Psst. Spaces known for quiet—libraries, museums, art studios—turn up the volume.
Monday, October 17
Care for some tea with your punk music? Today’s iteration of the 4 p.m., tea-and-talk “Mondays at Beinecke” series—held at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, of course—features Kevin Repp, curator of the library’s modern European holdings, discussing “British Punk at Both Ends of the Dial.” As visual and perhaps even tactile aids, Repp is pulling out “titillating relics” from “Beinecke’s recently acquired collection of British Punk” ephemera, including “an original Sex Pistols t-shirt, complete with lurid “Seditionaries Collection” necktie, and street-art stencils used by the anarchist group Crass.” Free. 121 Wall Street, New Haven. (203) 432-2977.
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Tuesday, October 18
Every home needs TLC—even the White House. Author Robert Klara comes to the New Haven Museum at 6 p.m. this evening to tell “the little-known but shocking tale” of America’s presidential residence in the 1940s, when it was “on the verge of collapse” after a prolonged period of “appalling neglect and mismanagement.” After revealing “the mad dash to rebuild the place before it fell down;” explaining “how most of the details were kept from the public;” and offering up a significant New Haven connection in the form of local architect Douglas Orr (pictured above), who was the vice chair of the committee tasked with righting the ship, Klara plans to sign copies of his book The Hidden White House: Harry Truman and the Reconstruction of America’s Most Famous Residence (2013). Free to attend. 114 Whitney Avenue, New Haven. (203) 562-4183.
Wednesday, October 19
Tuesday through Saturday this week at the Yale Repertory Theatre (1120 Chapel St, New Haven; 203-432-1234), the Yale School of Drama presents Federico García Lorca’s Blood Wedding, in which “a young bride reignites a smoldering family feud when she abandons her groom and runs away with a former lover.” Directed here by Kevin Hourigan, “Lorca’s tragic theatrical poem plunges us into a moonlit and mysterious dimension where passion—demonic and sublime—has the power to imprison or liberate.” Tonight’s show starts at 8 p.m., with tickets costing $25 (or $15 for students).
Thursday, October 20
One series glides along while another takes flight. At the Ives Main Library (133 Elm St, New Haven; 203-946-8130), the next local literature-boosting “Get Lit!” features filmmaker Gorman Bechard, whose participation tonight is as a writer of several fiction books. In the Hilles Gallery at Creative Arts Workshop (80 Audubon St, New Haven; 203-562-4927), the first “In Sight” event has CAW faculty Michael Bradford, a potter, and Matthew Stevens, an illustrator, sharing “the various processes involved in creating their work,” including “sources of inspiration, sketches
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Friday, October 21
Like an extra-enthusiastic trivia night, the fifth annual New Haven Reads Spelling Bee draws teams of three adults—encouraged to dress up in costumes that often involve reading, spelling or buzzing about—to the Yale School of Management, where they’ll compete for good-natured, good-lettered supremacy. A fundraiser for NHR’s literacy programs, registration for the bee costs $225 per team, while spectators, who are also welcome, are asked for a $10 donation. Aside from the competition, attractions include appetizers, desserts and a cash bar, plus “hilarious emcees
Saturday, October 22
From noon to 6 p.m. today and tomorrow, City-Wide Open Studios proceeds with Transported Weekend, when 11 locations in New Haven, plus three in Hamden and two in West Haven, showcase the work of nearly 40 local artists. Ranging from private artist studios to public-facing galleries to fleetingly repurposed spaces, to get to them you’ll likely need to drive or cycle. If the latter is more your speed, consider registering for one of two free official bike tours, which hew to a “casual pace” and leave from The Devil’s Gear Bike Shop (137 Orange St, New Haven) on Saturday or Sunday at noon.
Sunday, October 23
Between noon and 5 p.m. today, Yale’s Peabody Museum of Natural History marks the opening of David Friend Hall—“the museum’s new 2,300-square-foot gallery of minerals and gems… from delicate diamonds to a single crystal that weighs 2,000 pounds”—with kid-friendly activities like “a mineral dig and touch table, a craft activity and a scavenger hunt.” The opening is part of the Peabody’s weekend-long 150th anniversary celebration, which began yesterday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with more kids’ activities. Thanks to the special occasion, admission is free all weekend. 170 Whitney Avenue, New Haven. (203) 432-5050.
Written by Dan Mims. Image provided courtesy of the New Haven Museum. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.
