Please pardon our appearance while our site is under construction.
In the mean time, here is all the information on the 2008 City-Wide Open Studios so far.
More information will be posted as it is released closer to the festival.
MAIN MENU:
About 2008 City-Wide Open Studios
Calendar & Events
Information for Artists:
• Introduction
• Important Dates for Artists
• Who Can Participate
• When & Where
• About the:
...CONNcentric, exhibition at Artspace
...Artist Directory
...Artist-in-Residence Site (AIRS) program
...Opening your Studio or Temporary Studio
• Registration Fees & Commission
• About Registration
• Preparing Materials
• Publicity & Signage
Press Release - June 19, 2008
A Letter to CWOS Artists from Leslie Shaffer, Executive Director of Artspace
Over the past eleven years, City-Wide Open Studios (CWOS) has drawn thousands of visitors to explore New Haven’s neighborhoods while discovering artists, galleries, and the treasures of our city.
The 2008 CWOS features one big festival weekend activating five neighborhoods in New Haven including hundreds of local artist's studios, five community-based exhibitions, and many special events and programs.
Located in downtown New Haven, Artspace serves as the festival hub and the site of CONNcentric, an exhibition showing the work of over 100 exemplary artists. From Artspace, festival visitors can pick up a shuttle to the neigborhood centers or join bus, bike and walking tours. New, to this year's event, is the addition of a 400-page bound CWOS Artist Directory featuring a full-page artist profile on each participant, available from Artspace all year as a lasting guide to CWOS artists.
Complete details and an official map with all locations are available at Artspace and in the New Haven Advocate in October, as well as on the CWOS website: www.cwos.org.
Open Studios: Impact
City-Wide Open Studios celebrates contemporary art in all its myriad forms, and is undoubtedly Connecticut's leading visual arts festival. Art dealers and curators from the region and beyond have used CWOS as a resource to discover new artists, plan upcoming shows, and buy art. One of the largest Open Studios programs in the country, CWOS unites hundreds of local artists with the Greater New Haven community.
The 2008 CWOS partners with five Greater New Haven neighborhoods: Westville, Fair Haven, Downtown, Hamden/Newhallville and West Haven. Our goal is to empower neighborhoods by uniting artists working in these neighborhoods with the local community and businesses. We welcome artists from outside New Haven to also engage with these communities by activating temporary studio spaces. Visitors to CWOS are invited to explore these neighborhoods where they will find art in new and unusual spaces; discover local businesses and restaurants; and join guided walking, bike and bus tours connecting all satellite neighborhoods with the festival hub at Artspace.
City-Wide Open Studios is a program of Artspace, a Connecticut non-profit organization presenting local and national visual art, providing access, excellence and education for the benefit of the public and the arts community.
Artspace’s 11th Annual City-Wide Open Studios celebrates contemporary art in its myriad forms, spanning October 2nd through 5th, 2008. Thousands of visitors intersect with hundreds of artists in their studios and artist-in-residence sites, see the exhibition CONNcentric at Artspace, and explore the diverse and interesting neighborhoods of Greater New Haven on a walking, bus or bike tour.
October 2 • 5–8PM: CONNcentric Preview Reception and Festival Kick-off at Artspace
October 3 • 4–8PM: Studios and exhibitions Open
October 4 • 12–8PM: Studios and exhibitions Open
October 5 • 12–8PM: Studios and exhibitions Open
Introduction:
Welcome Artists! We hope you're as excited as we are to get the 2008 City-Wide Open Studios under way! After last year's festival, we asked for you to tell us how to improve and expand the reach of our program through an online survey and a series of focus groups. We received excellent comments and suggestions and used them to develop this year's festival— we're sure you'll be happy with the results!
The 2008 program includes new opportunities for you to show your work to more visitors, make connections with a greater number of curators, develop professional practices in building your portfolio and resume, and be listed in a year-round directory of artists working in and around New Haven. Things will look a little different to you, but be assured that everything was built with you in mind! We look forward to collaborating with you to present the 11th Annual City-Wide Open Studios (CWOS) in New Haven, CT.
The 2008 CWOS is one big weekend, and we will be promoting it as a destination event to draw people to our great city and explore the many areas where artists are working, living, and producing art.
