New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
New exhibit aims to celebrate New Haven’s neurodiverse community
A new exhibit curated by students of the Chapel Haven Schelifer Center’s residential program for neurodiverse individuals will be hosted at the Yale Center for British Art starting Sunday, May 1.
The exhibit will showcase 11 art pieces chosen by CHSC students that are part of the “Out to Art” program. The program, run since 2009, is a collaboration between
CHSC and the museum where students visit the museum once a week and become familiar with the art exhibited at the galleries.
“They are very seasoned museum goers and they’ve really honed their observational skills for art. I’m amazed... I can’t tell you how proud I am of his group,” said Tina Menchetti, art director at the Chapel Haven Schelifer Center.
After years of attending the museum every week and getting art zoom classes during the pandemic, the students curated the installation, Menchetti added.
The exhibit, titled “In Celebration of our Neurodiverse Community: Selections from the Collection,” will open to the public at noon on Sunday and will be available until May 15. The art pieces chosen will range from landscapes to portraits created between the 18th and 20th centuries, according to the exhibit’s program.
“The most important thing was to do something really special for these individuals to give them confidence in terms of what they had gained personally and socially,” said Linda Friedlaender, Head of Education at the Yale Center for British Art. Back in 2009, Friedlaender approached CHSC to make the “Out to Art” class possible.
Along every art piece shown, there will be a label with who selected the piece and a quote of why the piece is significant, according to the museum.
After the collaboration with the Yale Center for British Art began, Menchetti was surprised by the warm welcome of the museum to her students.
“We were treated so well and so welcomed, the students really thrived and felt comfortable there, which wasn’t always the case in other museums,” said Menchetti, who credits Friedlaender for making the collaboration possible.
Recently, the Connecticut Historical Society announced that it will have sensory backpack available for neurodiverse visitors.
The backpacks will include industry-approved tools such as fidget tools, sunglesses and noise-reducing headphones to make the museum experience more enjoyable for neurodiverse families, according to a press release.
Ultimately, it is both Menchetti and Friedlaender’s goal to make all museums more accessible and welcoming to the neurodiverse community.
“I want this to be a learning experience for as many museums who have never gotten involved in working with neurodiverse audiences and don’t know how to do it,” said Friedlaender.