This Week in New Haven (May 6 - 12)

The city draws us upward, westward, inward and, of course, outward.

Monday, May 6
The New Haven Pride Center (84 Orange St, New Haven) hosts an opening reception for Won’t Be Erased: The Permanence and Significance of Body Art and Modification in the Queer Community from 6 to 8 p.m. Featuring work by tattoo artists Beck Doty and Sam Jannetty, the exhibition underscores the fact that tattoos “are not only empowering affirmations of one’s identity, they are also a way to visibly declare/communicate that we do belong to the LGBTQ+ community.” Free.

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Tuesday, May 7
At 7 p.m., Yale’s Leitner Observatory (355 Prospect St, New Haven) has Yale graduate students “giv short public talks on their current astronomy research projects.” Ryan Blackman discusses “The Search for Planets Orbiting Nearby Stars”; Johannes Ulf-Lange discusses “Hunting Dark Energy with DESI”; and Angelo Ricarte discusses “LISA: Spying Supermassive Black Holes with Gravitational Waves.” Weather permitting, you can then take a look at some of the matters under discussion using Leitner’s telescopes. Free.

Wednesday, May 8
As Game of Thrones—the TV series, at least—draws to an end, East Rock Brewing Company (285 Nicoll St, New Haven; 475-234-6176) is hosting a series of its own: two GOT-themed trivia sessions two weeks apart. The first, with questions based on seasons one through four, happens at 7:30 tonight, though organizers recommend “com down early because seating is limited and our trivia nights tend to fill up quickly.” Free to play.

Thursday, May 9
At Kroon Hall (195 Prospect St, New Haven), Solar Youth’s annual Solar Jam, which raises funds to support the organization’s mission of “empower youth to achieve lifelong success through long-term supportive relationships, environmental exploration, youth-led problem solving and leadership development,” starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 9. In-between, organizers promise “food, music and a live and silent auction,” with tickets costing $60.

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Friday, May 10
The 22nd Westville Artwalk, lately a two-day affair, lifts off tonight with a street party (free) and beer garden ($15 in advance or $20 at the gate) on Central Avenue between Fountain and Whalley from 6:30 to 9. Meanwhile, nearby, DaSilva Gallery and Kehler Liddell Gallery are hosting exhibition openings, and The Regicides, A Broken Umbrella Theatre’s improv troupe, performs at Lotta Studios at 9 p.m.

Saturday, May 11
Artwalk proceeds in the heart of Westville, with an artisan market, food trucks and participating restaurants, exhibitions, artist demos, interactive installations, live music, kids activities and even a Rubber Duckie Race. Check out all the details here.

The New Haven Paint & Clay Club’s 118th Annual Juried Exhibition opens at Creative Arts Workshop (80 Audubon St, New Haven; 203-562-4927) from 2 to 5 p.m., with awards handed out at 3. Free.

At 7:30 p.m. in Church of the Redeemer (185 Cold Spring St, New Haven), the New Haven Oratorio Choir, “a community-based, auditioned chamber choir whose mission is”—in part—“to provide the New Haven region with unique and intimate choral performances,” presents “Sing We and Chant It: Madrigals and Masses from the Renaissance.” Tickets to this “concert of sacred and secular music from the Renaissance era” run $20, or $15 for students and seniors.

Sunday, May 12 – Mother’s Day
It’s Day 2 of the Elm City Folk Festival at Cafe Nine (250 State St, New Haven; 203-789-8281). Day 1 was last night, chronologically featuring Roses Wild, The Split Coils and Goodnight Blue Moon in a $5, 9 p.m. bill. Day 2 is a true daytime affair, with a $5, 2 p.m. bill featuring Glenn Roth, Anna May, Field of Birds, Xavier Serrano and The Skipping Stones.

Written and photographed by Dan Mims. Image features a moment during a previous ArtWalk. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.