Summer Apprenticeship Program 2009: Babel Collections

Artspace’s Summer Apprenticeship Program brings together twelve talented public high school students and a local artist for a month in the summer to create an art installation. This summer the students will join with Brooklyn based sculptor Carolyn Salas to craft a series of totem pole structures for The Lot, a public display space located on Orange and Chapel.

“Babel Collections” centers around the idea of establishing connections between traditional meanings associated with civic art, such as community status or ritual worship, and the narratives that are behind them.

Ranging from 5 to 18 feet high, the five totems will be made entirely out of recycled materials collected from the New Haven area. During her time with the students, Salas plans to encourage them to think deeply about their impact on the environment and how they can make a positive difference through their art.

The students will also tour local art studios, visit museums and sketch outdoor art during their apprenticeship. This will help them gain a better understanding of the vibrant artistic life in New Haven and allow them to explore where and how their own creative talents can be utilized.

Salas’ work is inspired by her day-to-day experiences in the increasingly charged socio-political climate and how they affect internal thoughts of place and being. She explains, “I am specifically drawn to the idea of structures that tell stories, embody legends and freeze historical moments where metaphor and meaning are central elements.”

Installation of the project will take place on the 29th and 30th of July. Community members will be invited to help put the finishing touches on the works and then join Artspace for the official opening of the exhibit at 4pm on the 30th.