Summer Apprenticeship Program 2026
W/ Mentoring artist Kat Wiese
APPLICATION HERE
Download Flier HERE
Applications are open April 9 - May 25, 2026
Notification of acceptance will be May 30, 2026
SAP runs from July 6- July 24, 2026, 1-4pm (with an option to stay until 5pm)
SAP begins with an orientation, an opportunity for the students and staff to get to know each other. The Lead artist, Kat Wiese, makes a presentation about her work and career path, and how these relate to the project ahead. This is followed by field trips to search for source material and inspiration. The Beinecke Library holds several original copies of the Green Book and will host the students for one of these field trips! In the second week, the emphasis shifts to production and execution. Students plan the course of the work and together decide how they will complete it. Each day includes supervised studio/making time and optional extended day hours at ECOCA. During these first two weeks, the students will also interact with visiting citizen-historian/Fair Haven educator Ian Dudley and deepen their knowledge of the immediate blocks surrounding City Seed. Dudley will help craft some of the interpretive materials that will accompany the exhibition. In the last week, students install and finish the work, and are given the opportunity to discuss their work with the press and young audiences. In the evening of July 26th, we hold a graduation ceremony and reception in our new space at City Seed in Fair Haven. The students will each receive their work stipend and recognition (Last year the awards were presented by the New Haven Public Schools Arts Chair Holly Maxson). The reception will feature local poet Yex presenting a new commissioned poem inspired by The Green Book.
On August 15, the students and mentors will represent the project at a Resource Booth at Black Wall Street on the Green. The legacy of the Green Book's as a driver of economic power for Black people will be showcased by the students through their own books and paper products.
We cannot wait to see you here this summer!
Watch an extended video to learn more about Kat Wiese HERE!
The The Negro Motorist Green Book was a travel guide published from 1936 to 1966 that helped Black Americans find safe places to eat, stay, and travel during segregation. Its importance to New Haven lies in the way it documented local businesses and spaces that offered safety and dignity, revealing both the realities of exclusion and the strength of Black community networks in the city.
Kat Wiese is an acclaimed printmaker and painter who has launched a community-engaged practice in New Haven. After graduating with an MFA from Yale, she was selected as the inaugural Visiting Teaching Fellow at the University of New Haven's Arts Department. She currently serves as Artist in Residence at the Eli Whitney Barn. She was awarded a commission for a sculpture to animate the grand re-opening of the Peabody Museum with her installation "A Great Migration", and her recent solo show at Seton Gallery featured woodblock prints inspired by Black/Mexican artist Elizabeth Catlett. All her work is grounded in African American history.