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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Sculpture by Taina Jackson. Photos Kapp Singer.
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Multidisciplinary musical storytelling group kamrDANCE performs "Addiction." Photos Kapp Singer.
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The typical life of a "Frankenstein," illustrated by Zach Felder in the New Haven Building Newsprint. Photos Kapp Singer.
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Cherry blossoms in bloom on Hughes Place next to Wooster Square Park. Photos Kapp Singer.
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Sheila Levrant de Bretteville: Community, Activism, and Design runs through June 23 at the Yale University Art Gallery. Photos Kapp Singer.
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Photos by Chris Gardner/Courtesy NXTHVN. Lungiswa Gqunta’s quiet voice, pierced by a few soft coughs, narrates a dream as the artist slowly rolls along the clean floor of a large empty room. Spoken in isiXhosa, Gqunta’s words from the video projection fill the back half of NXTHVN’s gallery as she fills her chest with air. She raises her arms above her head, and her body tumbles closer to the viewer before exiting the shot, arms still outstretched overhead, as if bound by the wrist.
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Zion Jones of Gather New Haven and Nyzae James of BAMN Books curated a discussion of Leah Penniman's Black Earth Wisdom at Possible Futures. Danielle Campbell photos.
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Lucy Ann Hurston is an author and niece of Zora Neale Hurston. Danielle Campbell Photos.
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Dillon: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (left) and Tamara Torres (right) by Grace Graupe-Pillard.
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Sharmont "Influence" Little was inducted as New Haven's first poet laureate during a ceremony at City Hall. Markeshia Ricks Photo.
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Trina Mace Learned speaks at the opening of Alchemy of Art: Ann P. Lehman and Creative Arts Workshop in December 2023. File photo Kapp Singer.
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Designer Tea Montgomery is joined by his family, from left to right: his father David Edwards, his brother Devon Edwards, Montgomery, his mother Rachelle Edwards, and his son Haiven. Montgomery launched a new project called ETHOS at The Third Space. Mindi Rose Englart photos.
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Picking out the perfect piece. Photos Kapp Singer.
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Barnum Festival 2024 Ringmaster Dr. Camelia Lawrence at a screening of the Bob Marley biopic "One Love." Markeshia Ricks photos.
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Destination Moon by Karen Hammer. Photos Kapp Singer.
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Lions and dragons, oh my, at Lunarfest 2024. Linda-Cristal Young Photos.
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Lauren Canalori's third grade class at L.W. Beecher with LaundroMax's Chris Walker. Photos Kapp Singer.
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Leaders of the Network Without Borders for Survivors of Violence from left to right: Ana Hernandez, Camila Guiza-Chavez, Caterina Passoni and Denisse Cruz-Contreras at the organization's launch. Lisa Reisman Photos.
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Andy Rubenoff, who managed the design for the Mardi Gras event. Photos Kapp Singer.
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Melanie Tohom Cruz sings Sam Cook's "A Change is Gonna Come." Kapp Singer photos.
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Beauty and the Beast being performed at Legacy Theatre in Branford last year. Photo courtesy Legacy Theatre.
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The former Saint Aedan’s Parish school building, where the Westville Performing Arts Center was located until last month. File photos Lucy Gellman.
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From left to right: Arati Pandit, Julie Greenwood, Randi Rubin Rodriguez, Linda Lindroth, Ilona Somogyi, and Hope Chávez at the Yale University School of Management for the "Women in Charge: A Conversation about Leadership." Mindi Englart Photos.
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Diana Henderson singing "Happy Birthday." Photos Kapp Singer. Diana Henderson carried a big chocolate cake covered with sparklers. With gusto, she sang “Happy Birthday” to all those born in January in the room.
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Austin Traver in The Shop's recording studio. Photos Kapp Singer.
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Danielle Chapman (right) and the Rev. Jack Perkins Davidson at Best Video Film & Cultural Center.
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Zinesters of all ages gathered at Possible Futures for the most recent New Haven Zine Scene meetup . Danielle Campbell Photos.
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Cara Santino is the founder of the Little Lion Collective. Mindi Rose Englart Photo.
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Lara Morton, co-founder of Fuse Theatre of CT, leads a chant outside West Haven City Hall. Photos Kapp Singer.
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A picture of Lehman welding mounted next to her artwork. All work by Ann Lehman. Photos Kapp Singer.
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Chris "Big Dog" Davis with Ace Livingston and Dexter Pettaway, Sr. Lucy Gellman Photos.
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Orlando Hernández performed a tap dance at the first garage on Cottage Street as part of East Rock Halloween Project's production of Boitatá. Arturo Pineda Photos.
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If a walker is close to the taco trucks and the Long Island Sound, they can start with engineer William Lanson's nineteenth-century extension on Long Wharf, and the Black genius that transformed commerce in New Haven and built part of the Farmington Canal's infrastructure.
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