Ways to Be Involved:
1. Open your local studio or show in a temporary space
2. Apply for the Artist-in-Residence Site (AIRS) program.
3. Apply for the exhibition, CONNcentric, at Artspace.
4. List your artist profile in the printed Artist Directory
1. Open your local studio.
Whether in your apartment, house, garage, studio complex (Erector Square, 14 Gilbert St., etc) or a rented studio, you are encouraged to register to open your doors October 3 through 5, 2008. All studios are required to be open from 4–8 pm on Friday, October 3, and from 12–8 pm on Saturday and Sunday, October 4–5, 2008.
Artists from outside New Haven or artists in New Haven without studios are encouraged to find temporary studio or exhibition spaces in any of the CWOS neighborhoods Downtown New Haven (including East Rock), Westville, Fair Haven, West Haven, and Hamden / Newhallville. We urge you to be resourceful and find a studio to rent, borrow or share for the weekend on your own. Artspace will hold meetings in each of the neighborhoods to connect you with other artists without studios to form groups and share ideas. We suggest you register early and give yourself time to find a space.
The deadline to send us your studio location for inclusion in our printed materials is August 22, 2008.
2. Apply for the Artist-in-Residence Site (AIRS) program (early application: July 30 deadline)
Apply to show your new work as part of the Artist-in-Residence Sites Program. 60-80 artists will be selected by a panel of eight professional jurors (four local curators and four national curators) to participate in the five exhibitions. Each AIRS hosts 10-15 artists and occupies a vacant building in each of the following Greater New Haven neighborhoods involved in CWOS: Downtown New Haven (including East Rock), Westville, Fair Haven, West Haven, and Hamden / Newhallville. These exhibitions are a key component of the City-Wide Open Studios festival and are a key stop on each of the guided tours. The AIRS Program is an amazing opportunity to have your work noticed—you are guaranteed a location to be seen by thousands of visitors. Artists selected for the AIRS will be notified by August 8, 2008.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are selected as an Artist-in-Residence, you are not eligible to be included in CONNcentric. The AIRS program exhibitions are open from 4–8 pm on Friday October 3, 2008, and from 12–8 pm on Saturday, October 4, 2008 and Sunday, October 5, 2008. If selected we recommend you be onsite during these hours to interact with and answer questions from the public.
3. Apply for the exhibition CONNcentric at Artspace (early application: July 30 deadline)
If you do not have a studio in Greater New Haven to open or are not interested in applying for the Artist-in-Residence Sites program, we highly encourage you to apply to show work in CONNcentric.
Artspace will transform our main gallery into an exhibition highlighting the work of over 100 participating artists. The exhibition’s curator will select exemplary work representing quality artists in Connecticut. CONNcentric will be on view at Artspace from October 2, 2008 through December 13, 2008–an incredible opportunity to have your work on view for three months. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are selected for the exhibition, you are also eligible and encouraged to open your own studio or temporary studio space. The exhibition will be open and staffed by Artspace during our regular business hours.
4. List your profile in the Artist Directory
All participating artists in 2008 CWOS will be listed in the Artist Directory. If you are not available to participate in the festival during 2008, we welcome you to list your artist profile for a $25 fee in our printed Artist Directory. This directory will be for sale at our gallery and through our website year-round for anyone who wants to contact you about your work. Each artist profile will have an image of one artwork, a short artist statement, and contact information of your choice. If you opt to only be profiled in the Artist Directory, you will not be listed in any of our other publications.
Info for Artists: Important Dates:
June 30: 5:30–7PM • CWOS Info Session at Artspace, 50 Orange Street, New Haven CT 06510
July 1: Registration opens.
Register online for all CWOS opportunities: Artist-in-Residence Sites Program, the exhibition, CONNcentric and opening your own studio or temporary studio.
July 1: 5:30-7PM
CWOS Info Session in West Haven (location TBA)
CWOS Info Session in Hamden (location TBA)
July 2: 5:30-7PM
CWOS Info Session in Fair Haven (location TBA)
CWOS Info Session in Westville (location TBA)
July 12: 10AM-NOON • CWOS Workshop: Preparing your images for registration:
July 17: 5-7PM • CWOS Workshop at Artspace: Preparing your images for registration
July 24: 5-7PM • CWOS Workshop at Artspace: Preparing your images for registration
July 30: Deadline to Apply for special exhibitions: Artist-in-Residence Site (AIRS) program and CONNcentric.
