Rising Senior Connects with New Haven Community Through Art

This summer, Hannah Glynn ’20, a political science and national security double major, is working with Artspace, a nonprofit organization that supports emerging artists and builds new audiences for contemporary art. The experience has enabled her to discover the importance of art in building a sense of community.

August 13, 2019

By Hannah Glynn ’20

Being a part of the President’s Public Service Fellowship and working at Artspace in New Haven has opened my eyes and enabled me to connect with people in the community. Part of my job at Artspace is to attend meetings that are held monthly in different neighborhoods in New Haven in order to inform them about Artspace and the ways in which we involve the community. Just being at Artspace allows me to meet many different people.

Every day, people from the local community come into the gallery to appreciate art created by artists from around Connecticut. Often, the people who walk into the gallery come to see the work of an artist that they know personally. My experience has taught me that art can play a large role in bringing a community together.

I am also working on Artspace’s annual City-Wide Open Studios exhibition, an event in which artists from across Connecticut are invited to open their doors to exhibit their work in their own studios, at the creative complex in Erector Square, or at the Yale West Campus.

"Working in community outreach for Artspace has really connected me to a lot of different people, enabling me to gain new abilities and to enhance the skills that I already have."Hannah Glynn ’20

My job is to recruit artists and curators and to gain the support of people and businesses that want to serve as sponsors. This requires me to actively communicate and form meaningful connections with the people in the surrounding communities.

I do this not only by attending and speaking at community meetings or talking to people who visit the gallery, but also by talking to people I meet at a coffee shop or a deli. I have found that most people are willing to listen, and many want to participate in an event like City-Wide Open Studios, but many said they knew nothing about it.

Working in community outreach for Artspace has really connected me to a lot of different people, enabling me to gain new abilities and to enhance the skills that I already have.

The President's Public Service Fellowship places University of New Haven students in a nonprofit or public service work environment for eleven weeks during the summer.