Thank you to everyone who applied to, showed interest in, and gave support towards the New Haven Artist Corps Grant.
Through generous support from the Mellon Foundation, the Arts Council along with our Facilitators Yex Diaz, Janai Kemp, Emalie Mayo, Annie Lin, Emily Roller, and JoAnne Wilcox are pleased to announce our twelve awardees who will use their $20,000 to create projects about New Haven, for New Haven.
These projects will be free and immersive for the community and the Arts Council will share details about events associated with these projects in the near future. We are excited for the community to engage with the New Haven Artist Corps, and look forward to sharing with our community the stories that will be gathered, shared, and preserved.
These projects will engage community members all over New Haven and invite their stories, stories that are often overlooked, to be shared with people who are unfamiliar with them; spreading awareness and creating a new lens for New Haven.
We look forward to what our cohort creates, learns, and how the artists grow through the project.
Read our awardees' artist bios and project descriptions below. Show them some love!
Olori is an interdisciplinary Artist using storytelling as medicine for communal transformation and healing. She makes and curates art at the intersection of language, visuals, textiles, sound and technology.
Project Description: New World Haven is an interdisciplinary, community-centered initiative that harnesses art, technology, and storytelling to illuminate the diverse narratives and untold past and future histories of New Haven, fostering connection, understanding and liberated thinking. Through immersive, place-based experiences, we will bridge divides, promote cultural equity, and inspire positive social change.
Nohra is a Colombian immigrant, indie author, and translator. As a volunteer at the Public Library and a teaching artist at a local senior center, she shares her love of multilingual literacy, storytelling, poetry, and the joy of dance.
Project Description:Generaciones que cuentan: Hispanic Intergenerational Empowerment and Cultural Ownership through Literacy in Fair Haven project seeks to encourage Hispanic seniors and adults to experience the joy of sharing their stories and heritage through storytelling and reading to their generations, empowering them to create and use books, take advantage of their public library, and incorporate reading into their routines, fostering literacy and cultural ownership.
Marquis a New Haven, CT native, is a contemporary artist with a fervor for crafting mesmerizing abstract paintings, portraits, and beyond. Through his venture, Black XLNC, he ingeniously channels the vibrant strokes of his creations to illuminate the inherent excellence within each individual, turning his studio into a haven where art becomes a compelling narrative of self-discovery and celebration.
Project Description: Roots Unveiled is a large-scale art project, which comprises 10 canvas masterpieces exploring the lives, beliefs, and trauma of the men in my family and those I consider family, within the rich tapestry of the New Haven neighborhoods where I grew up.
Jonah is a Graduate level creative writer and public speaker from New Haven, and a current MFA Candidate in Southern Connecticut State University's Creative Writing Program. Jonah writes with the intent to give agency to Black perspectives by acknowledging forgotten histories and decentralizing the white gaze.
Project Description: In this Audio Fantasy/ Drama, The Haus of Black follows the conflict between two magical groups in the fictional Rainwood Connecticut after the police shooting of a 15-year old Black boy. The Haus of Black, a Black-owned Conjure shop, leads the city's protests demanding justice end up going to war with The Children of Salem, an all-white witch's coven with ties to the police department fighting desperately to keep the status quo.
Creative playwright, story teller, musical director, influencer, and community activist; Andrea is a force to be reckoned with. The creator of the powerful A2A Productions; promoting education and healing through the arts. The Cry Within Project was birthed in 2016 to awaken and pilot awareness to critical topics that are often shamefully unspoken of in our cultures, races, and families. These life-changing monologues are performed and shared with the community. Andrea states her mission is to put a face to people’s pain; all while dispelling stigma, offering a safe space to begin healing. Andrea is a wife and proud mother of two beautiful children
Project Description: The Cry Within Monologues is a dynamic theatrical art project dedicated to social justice advocacy in New Haven. By seamlessly integrating musical productions, spoken word presentations, and dance ensembles, the project confronts and dismantles stigmas surrounding pressing social issues, offering a powerful platform for community engagement and upliftment.
Blake is a multidisciplinary artist living in Dixwell. He is a lifelong learner, and his curiosity has led him to create art inspired by the subjects he learns about, observations from life, and the people he connects with.