August 8: Artists selected for the AIRS program and CONNcentric exhibition receive notification.
(If you were not selected for this year’s AIRS program or the exhibition, you can still register to open your studio or temp. space)
August 22: Deadline to Register Your Studio or Temporary Studio, and to be included in the Artist Directory.
October 2: 5–8PM • CONNcentric Opening Reception and Festival Kick-off at Artspace.
October 3: 4–8PM • All CWOS festival sites open from 4–8PM
October 4–5: 12–8PM • All CWOS festival sites open
December 13: CONNcentric closes
Info for Artists: Who Can Participate
CWOS is open to all Connecticut visual artists. Choose which component of the festival interest you, and then register using our online system. We will notify you after each deadline about which portion of the festival your work will be shown in. We encourage artists at all stages of their careers to apply for one or more of our City Wide Open Studios options.
Open your private studio to the public if you are in Downtown New Haven (including East Rock), Hamden/Newhallville, Westville, or West Haven. If you do not have access to a studio within this area, you are invited to find a temporary studio and apply for our special exhibition opportunities - the Artist-in-Residence Site (AIRS) program or CONNcentric, the exhibition at Artspace.
Art Students
University students are welcome to participate in CWOS. Colleges (Paier, Southern and Yale) may open their campus studios for CWOS. Ask your art department if there are special arrangements for registration at your school studio.
Artist Groups and Special Programs
Artspace welcomes groups who are pursuing the visual arts as part of a
collective, social, educational, or community program. If your group
has a space you use to make art in one of our neighborhoods, open up your space to the public! You can register to open your own studio using our online system.
Info for Artists: When & Where
Artist's studios and AIRS exhibitions are located in Downtown New Haven (including East Rock), Westville, Fair Haven (including Erector Square), West Haven, and Hamden/Newhallville, and will be open to the public Friday, October 3 from 4-8 pm, and Saturday and Sunday October 4 and 5 from 12-8 pm. If you are opening your own studio or are opening a temporary studio of your own, you must be able to commit to being open and present at your studio these festival hours.
If you have artwork in the exhibition CONNcentric, the show will run at the Artspace gallery through December 13, 2008. You can invite visitors down to look at your work all fall!
If you are listed in the printed Artist Directory, your information will be available all year long for purchase at Artspace and online. In addition, all studios, participating galleries, and exhibition spaces will be listed with maps in the Open Studios Map and Guide, published and distributed by the New Haven Advocate in October. Information will be available in our gallery over the festival weekend.
Info for Artists: About CONNcentric
CONNcentric is an exhibition showcasing exemplary work by over 100 Connecticut artists participating in the 2008 City-Wide Open Studios program. Each artist will be represented by 1-2 artworks.
The 2008 exhibition will be curated by the new Artspace Curator / Gallery Director (to be announced in July). Each year a new curator will be selected to organize the exhibition. The deadline to apply for inclusion in CONNcentric is Wednesday, July 30, at 11:59 pm. The exhibition curator will review those Artist Profiles submitted through the CWOS online registration of artists who have marked to be considered. Those selected will be notified by August 8, 2008, and, at that time, given information on installation, artwork drop-off and de-installation. The installation of CONNcentric will be thematically organized and designed by the exhibition curator.
Artspace makes every attempt to find buyers for artwork displayed through our exhibitions. Exhibiting artists who would like to make their work available for purchase will be asked to indicate the sale value. Artspace takes a 30% commission on any sale made through the gallery.
Info for Artists: About the Artist Directory
There are 3 places that every participating artist will be listed: the online directory, the printed Artist Directory, and the 2008 CWOS Map & Guide printed in the New Haven Advocate.
1. Online directory. The profile each artist submits through the registration process will be made available as an individual page including where they will be showing, an artist statement, up to 3 images, and a link to an outside portfolio website. Once you have registered and uploaded your artist statement and images, these will appear in the directory. If you choose and are selected to participate in the Artist-in-Residence Sites program or CONNcentric, this information will also be included.
