Artspace records

In the late 1970s, a group of New Haven artists began to conceive of a space for visual and performing arts. This community need was affirmed in 1982 when New Haven Mayor Biagio DiLieto commissioned a task force on community art spaces, which recommended the development of an arts center to provide space for New Haven’s artist community. Initially, an arts space was envisioned as part of the redevelopment of the Shubert Theater, but did not come to fruition due to budgetary reasons. Artists then conceived of an organization of their own, and this was the genesis of Artspace. In 1984, after receiving a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Artspace, Inc. was formally incorporated, receiving its non-profit designation in 1987. Early years of the organization were spent searching for permanent space at various locations in New Haven. Artspace operated from a storefront at the corner of Whitney and Audubon streets until 1985 when the Board of Trustees voted to become a tenant in a new building that the Arts Council of Greater New Haven and the New Haven Foundation were developing at the Audubon Arts Center. Artspace officially moved into the space in 1990 and spent several years at the Audubon location until 1998. Between 1998-2002, Artspace occupied 4 different empty storefronts until the City of New Haven and State of Connecticut helped it redevelop and operate from its current location in the historic Ninth Square, in what was a Civil War era furniture factory called the Chamberlain Building.

Artspace officially began holding events and programs in 1987. It presents a cycle of rotating exhibitions and performances each year, including an annual New Haven open studios festival which invites the public to view the work of local artists over several weekends. The largest convening of visual artists in Connecticut, the festival hosts hundreds of artists in spaces across New Haven, including the Marcel Breuer Pirelli Building, the Civil War Era Smoothie Building, and the Goffe Street Armory. Other signature programs include The Flatfile, a rotating collection of works of art on paper from local, national, and international artists. These works are for sale and are the basis for on and offsite exhibitions and academic study. Other sites for programming have included The Lot, an open space at 812 Chapel Street which presented temporary public art installations; and Untitled(space), an artist-run set of pop-up exhibitions in storefronts on College and Chapel Streets. Since 2010 Artspace has also hosted an Artist-in-Residence program.

In addition to supporting working artists, Artspace has offered several programs to foster arts education with local youth: Youthview, the teen docent program; Summer Arts for Youth (SAY), a mentoring program; and since 2001, an annual Summer Apprenticeship Program (SAP) that pairs New Haven Public high school students with artists who collaborate on the production and mounting of an artistic installation. The program was launched with Connecticut artist Sol LeWitt (1928-2007) and has been led by artists Titus Kaphar, Jean Shin, and Roberto Lugo, among others.