CWOS connects hundreds of visual artists to space, support, and audiences, making Greater New Haven a hotbed of creative production.
City-Wide Open Studios brings artists living and working in Connecticut together in an exhibition that spreads out across the City of New Haven over mutiple weekends. From recent graduates of the area’s fine arts programs, to distinguished artists with international reputations, to nascent collectives, social-justice oriented public art and self-taught artists, CWOS celebrates the ideas and process of a dynamic and generous creative community.
We’re celebrating our 19th year with our first-ever Kickstarter because we need your support. This event is for you–the artist, the visitor, the citizen, the explorer, but we can’t do it without your help.
We’re best known for finding and rehabbing empty historic buildings and securing them for the pop-up installations by artists that inspire and create pride in our unusual built environment. Our overall budget is $185,000. This covers all the clean up, rehabilitation, coordination, printing, website, security, insurance, fees for guest curators, signage, and special projects. And much more. We keep our fees to artists as low as possible–way lower than other Open Studios across the US– and most events are free to attend. The good news is that we do have grant funds that cover a good chunk of our budget. We’re $25,000 short.
Visitors and friends: Every dollar you give helps us get closer to being able to fully fund this program that is so eagerly anticipated by so many. Your support also keeps it free so that all can enjoy it.
Participating artists: please show your support by standing with us and opening up your studio and space–this year you can sign up right here at Kickstarter. Every artist who signs up gets us closer to being able to present the CWOS festival. And the sooner you sign up, the longer your work is on view on the CWOS.org website for audiences to see.
With your backing, we will also be able, for the very first time, to advertise in two national arts publications–HyperAllergic and Two Coats of Paint–so that we can attract many more people from the region to come and raise our national profile.
We also need your help to enrich the experience for all who are new to the visual arts. In response to requests from community leaders and educators, we’ve adopted a theme of Game On! to engage many more artists and citizens in playful, kinetic, and interactive public art. We need your help to connect these projects to community-based groups, neighbors, and other stakeholders of the huge, empty, Goffe Street Armory.
Check out the images of some of studios and recent commissions.
Check out some of our special Game On! projects that will be featured this year. They were selected by a panel of artists and community activists for their artistic merit and community-building potential.
This is the 2016 Alternative Space, the Goffe Street Armory, built in 1929 for the Governor’s Second Company Foot Guard. Its 220,000 square feet of space. Many of the games will be in the Drill Hall, and on the lawn and playing field in front of the building.
Want to know more about the festival’s history? Check out the CWOS website and this chronicle of how it all started.
Get Updates and stay informed about our progress. Like Artspace on Facebook and sign up for our monthly e-newsletter. Thank you for being part of City-Wide Open Studios.
A word about the rewards! Check out the playing cards published by Nine Pin Press and featured in Take Magazine, with artwork by Artspace Artist in Residence Eben Kling.
Check out the limited edition silkscreen, Working Artist, by the amazing George Corsillo, ofDesign Monsters.
Check out the woodblock print made by recent grad of the Lyme College of Fine Art, Chris O’Flaherty, to mark Artspace’s 30th year. Each woodcut print that was pulled is unique, and represents a time of day. Here is 2 AM.
Video by Ian Applegate, with additional footage by Travis Carbonella and photography by Graham Hebel.
Producing a mammoth community event is a very complex undertaking, and we take it seriously. Artspace has been presenting the CWOS Festival annually for almost 20 years. Over the years we’ve featured artists at all stages of professional development, finding and securing spaces such as old factories, schools, and office buildings. We are a trusted production partner of the City of New Haven, arranging temporary building permits, occupancy, security, and traffic/parking. Though every season has inherent risks, and there are plenty of unknowns associated with any large endeavor, our experience gives us certain advantages as we anticipate the exciting and complicated task ahead. Artspace has a reputation of being honest, upfront, and nimble. We appreciate your investment, and we’ll make every effort to produce an experience that makes you happy and us proud.