Yale and city art abound

Those of you who are coming to Yale because of its proximity to New York's wonderful art museums are in for a surprise--fine art may be closer than you think. While Yale has no shortage of well-known art, the campus also includes many galleries which exclusively feature undergraduate exhibitions. Maya's Room in Silliman College was created in memory of Maya Hanway, a Yale art major who committed suicide during her senior year. A short walk over to Davenport College will bring you to Studio 56, which features both small paintings and photographs. Undergraduates can reserve both rooms for displaying their art.

More original projects can be found in the "Little Gallery" in the Art and Architecture building (180 York St.) Senior art majors show their final projects there; also, don't miss the, uh...provocative graduate student shows at the year's end.

But if that yearning for the old masters gets the best of you, then the Yale University Art Gallery (YUAG), right across the street, awaits you. The Gallery has a truly astounding collection--you'll find everything from ancient Persian wall carvings to well-known paintings by Van Gogh, Picasso, and Miró.

After you finish browsing through the YUAG, cross Chapel street and visit the Yale Center for British Art. Noted as much for its architecture as for its artwork, this museum is a must-see. Plus, it has a great gift shop, stocked with some of the best postcards and prints of British art to be found this side of the "pond."

For those art nuts adventurous enough to go beyond Yale's boundaries, New Haven offers a phatty dope art scene.

Creative Arts Workshop (80 Audobon St.) is an arts-education center located on funky Audobon Street and doubling as a gallery for works by CAW students and outside artists. The gallery itself is an excellent place to look at art--spacious and bright with lots of natural light.

Artspace (70 Audobon St.) serves as the home of innovative sculpture, paintings, and visual art. Artspace also hosts monthly network meetings for local artists.

The Small Space (70 Audobon St.), a gallery in the office of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, is just what it sounds like: A small room. The exhibit, which features a single artist's work, changes monthly. Recent ones have included mixed-media collages and underwater photography.

The Munson Gallery (70 Audobon St.), located above the Small Space, spotlights the work of up-and-coming artists.

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