2. The Artist Directory. New this year is the addition of a full color, 400 page, bound printed book directory highlighting every participating artist. Each artist will have a full-page profile that will include their name, artist statement, one image, website and any contact information they want to have printed. This book will be available to purchase on the weekend of CWOS at Artspace and each of the neighborhoods. It will also be available to purchase year-round at Artspace and online as a lasting guide to CWOS and artists in Greater New Haven. Every artist included will receive one complimentary copy of the directory. Artists who are unable to take part in the CWOS weekend this year, can register to be listed in the directory for a fee of $25, but will not be listed in our other publications for CWOS.
3. CWOS Map & Guide. The New Haven Advocate features the CWOS Official Map & Guide, in the October 1,2008 issue in Greater New Haven, and promotes the event in its Fairfield, and Hartford issues. The Guide will feature a listing of each artist, studio location and medium, along with maps of each neighborhood and a schedule of events. Extra copies will be available at Artspace.
Info for Artists: About Artists-in-Residence Site (AIRS) Program
The AIRS program presents five special exhibitions; one in each of the five featured neighborhoods. 60-80 artists will be selected by a panel of eight professional jurors from local universities and national galleries to participate. Each AIRS site hosts 10-15 artists and occupies a vacant building in each of the following Greater New Haven neighborhoods involved in CWOS: Downtown New Haven (including East Rock), Westville, Fair Haven, West Haven, and Hamden / Newhallville. These exhibitions are a key component of the City-Wide Open Studios festival and are a designated stop on each of the guided tours. The AIRS Program is an amazing opportunity to have your work noticed—you are guaranteed a location to be seen by thousands of visitors. Artists selected for the AIRS will be notified by August 8, 2008.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are selected as an AIRS artist, you are not eligible to be included in CONNcentric. The AIRS program exhibitions are open from 4–8 pm on Friday October 3, 2008, and from 12–8 pm on Saturday, October 4, 2008 and Sunday, October 5, 2008. If selected we recommend you be onsite during these hours to interact with and answer questions from the public.
Info for Artists: About Opening your studio or a temporary studio
Your Studio: Whether in your apartment, house, garage, studio complex (Erector Square, 14 Gilbert St., etc) or a rented studio, you are encouraged to register to open your doors October 3 through 5, 2008. All studios are required to be open from 4–8 pm on Friday, October 3, and from 12–8 pm on Saturday and Sunday, October 4–5, 2008.
Temporary Studio: Artists from outside New Haven or artists in New Haven without studios are encouraged to find temporary studio or exhibition spaces in any of the CWOS neighborhoods Downtown New Haven (including East Rock), Westville, Fair Haven, West Haven, and Hamden / Newhallville. We urge you to be resourceful and find a studio to rent, borrow or share for the weekend on your own. Artspace will hold meetings in each of the neighborhoods to connect you with other artists without studios to form groups and share ideas. We suggest you register early and give yourself time to find a space.
Info for Artists: Registration Fees & Commission
Festival Participation Fee: $50
The fee for participating in CWOS is $50.
For this fee you will be listed in the printed Artist Directory, the online directory, and the Map & Guide printed by the New Haven Advocate. This fee also includes the opportunity to apply for the Artist-in-Residence Sites program or CONNcentric, the exhibition at Artspace. Also, you will receive one complementary copy of the printed directory (a $25 value), 25 invitation postcards to send to your mailing list, and directional signs to lead visitors to your studio. We will heavily promote the event and bring visitors to your door.
Printed Directory ONLY: $25
If you are a Connecticut Artist and are unable to participate in CWOS 2008, you can be listed in the printed directory for a fee of $25. You will receive one complementary copy of the printed Artist Directory, but will not be listed in any other of our publications.
Commission
During City-Wide Open Studios, you are encouraged to sell your work. Work sold at through CONNcentric (the exhibition at Artspace) is subject to a 30% Artspace commission. For other sales made during your weekend event, please consider making a tax-deductible donation of 20% of your sales.
How Fees & Commissions Are Used
Your fee and commissions form the foundation of a much larger Open Studios project budget. Artspace works to attract sponsorships and grants to be able to provide a range of services to each Open Studios artist, including cards and advertising, emergency medical personnel, city street banners, a website with your images, artist-in-residence site rehabilitation, bus, pedi-cab and bike tours, workshops, the main exhibition, the printed directory and the CWOS Map & Guide, and staffing.
