Artspace (founded 1987) was a contemporary art gallery and non-profit organization located in downtown

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. Artspace closed its physical location in June 2023 and announced plans to operate remotely.

Teen program

Artspace hosted an annual Summer Apprenticeship Program (SAP) for high school students to work with a professional artist. In 2001, the program's founding year, Artspace partnered with artist

Sol LeWitt Solomon "Sol" LeWitt (September 9, 1928 – April 8, 2007) was an American artist linked to various movements, including conceptual art and minimalism. LeWitt came to fame in the late 1960s with his wall drawings and "structures" (a term he pref ...

to create a series of wall drawings. Past SAP projects have included: * 2001: ''Wall Drawings'' with

* 2002: ''On the Day I Was Born'' with David Pease * 2003: ''View From Here'' with Lee Boronson * 2005: ''Organic Bending'' with Shih-Chieh Huang * 2008: ''Hawaii'' with William Downs * 2009: ''Babel Collections'' with Carolyn Salas * 2011: ''Trellised Bench'' with Boris Chesakov and Ryan Wolfe

The Lot

The Lot is Artspace's pocket park and public art space. It is located near Artspace at 812 Chapel Street, the site of a busy bus stop. Artspace has presented temporary art installations here since 1999, and redeveloped it as a dedicated art space in 2005 in collaboration with local and federal agencies.

Early history

The Lot began as an empty lot. It was formerly the site of the Phoenix Building, which was torn down in the late 1990s because of safety concerns, leaving a rubble-filled lot.Bromage, Andy (June 8, 2005)
"City bus stop getting a face lift"
.

New Haven Register The ''New Haven Register'' is a daily newspaper published in New Haven, Connecticut. It is owned by Hearst Communications. The Register's main office is located at 100 Gando Drive in New Haven. The ''Register'' was established about 1812 and i ...

. In 1999, Marianne Bernstein of Artspace's Visual Arts Committee, asked Mayor John DeStefano for permission and organized the inaugural project in the Lot, "New Haven Labyrinth." A team of local artists led by Sharon Kurland created a maze, inspired by a Cretan labyrinth, made out of local river rocks painted by over 2500 local residents.

Renovations

In 2001, a community

charrette A charrette (American pronunciation: /ʃɑːˈrɛt/; French: �aʁɛt, often Anglicized to charette or charet and sometimes called a design charrette, is a collaborative, intense period of design or planning activity. The term was introduced to m ...

focused on the Lot was organized by Artspace, the International Festival of Arts and Ideas and

Project for Public Spaces Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is a nonprofit organization based in New York dedicated to creating and sustaining public places that build communities A community is a Level of analysis, social unit (a group of people) with a shared socia ...

. There, artists and neighborhood residents developed ideas for renovating the site, including plantings, pathways, benches, and a new bus shelter. The design, anchored by benches of stone recycled from the Phoenix Building, was honored by the

American Society of Landscape Architects The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is a professional association for landscape architects in the United States. The ASLA's mission is to advance landscape architecture through advocacy, communication, education, and fellowship. ...

Exhibitions

Exhibitions at the Lot included: * Deborah Hesse (curator): ''Line'' (2001), a large group sculpture show * Christopher Fennell: ''Tree Dome'' (2005–2006), a contemplative space made of foraged lumber * DeWitt Godfrey: ''Pamplona'' (2006), one of three projects in Public Art Moving Site, giant rusty loops of sheet metal filling the Lot's Orange Street gateway * Colin McMullan: ''A Lot in Our Lives'' (2007), interactive sculptures including outdoor libraries for books and objects This exhibition was home to McMullan's first Corner Library, a project which is ongoing at various locations in New York City. * William Lamson: ''Long Shot'' (2009–2010), basketball court of massive proportions"Long Shot"

Artspace
Retrieved 2010-11-11.

References

External links

* Artspace Records (ART 36), Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library Special Collections, Yale Library. {{Coord, 41, 18, 15.6, N, 72, 55, 30.9, W, display=title Contemporary art galleries in the United States Buildings and structures in New Haven, Connecticut Tourist attractions in New Haven, Connecticut Art museums and galleries in Connecticut 1987 establishments in Connecticut Art museums and galleries established in 1987