| Images from an exhibition of Adae Fine Art students last year. Lucy Gellman Photos. |
Plastic bags, transformed into vivid marine wildlife. Intrepid explorers rendered in watercolor, looking out over vast expanses of desert. Miniature, ornate houses printed on bright backgrounds, winking out from the walls. Murals from decades ago, shown in a new context as the city grapples with public art.
These are just some of the works that have graced the Ives Gallery at the New Haven Free Public Library (NHFPL) in the past two years. Now, the library is reissuing its call to multimedia artists, community organizers, and activists who reflect New Haven in their work. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday Oct. 31; guidelines and more information are available at the library's website.
The gallery was first born in mid-2015, following renovations on the lower branch of the library. As it reopened, staff sought to establish a space that fostered greater community engagement, adding to the library's bustling teen center, "think tank" meeting space, and lower-level gathering space, which has been home to public readings, spirited debates, film screenings and literacy celebrations.
In the years since, it has featured work from professional and amateur artists, school and community groups, New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) students, and others. Recent exhibitions have included Dan Gries' Art From Code and Laura Macaluso's celebration of the city's vibrant CETA program in the 1970s.
The open call accepts proposals from individuals, pairs or groups of artists, independent curators, nonprofit organizations, public or private K-12 schools, colleges, universities, students, and teachers. The call closes Oct. 31 at 5 p.m.
Artist Kwadwo Adae, who has exhibited at the library tens of times in the past decade, praised the library for its continued work with local creatives, recalling how he has watched the lower level "evolve into a fantastic exhibition space over the past 10 years."
"They have provided an important and much-needed venue in the community for artists to exhibit their artwork," he added. "Artspace's City-Wide Open Studios happens every October, but we are fortunate to have access to this treasure of a resource in our community all year round."
The Ives Gallery at the New Haven Free Public Library is open during library hours, Monday-Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Click here to learn more about the submission process.