"Inside Out New Haven" opening reception Friday at Creative Arts Workshop

Creative Arts Workshop Hilles Gallery
80 Audubon St., New Haven, (203) 562-4927
Inside Out New Haven
Aug. 2—Sept. 2, 2013.
Opening reception: Fri., Aug. 2, 5—7 p.m.
Artists' Talk: Wed., Aug. 7, 5—7 p.m.

Press release from Creative Arts Workshop

Creative Arts Workshop (CAW) presents the much anticipated installation Inside Out Inside, a continuation of the 2012 public art project initiated by a group of artists and community organizers seeking to unite the New Haven community. Originally displayed under two highway overpasses, the large scale portraits will be viewable from outside the CAW Hilles Gallery throughout the month. An opening reception will be held on Fri., Aug. 2, from 5 to 7 p.m. CAW will also host an artists talk on Wed., Aug. 7, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Inside Out New Haven is a spin-off of the global art project Inside Out launched by JR, a French artist and 2011 TED Prize winner. Prompted to present "a wish to save the world," during his acceptance speech the artist stated: "I wish for you to stand up for what you care about by participating in a global art project and together we’ll turn the world inside out."

In New Haven the purpose of the project was to help bridge the gap between disparate communities separated by barriers both physical and psychological. Photo shoots staged on the spot initiated conversations and interactions between citizens who might otherwise never have crossed paths. In a documentary short film by John Belanger, community organizer Ben Berkowitz gets at the heart and the purpose of the project: "the beauty in the project is not what it looks like but how it got there."

After instances of vandalism lead to the removal of the photographs, Creative Arts Workshop now serves as the latest venue for the collection, making the inspiring images again accessible to the New Haven community. The installation features photos by Ian Christmann, Jeffrey Kerekes, Al Muzzi, Kelly Jensen, Anthony DeCarlo, Miles Lasater and Chris Randall.

Even after instances of vandalism occurred, artists and volunteers repaired the photographs and they remained on display. The poster-size images were eventually removed six months later due to weather damage, at the request of the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

Creative Arts Workshop is a non-profit community art center devoted to fostering creativity through participation in and appreciation of the visual arts, serving the Greater New Haven area since 1961. Each year, CAW offers a wide range of classes in fully equipped studios to more than 2,000 adults and 1,000 young people, and more than 30,000 people visit exhibitions in CAW’s galleries. CAW is supported by its membership, tuition, donors, arts-related fundraising events and a dedicated group of volunteers. Additional funding comes from the Connecticut Office of the Arts.