B-HIPsters Maggie and Becca each explore parts of our day at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas. From The Good Dance to The First 159 Days: A Look at the Obama Presidency to the Yale University Art Gallery to the outdoor concert of Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars and Bio Ritmo…

"The International Festival of Arts and Ideas is a two-week festival in New Haven, CT, now in it’s fourteenth year. The festival combines dance, visual art, music, theater, and discussion. We took a day trip to New Haven for the second Saturday of the festival. For many of us it was our first time in New Haven, and it was a charming city with the festival in and around Yale University.

The first thing we saw was The Good Dance – dakar/brooklyn. The dance was a collaborative effort of two dance companies, one from Brooklyn and one from Dakar, Senegal. The dancers moved so beautifully, and it was difficult to tell which dancer was from which company. The dancers moved with such ferocity we all left spellbound. After the performance the two choreographers came out to talk a bit about the piece. There they discussed how the choreography was aimed to examine the similarities between the Mississippi River and the Congo River, and the respective cultures. It is still a work in progress, so the audience was able to give feedback after the performance. I think it’s really beneficial to hear the choreographer, or artist, speak about their piece either before or after the performance. It adds a level of understanding that helps us take that much more away from the experience.

After The Good Dance, we went to listen to a panel called “The First 159 Days: A Look at the Obama Presidency.” The panelists included: Beverly Gage, Jill Abramson, Nell Painter, and Richard Norton Smith. I thought the discussion was going to be more of an analysis of Obama’s first months in office. However, the panelists geared the discussion more to comparing him to past presidents. Some of the points made were insightful, but the discussion was not what I was expecting.

It was an interesting idea though, a festival that combines art with discussion on popular issues. The festival did a great job of facilitating conversation after the panels by moving the discussion to a coffee shop where people could meet and mingle some more. Overall, it was a great day!"

-Maggie Bang, Summer 2009 B-HIP intern

"The Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven seeks to encourage the understanding of art and its role in society by the engagement between original works of art with the public.  It has been undergoing a serious Renovation Project since 2006 designed by Louis Kahn.  This second phase of expansion will be the renovation of the 1928 Italianate Gothic style building and the Street Hall building that was built in 1866.  This completed renovation project will more than double the square footage of exhibition galleries and classrooms.  One of the most important aspects of this renovation project will be the creation of the Nolen Center for Art and Education.  The Nolen Center will continue in the gallery’s history of teaching from original works of art, and will be located in the home of Yale’s first School of Fine Art, founded in 1864.  This expansion will allow the Yale University Art Gallery to achieve its mission as a teaching museum for thousands of students and visitors which study the collections year round.  Exhibits currently on view at the Gallery include a vast array of European and American Art from 1200 to the Present, African, Precolumbian, and Asian Art as well as a special exhibit entitled “Time Will Tell: Ethics and Choices in Conservation” which will run till September 6, 2009.  The Gallery is a definite must- see while in New Haven. It displays such a wide range of visual arts and culture and the continued effort towards their mission as not only a gallery but also learning facility for all ages makes it an unforgettable experience.

The International Festival of Arts and Ideas concluded with a Grand Finale outdoor Concert of the “Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars and Bio Ritmo.”  This free outdoor concert made you want to dance along with the reggae rhythmic beats.  The group’s spirited fusion of traditional West African music with reggae and traditional folk rhythms along with an electronica, disco and Middle Eastern grooves makes it not a stretch to see how it can be one of the world’s leading bands.  The transformative and uplifting music of Bio Ritmo and the Refugee All Stars was a brilliant ending to the day at the International Festival of Arts and ideas."

- Becca Raynes, Summer 2009 B-HIP intern

"DownStreet Art is definitely an interesting and transformative event for the town of North Adams.  I have seen the project in previous years and always visited the galleries, but I have never gotten so much inside knowledge on how and why it happens each year.  From an outsider, DownStreet Art seems like a typical art show, a time to showcase art in North Adams and beautify the town by filling empty spaces with art. Most people don’t think about the actual purpose of the project.  DownStreet Art is a collaborative project between artists and the town to not only beautify and enhance culture in North Adams, but to enliven the economy by bringing people to the area.   Basically what DownStreet Art does is breathes life into a town that really needs it.  

The opening of DownStreet Art this year was really amazing.  I have gone to school at MCLA for two years now and have spent a good deal of time downtown.  I have never seen the town so alive as it was that night.  More people were out than I had ever seen and immediately the word ‘community’ came to my mind.  I realized that I don’t consider North Adams as a community much.  I associate myself as a part of the school only and for the first time, I felt as though I belonged in the town and that it was a good place to be.  People just seemed to be having a genuinely good time, and appreciating North Adams for what it can be, and what it has the potential to be.  All of the galleries that we saw were really fantastic.  Not only is the project great for what it does to the community, but everything that is shown is at a really high level and truly “good art”.  I really don’t think enough positive things can be said about DownStreet Art.  Who knows what it will do to revitalize the economy in the future.  Projects like this have worked in Pittsfield and countless places across the world and art is certainly not a new vessel for revitalizing an area.  Time will only tell the effects that it has in the future of North Adams, but the immediate effects on the town are also noticeable.  Like I said before, the project really instills a feeling of community and pride in North Adams, I think a lot of people really feel this way.  Seeing a building that has been empty for years and suddenly full of beautiful paintings is really special and truly means a lot to many people.  

Overall DownStreet Art is a really great part of North Adams and I think as the years go on, the town will truly start seeing a difference due to efforts like this."

-Laura Gibson, Summer 2009 B-HIP intern

"So 3rd Thursday seemed like it would have been great if it wasn’t raining… it would have been nice to see more vendors out and more people around. With me being who I am, I’m always down for more music. The samba band they had going on was great, but I just wish they were playing on North Street and not some off shoot of it. I would have liked to have seen outside galleries or at least samples of works from who/what the gallery was showing all on North Street- maybe in a centralized location.  That way it would have had more of a festival feel rather than a bunch of scattered sidewalk sale tents and open galleries.  

We were able to have three TalkBacks. First we met with Jaye Fox, a North Adams-based artist with work in the Lichtenstein. Then we met with Michael Zelehoski who was having a solo show at the Ferrin Gallery. And lastly we met with Meryl Joseph who had a solo show at Storefront Artist Project. It was cool to meet with all these artists and hear from them directly about their work and their process.

After we hit up all the galleries most of the B-HIP crew went to Brew Works for a couple of drinks. It ended up being open mic night and I got to rock a couple of songs- which was a lot of fun.  Walking back to the van Jess made me dance all the way across the crosswalk.

I can’t wait for next month (when it’s not raining) to see what 3rd Thursday really has to offer."

-Mike Martin, Summer 2009 B-HIP intern