An unjuried exhibition in collaboration with Nasty Women Connecticut
This year, Ely Center of Contemporary Art is collaborating with Nasty Women Connecticut for the group exhibition Silence Breakers. We invite artists working across disciplines, to create artwork that addresses issues of abuse, consent, and identity as well as themes of domesticity and home. The show will look at the often-blurred line between security and insecurity in the home, providing room to explore ideas around gender, equity, sexuality, individuality and domestic life.
Each year during Women’s History Month, the Ely Center of Contemporary Art (ECOCA) showcases In Grace We Trust, an annual exhibition that commemorates the philanthropic work of Grace Taylor Ely. During her lifetime, Grace transformed her home at 51 Trumbull Street into a space for local watercolorists and ceramicists to gather and show their work. Since her passing, the Ely Estate and Friends of John Slade Ely House of Contemporary Art have carried on this tradition, stewarding the building as a nurturing pillar of New Haven’s artist communities. In Grace We Trust addresses ideas of tradition and change — a nod to the past as we confront current societal challenges, and rise together to create our future narratives.
Throughout the month of March, the Ely Center will host a series of programs related to this year’s theme, including a panel discussion moderated by Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, performances, film screenings, nights, workshops, and artists talks.
About In Grace We Trust
The John Slade Ely House is an English Elizabethan style house built in 1905 by S. G. Taylor. It was home to John Slade Ely (1860–1906) and Grace Taylor Ely, who came to New Haven in 1897. From 1897 up until his tragic death in 1906, he held the Theory and Practice of Medicine chair at Yale School of Medicine. Grace, an active community member and supporter of the arts, left the house in Trust as a public art center after her death in 1960. The first exhibition opened in April 1961 with works from New Haven Paint & Clay Club.
Founded in 1961, the John Slade Ely House is New Haven's first major arts center curating and hosting many regional arts organizations.
