Arts Paper
As the editorially independent arm of The Arts Council of Greater New Haven, the Arts Paper seeks to celebrate, explore, and investigate the fine, visual, performing and culinary arts in and around New Haven.
Jennifer Coggins teaches a workshop on “Preserving Your History: Getting Started with Your Own Archives" at NHFPL's Fair Haven Branch.
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New Haven Adult & Continuing Education Center's graduation. Photos Kapp Singer. Wearing a royal blue robe and matching graduation cap, Miguel Loor grasped the microphone and launched into the national anthem. The audience stood, hands on their hearts. As he sang the final few bars of the song, Loor embellished on the classic melody, drawing impressed whoops from the crowd. The anthem kicked off the 2024 graduation ceremony of the New Haven Adult & Continuing Education Center (NHAEC), held Thursday morning in the auditorium of the John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU). Loor was one of the 145 students graduating from NHAEC. “Honestly, it was so much better than expected,” said Loor, who received his High School Credit (HSC) diploma through NHAEC. “Usually when you come into places like this, it feels like you’re giving up on regular school and you’re lowering your standards, but it’s not like that at all. You go in there and the teachers treat you like human beings, like actual adults.” Miguel Loor and his mother, Maria Clark. Loor and his mother moved to New Haven seven years ago from Madrid, and Loor enrolled in Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School. He initially focused on visual art, but after one teacher told him he had potential as a singer, began pursuing music. In 2020, after starting high school at the Sound School, he released his first EP, Wolfcat. Loor’s music gained a small online following and he began performing at venues in the greater New Haven area, including the State House and Space Ballroom. To focus on his art, Loor ended up taking time off school. “One of the big reasons why I ended up coming [to NHAEC] was that my music stuff got serious,” Loor said. Going forward, he said he hopes to continue his musical career, but he wanted to finish his senior year of high school first. “I came into this country for a reason, my mom brought me here for a reason,” he said. “The least I could do was get a diploma for her.” On Thursday, Loor not only performed the national anthem to open the ceremony, but with other members of Tony Maron’s instrumental music class at NHAEC, he played guitar and led a singalong of the Black Eyed Peas’s “I’ve Got a Feeling.” Dion Joefield processes into the ceremony. This year’s graduating class included students between 17 to 60 years old. They participated across NAEHC’s numerous programs, including the High School Credit Diploma, General Educational Development Program (GED), and National External Diploma Program (NEDP). Six of this year’s students, two of whom were at the graduation, passed the U.S. naturalization exam and received their U.S. citizenship. Others gained their Certified Nurse Assistant certification, granted by NAEHC in partnership with Northeast Medical Institute. “Today we gather to acknowledge the transformative power of education at any stage of life,” said Michelle Bonora, the principal of NAEHC. “All our graduates come with a different story, but they have all overcome obstacles.” Michelle Bonora. For Christine Stewart Davis, the ceremony was a celebration of overcoming several of those obstacles. She began at NAEHC in 2018 after being told by Gateway Community College, one semester in, that she had to go back to high school. She enrolled at NAEHC and immediately connected with GED teachers Maureen Ryan. “She provided me with the most immense support and gave me the drive to complete my GED,” Davis said in a speech on Thursday. However, in 2019, a year after beginning classes, Davis was diagnosed with breast cancer. She dropped out to take care of her health. As she went through her treatment, the idea of school faded from her brain. Then, much to her surprise, she received a call from Ryan. Christine Stewart Davis. “She was caring, and understanding, and I heard the strength in her voice which convinced me to re-enroll back in adult education classes,” Davis said. And for Lachell Hall, it was her math teacher, Cara Mortillo, who was particularly memorable. “She was the best, kind-hearted, loving teacher,” Hall said. Hall, who was in and out of school since the early 2000s, decided to enroll in NAEHC two years ago. She is not quite sure what life will hold for her moving forward, but for now she wants to take some time to relax and celebrate her accomplishment. “I’m just excited right now that I finally received my diploma at the age of 42,” she said.
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Marisabel Sanchez sanding. Photos Kapp Singer.
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De-circulated: An Interpretation of Banned Books at the Institute Library. Photos Kapp Singer.
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Ensemble Phoenicia performs at the Palestine Museum U.S. From left to right: Insia Malik, Charlotte Loukola, Amer Hasan, Robin Park, and Noémie Chemali. Photos Kapp Singer.
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Shirley Chock teaches Liz Celotto how to use a tai chi fan. Photos Kapp Singer.
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Members of the "Reimagining Freedom" cohort. From left to right: Yaneth Aleman, Jeniffer Perez-Caraballo, Mary Cyriac, Vanesa Suarez, and Nika Zarazvand. Photos Kapp Singer.
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Exquisite River at the Ely Center for Contemporary Art. Photos Kapp Singer.
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Maya Lwazi Rose dressed as the Mystery Machine. Photos Kapp Singer.
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