From The Aesthetic To The Ecstatic At Artwalk 18

There was a buzz in the air. Visitors were coming, lots of them. Like a family hosting out-of-town guests, Westville’s community engine of businesses, residents, and volunteers revved up to roll out the neighborhood’s annual Artwalk festival, held over Mother’s Day weekend.

In the opening hours of the festival, energetic children took to the soft bed of mulch that had been spread over an empty sand lot where Delaney’s Restaurant once stood. Memories of what once was were not lost among those in line to register for the Beer Garden at Artwalk 18, a new feature organized by Saravah Swati.

Even as hope for a resurrected Delaney’s began to fade, Neville Wisdom Fashion (NW) and Alisa’s House of Salsa, businesses with longstanding footprints in downtown New Haven, arrived in the neighborhood. Alisa’s House of Salsa, which will have its grand opening on May 23, gave a Latin dance clinic, a small sample of what the business will offer.

Helping build on the synergy and optimism percolating in Westville Village was videographer Travis Carbonella, a new addition to the ArtloW (Art lofts West) artists’ group. Carbonella leads the Permission to Fail open mic series and was on hand to capture scenes of the festival, editing and posting to social media within moments of shooting. 

Friday’s festival opening was visited by extraordinary weather and large crowds. DJ Dooley‑O fueled the fashion show and dance party that followed with pulsing music and upbeat emcee banter.

This year’s fashion show, featuring work by Haven Collective members, included Cinder & Salt low-impact printing and design, showing an array of screen-printed tanks and tops perfect for the warm weather that has finally arrived…

…while show co-sponsor Melissa Gonzalez, of Vintanthromodern Vintage, rolled out some curated, his-and-her vintage apparel with timeless appeal.

Across the street, Aquila Motors’s bay doors lifted on the comedy of A Broken Umbrella Theater (ABUT), who for two sets, engaged all comers in their no-net improv sketches.

Photographer Luke Hanscom, husband of Westville Village Renaissance Alliance (WVRA) program director Mistina Hanscom, lit up the sides of two Westville buildings with an interactive light show designed by Kawandeep Virdee. Using their smartphones, participants could log in to a website to help guide the movement of projected color and light.

Galleries were also in full swing with artist David Thomas demonstrating his unique index finger-print painting technique at Lesley Roy Couture and Gallery.

Keys On Kites Tattoo and Gallery exhibited ​“Another Man’s Trash,” an art show featuring local artist REO. It was only part of a weekend of activities planned for the studio-gallery. The show included some of REO’s characteristic work as a graffiti artist, but also his recent foray into assemblage and found-object art, with a number of pieces seamlessly marrying the two genres.

Showing at DaSilva Gallery, Tracie Cheng’s contemplative line and painted images commingled with husband Eóin Burke’s epoxy resin and paint sculptures, a mixed media pairing with spiritual overtones.

Saturday’s display of bean bag boards designed by 17 area artists were silent-auctioned for the benefit of WVRA, but not before festival goers had an opportunity to practice their bean bag tossing skills. According to project leader Susan McCaslin of Design Monsters, the project raised over $1,000 for WVRA. Behind the bean bag boards, Terry Dagradi’s Camera Obscura turned the world on its head with upside-down views of the action taking place outside the tented, walk-in camera.

Photo journalist Johnathon Henninger’s portrait booth in collaboration with Eric Epstein at Gallery 12 (#7) resulted in a billboard-sized collection of large black and white portraits that were processed and hung throughout the day. ​“When people are having their portraits taken, they project something essential about themselves.… It’s palpable and why I find looking at this assembly so irresistible and engaging,” Epstein said.

Westville’s largest gallery, Kehler Liddell, featured the sculpture of Gar Waterman and photographs of Rod Cook in a show entitled ​“Incipient Speciation.” The exhibit runs from through Sunday, May 31 and explores the question: ​“Will nature survive the human race?” Read more about the exhibit here.

At the open studio of painter Frank Bruckmann, a stunning portrait of his daughter, still in progress, was drawing rave reviews.

Strolling minstrels, Brian Slattery (fiddle) and Adam Matlock (accordion) moved about the festival grounds, later joining the full band known as Dr. Caterwaul’s Cadre of Clairvoyant Claptraps on the Pellegrino stage, for a more full sound that included some jazz.

The newly refurbished Coogan Pavilion and skate park played host to a rock concert featuring three bands from the Neighborhood Music School (NMS). The bands are slated to play the Ballroom at the Outer Space on May 31. NMS offers a unique week-long summer intensive at its ​“Summer Rocks” program, preparing a new generation of rockers, according to summer Program Director Peter DiGennaro.

Long lines formed at the Animate My Face booth of Lauren Wilson, a festival veteran, whose designs seem to get more intricate each year.

“For the first time, a block of vendors represented the Project Storefronts program as well as their own businesses,” said Elinor Slomba of Project Storefronts. Participants included Our Secret Treehouse, Pure Elements (pictured), V’s Accessories, and Angelina Ludwig Soaps.

But if anything characterized the spirit of this year’s busy festival, it was its young people, who took to the street with a stirring flash dance at the corner of Fountain Street and Central Avenue. Presented by Love Haven Ecstatic Dance, the spirited dancing seemed to embody the optimism and growing community cohesion that makes Westville’s Artwalk festival possible.