Yale staff members take part in Artspace’s 30th anniversary celebration

Artists and art lovers alike, including Yale staff members, will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Artspace during a three-day “reunion” Friday-Sunday, June 23-25.

At the event, artists, art curators, and others will reflect on the contributions made by New Haven-based artists and will mark the 30 years of exhibitions and programs that have made the city a catalyst for artistic inquiry.

Artspace is a nonprofit organization located in downtown New Haven that supports emerging artists and builds audiences for contemporary art. Artspace’s exhibition and commissioning programs — in the gallery, outdoors, and city-wide — encourage experimentation, discovery, and civic discourse, while fostering the role artists play in improving the community. The organization, which also hosts the annual City-wide Open Studios arts festival, recently donated its archives, documenting its 30 years of exhibitions and other events connecting artists and art with the community, to Yale’s Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library.

Among the Yale staff participating in talks as part of “Three Decades of Change: 30th Anniversary Reunion” are Christopher Mir, an artist and a senior museum technician at the Yale University Art Gallery; Jaime Ursic, an artist and assistant curator of education at the Yale Center for British Art; Laura Wexler, professor of American studies and of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies; Heather Gendron, director of the Haas Arts Library; Euan Cochrane, digital preservation manager at the Yale University Library; and Tim Young, a curator at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

“Three Decades of Change” will feature a Monster Drawing Rally, a live drawing event and fundraiser; discussions on such topics as “30 Years of Artists Transforming Space,” “Taking a Closer Look at the Curator-Artist Relationship,” “Thinking About Monuments Now” and “Race and Creative Authorship,” among others; as well as workshops, a book talk, receptions, and networking.

All events are free, but registration is required. For a full schedule of events, as well as details about childcare, accommodations, and more, visit the Artspace website.