Arts Paper

The arts matter right now. So does arts journalism. As the editorially independent arm of The Arts Council of Greater New Haven, The Arts Paper seeks to celebrate, explore, and investigate arts and culture in and around New Haven. Our mission is three-pronged: to explore and expand understanding of the arts, get to underreported stories as often as we can, and build accountability in our creative community.

Our Team

Lucy Gellman, Editor

Lucy (she/her/hers) is a lapsed art historian who loves wordplay almost as much as community building. Prior to her time at The Arts Paper she was a reporter at the New Haven Independent and station manager at WNHH Community Radio, where she still produces and hosts Kitchen Sync, a show about food and New Haven.

Markeshia Ricks, YAJI Program Director

Markeshia Ricks (she/her/hers) is a recovering journalist turned voice actor who dabbles in blogging, podcasting and photography. Before joining the Arts Council she wrote for the New Haven Independent, Air Force Times, the Montgomery Advertiser, the Anniston Star, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and the Tuscaloosa News. At the Arts Paper, she serves as a program assistant and co-teacher for the 2020 Youth Arts Journalism Initiative.

Arturo Pineda, Reporter

Arturo (they/them/theirs) is a writer living in New Haven. Prior to their time at the Arts Paper, they were a reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. They are currently working on a collection of essays about their hometown in South Carolina.

Jamiah Green, Reporter

A graduate of the Arts Paper's Youth Arts Journalism Program, Jamiah Green (she/her/hers) is a junior at Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School studying creative writing. A budding journalist, she also writes poetry and is a member of the youth advisory board for the local nonprofit Ignite The Voice.

Leah Andelsmith, Reporter

Leah Andelsmith (she/her/hers) is a writer living in New Haven. In addition to writing creative non-fiction for the Arts Paper and Long Wharf Theatre, she writes stories about magic and the strength of spirit. You can find her on Facebook and at her website.

Rachel Ababio

Rachel Ababio is a rising junior at Yale University studying Psychology and English. She is a mentor for Project Access, a college-prep organization that works with underrepresented students from low-income backgrounds. Rachel is a member of Yale’s first women’s organization, The New Blue, an all-female a cappella group. She also sings with the Yale Glee Club. Rachel plays alto saxophone with the Yale Precision Marching Band and enjoys playing the violin in her spare time. She joined the Arts Paper Staff as an intern in May 2020. Prior to her time at The Arts Paper, Rachel was an Affiliate-Member of Engineers Without Borders from 2007-2017, facilitating projects on the African Continent.

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Our Partners

The New Haven Independent is rooted in and devoted to the city. They believe that democracy starts at home, with smart, thorough, in-depth local news reporting and broad citizen debate about local issues. Thanks to the Internet, journalists and news-deprived citizens need no longer be hostages to out-of-state media conglomerates. We can reclaim our communities. Power of the press now belongs not to those who own one, but to anyone who can get online.

WNHH 103.5 FM is a low-power FM and online radio station that broadcasts out of New Haven, Connecticut. With more than 30 shows hosted by volunteers and leaders in the community, WNHH offers a grassroots approach to local journalism, covering news, politics, and arts and culture. Listen live at 103.5FM or via the webstream at the New Haven Independent's website.

The Inner City News is a weekly publication by and for members of New Haven's black community. Edited by lifelong New Havener Babz Rawls-Ivy, this newspaper covers goings on in the very heart of the city, getting to the core of what makes New Haven tick.

The Arts Paper is the voice of The Arts Council ... and of our community.