Fine art joins some fine weather this week in New Haven.
Monday, April 23
Bombadil the band isn’t as mercurial as another Bombadil, first name Tom, a benevolent character with hidden, mystical depths who occasionally pops up in The Lord of the Rings (1954). The otherwise minimalist band is too talkative. But like that other Bombadil, the overall effect is innocent and sweet and at times a little sleepy—a nice way to finish a Monday at Cafe Nine (250 State St, New Haven; 203-789-8281). Starting at 8 p.m., the bill—which is $5 at the door, or free if you RSVP by 2 p.m. today—also features Juke Ross, an alt-folk singer-songwriter with a versatile, powerful voice, and Hartford-based JIIM, a.k.a. James Duffy, who fuses “traditional songwriting with electronic and rock elements” and delights in taking “unexpected turns.”
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Tuesday, April 24
At the New Haven Museum (114 Whitney Ave, New Haven; 203-562-4183), David Alan Richards discusses his book Skulls and Keys (2017), billed as the definitive history of Yale’s secret societies, where future winners of “Pulitzer Prizes, governorships and even presidencies” have gotten a leg up. During the free talk, which begins at 6 p.m., “Richards will shed light on the lesser-known stories of Yale’s secret societies, from Phi Beta Kappa in the American Revolution—originally a social and drinking society—through Skull and Bones and its rivals in the 19th and 20th centuries.”
Wednesday, April 25
Societatem Malorum—“Destructive Society” in Latin—began yesterday in Southern Connecticut State University’s Lyman Center (501 Crescent St, New Haven; 203-392-6154). It’s a theater festival, if you couldn’t already tell, featuring “student-directed one-act plays produced and designed entirely by students.” Many of the plays’ themes back up the Latin, as they contend with “severe issues such as the Holocaust, homophobia, family relationships, addiction, sexual assault, traditions and racism.” Tonight’s showtime is 7:30 p.m., with four more later this week. $15, or $10 for seniors.
Thursday, April 26
“Time is omnipresent and elusory. Seize it. Or flow with it. Play with it. Disguise it. Or unmask it. Be timely or timeless. Capture personal meanings. Embrace time with the clock that beats in your chest.” With characteristic flair and open-endedness, the Eli Whitney Museum’s 24th annual Leonardo Challenge, a fundraiser benefiting the museum’s year-round efforts to enlighten and engage, challenges artists to submit works addressing this year’s theme: time. Then it’s time for a party, starting at 5:30 this evening, where attendees silently bid on the creative results while dining and drinking to the content of those beating clocks in their chests. Regular party tickets cost $75, with special packages available. 915 Whitney Avenue, Hamden. (203) 777-1833.
Friday, April 27
“Transformative literary arts program” The Word comes to a head with its yearly Middle and High School Citywide Youth Poetry Jams. Respectively hosted by Co-Op High School (177 College St, New Haven) at 5:30 p.m. today and Neighborhood Music School (100 Audubon St, New Haven) at 6 p.m. tomorrow, the events give “student poets and guests… the opportunity to perform their work”—which includes spoken word and hip hop—“for their peers and community.” Free.
Local folk septet Goodnight Blue Moon (pictured above) says good-morning to a new record, Dawning Dream, and to an evolving sound that echoes crucial moments from rock history. You can enjoy the new stuff tonight during the record release show at Lyric Hall (827 Whalley Ave, New Haven; 203-389-8885), where opening act J. Russell and the Split Coils, whose music is described as “a straightforward mix of rock and roll, soul and country,” takes the stage at 8 p.m. $15, or $12 in advance.
Saturday, April 28
The 10th annual Rock to Rock Earth Day Ride, where cyclers raise money for local environmental causes by riding from West Rock to East Rock, lasts from morning to afternoon. For details related to participating, spectating or celebrating, check the ride’s website.
From 1 to 5 p.m., a new artist incubator and gallery called SOL for Art—the acronymous bit stands for “Support Others’ Love”—is hosting a free grand opening in its “French Second Empire-style house” at 198 Sherman Avenue, New Haven. “Dedicated to promoting local artists and their work while preserving the architectural works of a historical New Haven home,” the opening features live music and, judging by the sponsor list, something to nibble.
Dubbed “Super/Natural,” this year’s big benefit auction and gala for Artspace begins at 5 p.m. in Artspace itself (50 Orange St, New Haven) and finishes at 8:30 in the cavernous former bank building at 45 Church Street. Along the way, attendees enjoy food and drink, view and bid on fine art and preserve a snapshot of the evening with a photo booth. As of this writing, only VIP-level tickets remain, at $300 for one or $500 for two.
Sunday, April 29
Artist collective Kehler Liddell Gallery (873 Whalley Ave, New Haven; 203-389-9555) rounds things out with a 2 p.m. panel discussion and 3 p.m. opening reception for its second annual juried show. Asked a question Shakespeare first posed in his Sonnet 65—“How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea?”—the selected artists’ responses “[range] from abstract meditations to more realistic representations, in a wide variety of media.” Free.
Written by Dan Mims. Image, depicting Goodnight Blue Moon, photographed by Nicki Chavoya. Photographed by Lisa Curtiss. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.