Project Description: Chrono Puzzle seeks to tell stories of Black joy, resilience, and empowerment that were once located within the now-disused New Haven Armory. Communal art-making workshops will produce a collective vision and mural embodying Black Joy, nodding to the Armory’s significance past and present, and envisioning its future.
Dishaun is a New Haven native with a passion for capturing and sharing 'organic content' through media arts. He has a strong desire to highlight positive & innovative Afro-Indigenous efforts, organizations & individuals, from an authentic & culturally relevant storytelling perspective, to educate community members & connect them to life-changing opportunities.
Project Description: Black, Brown & Green; A Digital Palette of Elm City Agriculture is a documentary designed to shed light on the BIPOC Agriculture scene in New Haven; past, present and future. This documentary touches on the following themes: Community Gardens, New Haven's Food System Policy Division, Local Youth in Agriculture, History as Told from our Elders & Urban Agriculture Careers/Entrepreneurship.
Raven Mitchell
Raven is a poet, musician, writer, and educator. As a lifelong resident of New Haven, her passion has always been to contribute to the community and to advocate for all children.
Project Description: 165 Years of Academics: Hear Our Stories looks at New Haven, life, love, and struggle through the lens of a student. From past to present, students of James Hillhouse High School have shown resilience and perseverance through some of our world's most difficult times, and their own.
Carolanne is a mixed media artist and educator living in New Haven, working in a studio at Erector Square in Fair Haven. She has been teaching at the university level for many years, currently at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. She shows her work in exhibitions nationally and internationally, and participates in artist residencies, most recently in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Project Description: Chapel/Day Sitting Plaza Sculpture Park will create colorful sculptures on top of the grey concrete traffic barriers located on the perimeter of the sitting plaza. The sculptures will be inspired by drawings and stories from children in the New Haven School districts.
Daniel "silencio" (He/They) is a first-generation Salvadoran-American artist based in New Haven, Connecticut. Through painting, printmaking, and D.I.Y. self-publishing through zines, they explore themes of memories and nostalgia through the lens of play, love, identity and more, both within the past and present day.
Project: El Rincón de Papel (The Paper Corner) is a community zine resource and zine distro aimed at supporting marginalized (QTBIPOC, Immigrant, Low-Income, etc) creatives + zine makers. Through workshops, collective gatherings, free-of-cost printing + art supplies, individuals will use paper to amplify their collective voice and personal narratives.
The younger me birthed the notion of defying tradition, aiming for a bold and unapologetic presence. As I matured, my goal transformed into a testament to craftsmanship. This dedication has earned me recognition within a community that needs more Black leaders and creators. At Deadby5am, everything is meticulously crafted by me, the owner, Brenton Shumaker. Welcome to DB5, where each creation tells a unique story of defiance and artistry.
Project Description: Project Storefront transformative, 2 part-immersive experience that transcends the role of a traditional art platform. Rooted in the diverse & vibrant artistic community of NH, this initiative represents not only a celebration of the city's narratives but a dynamic story of community transformation and the profound impact of the arts.
Antonyo Streater
Antonyo is a multimedia specialist and sports coach who was born and raised in New Haven, CT. Over the years he has provided services to several local businesses, sport leagues, political campaigns and other business entities.
Project Description: Blackballed will be a docu-series that highlights the struggles of black youth and inner-city sports organizations that disproportionately lack next-level success in baseball due to high costs and minimal representation.
Congratulations to all the awardees-- you will do so many beautiful things for the community!
The Arts Council of Greater New Haven would like to thank the Mellon Foundation who will graciously provide financial support for the New Haven Artists Corps. Thanks to their support, from 2023 to 2025, the New Haven Artist Corps will focus on place-based projects that are rooted in what is local - the histories, environments, cultures, and stories that are unique to the City of New Haven.
Our sincerest thanks to our New Haven Artist Corps Facilitators,Yex Diaz, Janai Kemp, Emalie Mayo, Annie Lin, JoAnne Wilcox, and Emily Roller
The Arts Council champions a diverse, regional arts community where creativity thrives, believing that art, culture, and creative expression are fundamental human rights. A leading regional nonprofit arts agency, we provide leadership and advocacy for artists and cultural organizations throughout the Greater New Haven community. Publisher of The Arts Paper, the Arts Council provides critical support services, community programs, and learning opportunities to thousands of artists, creative organizations, and residents every year.
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