a Universal I Vandercook press (12 noon—5 p.m.). From 1—1:30 p.m., and from 3—3:30 p.m., they'll give an artist talk covering the history of the business. The press will run all day. (Sat., Building 7, 2nd floor, room 2)

From 4—5 p.m., Irene Miller (Web) will give a demonstration of photographic transfer techniques with works on paper. On Sun., Sept. 26, Gerald York (Web) will conduct a live portrait painting session from 12:30—1:30 p.m. He's still looking for volunteers, so if you're interest please send a headshot our way! Finally, Maria-Lara Whepley will demonstrate the ancient method of painting with hot wax from 3—4 p.m. Studios will be open from 12—5 p.m. both days.

October 2 - 3: Explore New Haven's neighborhoods...And go Underground!

The second weekend of City-Wide Open Studios will take us through studios across the New Haven area, with an emphasis on the west side of New Haven on Sat., Oct. 2, and the east side on Sun., Oct. 3. You'll be able to explore studios on your own, or participate in guided bike tours led by the Devil's Gear. These will begin at 12:30 pm and leave from their new location at 151 Orange Street, in the rear of the 360 State Street building. Again, studios will be open from 12 noon—5 p.m. on both days.

After you're done checking out studios on Oct. 2, be sure to stop back at Artspace for the return of the Artspace Underground! The first Underground of this school year is packed with local talent and features performances by Fake Babies and If Jesus Had Machine Guns, with a live build by Silas Finch (Web). The Underground series is curated by Madison Moore, with cocktails by 116 Crown. The event runs from 8—11 p.m., and admission is $5. Please, dress to impress.

October 9—10: The Alternative Space returns!

Finally, we're proud to announce the return of the Alternative Space! The Alternative Space gives artists who do not yet have a studio the opportunity to show their work, and provides space for exciting installations as well. It's an aspect that's unique to Artspace's City-Wide Open Studios, helps to make it one of the largest events of its kind in its country. This year, the Alternative Space is located at 196—212 College Street. We'll be opening our doors Oct. 9—10, from 12 noon—5 p.m.

If you're interested in visiting City-Wide Open Studios, you can always download and print a .pdf of our guide. If you're an artist who's participating in City-Wide Open Studios, you can download our artist toolbox. We'd also encourage you to check out some of the exciting opportunities and calls for artists that we currently have posted. And be sure to check out our City-Wide Open Studios blog for a few different angles on the festivities as they unfold.

City-Wide Open Studios is presented by TD Bank this year. We're also grateful for the support of several other sponsors, including the New Haven Advocate, Yale University, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Alliance Bank, City of New Haven Department of Economic Development, MacWorks LLC, and Jordan Caterers.