Ely Center of Contemporary Art

Ely Center of Contemporary Art Contemporary Art Center The John Slade Ely House is an English Elizabethan style house built in 1905 by S. G. Taylor. Ely, who came to New Haven in 1897.

It was home to John Slade Ely (1860-1906) and Grace T. 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 an 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 hosting many regional arts organizations.

05/14/2026

Your highschool student has until May 25 to apply for our Summer Apprenticeship Program with mentoring artist Kat Wiese!

This summer, ECOCA’s Summer Apprenticeship Program (SAP) offers NHPS Teen Artists something rare: paid time, dedicated studio space and intensive mentorship.

Led by artist Kat Wiese, SAP is a three-week program (weekdays July 6-24, 12-4pm) focused on paper making, printmaking, bookbinding, and exploring themes of safety through material practice. Using The Green Book as a (re)source, artists will work hands-on with materials while engaging questions of care, protection, and memory. This year’s exhibition will be accompanied with an essay by Ian Dudley and a poem by New Haven’s own Poet Laureate Yexandra Diaz! The program culminates in a public reception on July 24th.

For full video (and link in linktree)

CALLING ALL NEW HAVEN PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS!The application period for the 2026 Summer Apprenticeship Program is l...
05/01/2026

CALLING ALL NEW HAVEN PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS!
The application period for the 2026 Summer Apprenticeship Program is live!
If you know a New Haven Teen Artist who is looking for a unique experience this summer, have them sign up for our SAP '26!

SAP is a 3 week intensive where under the guidance of Lead Artist Kat Wiese .wiese up to 15 teen artists will dive into the concept of safety and learn paper making, book binding and printmaking skills this July!

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 ex*****on. 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.

Please join us for the group show "Chaos with a side of spaghetti", curated by Emily Weiskopf Artists: John Dickinson, H...
04/19/2026

Please join us for the group show "Chaos with a side of spaghetti", curated by Emily Weiskopf

Artists: John Dickinson, Hannah Hanski, Yi Shan Li, Lucas Moran, Don Porcella, Liz Rodda, Jenna Rothstein, Ryan Scails, Emily Silver, Paul Theriault, Mark Van Wagner, Lexa Walsh

On view at 162 James Street April 26 - July 5, 2026
Gallery Hours We, Th, Su 12-5 Or by appointment- email [email protected] to schedule your visit!

LIVE POTTERY DEMO: Sunday, April 26, 2:30pmPlease join us for "centering", a solo exhibition of work by Afghan master po...
04/18/2026

LIVE POTTERY DEMO: Sunday, April 26, 2:30pm

Please join us for "centering", a solo exhibition of work by Afghan master potter Matin Malikzada. A seventh-generation ceramicist from Istalif, Afghanistan, a place long recognized as a historic center of pottery, Malikzada brings a deeply rooted tradition into dialogue with his present life in Connecticut.



On view at 162 James Street April 26 - July 5, 2026
Gallery Hours We, Th, Su 12-5 Or by appointment- email [email protected] to schedule your visit!

Please join us for "where is the human in this place", a group show with Amy Yosh*tsu, Jacob Cullers, Jayden Ashley and ...
04/18/2026

Please join us for "where is the human in this place", a group show with Amy Yosh*tsu, Jacob Cullers, Jayden Ashley and Ode; curated by Maria Markham

he title of this exhibit is adapted from Lucille Clifton’s searing poem, jasper texas 1998.* Clifton gives voice to James Byrd in this poem highlighting the horrendous act perpetrated on a black man by white people. Clifton’s powerful condemnation and poetic rendering of Byrd’s humanity grounds the visual work presented in where is the human in this place?. This exhibit opens a discussion around the structures and systems that continue and reinforce racism and other inequities deeply wound within societies.



On view at 162 James Street April 26 - July 5, 2026
Gallery Hours We, Th, Su 12-5 Or by appointment- email [email protected] to schedule your visit!

Please join us for "Portals of Holding", solo exhibition of artist Asma WaheedOpening Reception Sunday April 26, 1-4pmWo...
04/18/2026

Please join us for "Portals of Holding", solo exhibition of artist Asma Waheed
Opening Reception Sunday April 26, 1-4pm

Working primarily in clay, Waheed draws from architectural materials and domestic traditions from the Middle East and South Asia and reimagines them through a deeply personal exploration of visibility, privacy, and cultural inheritance.



On view at 162 James Street April 26 - July 5, 2026
Gallery Hours We, Th, Su 12-5 Or by appointment- email [email protected] to schedule your visit!

TODAY AND TOMORROW!!!!April 11 & 12, 12-5pmOPEN STUDIOS!!Come meet Parastoo Ahovan ( )Ciara Curwen ( ) and Aura Wang (...
04/11/2026

TODAY AND TOMORROW!!!!
April 11 & 12, 12-5pm
OPEN STUDIOS!!
Come meet Parastoo Ahovan ( )Ciara Curwen ( ) and Aura Wang ( ) our current artists in residence!

In collaboration with & plus shows up .arts &

🚌 Shuttle Bus available between locations! 🚌

Join us this coming weekend to see what the Keyhole Residents are up to!Saturday April 11 & Sunday April 12 12-5pmFree a...
04/07/2026

Join us this coming weekend to see what the Keyhole Residents are up to!

Saturday April 11 & Sunday April 12 12-5pm
Free and Open to All



Gallery is closed for staff to spend time with family for Easter Sunday- But will be open tonight for the FIM concert se...
04/05/2026

Gallery is closed for staff to spend time with family for Easter Sunday- But will be open tonight for the FIM concert series! 🐇🐇

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51 Trumbull Street
New Haven, CT
06510

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+12035077320

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