The value of these services to Artspace averages $400/artist and we work year round to find these resources for you, so please consider supporting the effort with a donation of your time or a portion of your proceeds.
Info for Artists: About Registration
We have made every attempt to make the registration process easy to understand and use. However, if you need help using the online registration form, contact Artspace by phone during our business hours and ask for Jemma Williams, Communications Director, 203.772.2709 x10.
You are welcome to make an appointment to come to Artspace for assistance with registration. A staff member will help you complete the online registration using an Artspace computer.
If you do not have access to the Internet at home, you are also welcome to come to Artspace and use our computer or our free wireless.
Info for Artists: Preparing Materials:
Artist Statement
A brief paragraph (50 words or less) is your opportunity to describe your artwork and explain your reasons for creating art. This statement will appear with your profile in the printed directory and online directory.
NOTE: We will not be including an image and artist statement in the CWOS Map & Guide printed by the Advocate this year. Only your name, studio location and medium will be listed. Visitors will be asked to preview the full-color images of all artist's work online or in the printed Artist Directory.
Digital Images
You can submit up to 3 images for your Artist Profile. The images you submit will be shown on your profile page in the online directory and one will be selected for your profile in the printed Artist Directory. These will also be used by the curators, along with your artist statement, to select artists for the AIRS program and the exhibition CONNcentric.
Please ensure that the images are the correct size, or they will not be used. Images should be resized in Photoshop no larger than 6x4 inches at 300 dpi, in CMYK color, saved as a jpg with image quality set to 5. (DO NOT save for the web!!) The file size for each file should be no larger than 600K, or the website will not upload them. There will be three Web Image workshops at Artspace (July 12 • 10am-12pm, July 17 • 5-7pm, and July 24 • 5-7pm) before the registration deadlines to walk you through this process. If you are unfamiliar with editing your own images, it is highly recommended that you attend one of the workshops. You can also make an appointment to come in and use our computer and assistance in resizing your images. Please call Jemma Williams to arrange an appointment: 203.772.2709 x10.
We are no longer accepting slides. And we CAN NOT take photos of your work for you. NO EXCEPTIONS! Please make arrangements to have your worked photographed, or borrow a friend’s digital camera and take your own photos. DO NOT bring your work or slides to Artspace, we can't accept them.
Info for Artists: Publicity & Signage
To help bring visitors to your studio, Artspace will provide publicity materials, signage, an online directory, a printed Artist Directory, the Map & Guide, and press coverage.
Invitation Postcards
Each artist will receive 25 CWOS postcards, which have room for you to mark your name and location. You are encouraged to widely distribute these early. You can request more postcards if needed. Please remember to add your own stamp! A digital invite will also be available to you; please prepare your email distribution list and send it out as soon as we make it available to you.
Signage for Your Studio
Artspace will provide directional signs that you can customize and use to direct visitors to your studio door.
Pick up Postcards, Brochures, and Signs at Artspace in September, dates to be announced.
Printed Artist Directory
All participating artists in CWOS 2008 will be listed in the printed directory. If you are not available to participate in the festival during 2008, we welcome you to be listed, for a $25 fee, in our printed Artist Directory. Every artist listed in the directory will receive one complimentary copy. This directory will be for sale at our gallery and through our website year-round for $25, for anyone who wants to contact you about your work. This listing will have an image of your work, your website, a 50-word artist statement, and contact information of your choice. If you opt to only be listed in the printed directory, you will not be listed in any of our other publications.
CWOS Map & Guide
The New Haven Advocate features the CWOS Map & Guide, in the October 1 issue in Greater New Haven, and promotes the event in its Fairfield, and Hartford issues. The Guide will feature a listing of each artist, studio location and medium, along with maps of each neighborhood and a schedule of events. Extra copies will be available at Artspace.
News Coverage
Artspace works to attract major news coverage of CWOS events and individual artists in the festival. CWOS has been featured in the New York Times, Connecticut Magazine, The Boston Globe, Time Out New York, Hartford Courant, National Public Radio and local television stations and newspapers.