Anyone that wants to learn about art in New Haven has definitely found the right blog and our first section will fully cover the best art galleries and museums near you.
After that we will get into a variety of other topics like art supply stores, events, festivals, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, local sculptures and statues, art classes, studios for rent, and the top frame shops in your area.
Contents
You can jump straight to any section that interests you most by using the table of contents on the left and we are also including a New Haven art map with all of the spots we mention throughout the post pinned on it.
Some may want to look through more of our guides that cover the best art museums and galleries around the Northeast and they can be found at that link.
Best Art Galleries & Museums In New Haven
If you want to check out the best art galleries and museums in New Haven you can head to:
- Yale University Art Gallery at 1111 Chapel St
- City Gallery at 994 State
- Yale Center For British Art at 1080 Chapel St
- Kehler Liddel Gallery at 873 Whalley Ave
- Fred Giampietro Gallery at 315 Peck St
- Artspace Gallery at 50 Orange S
- Creative Art Workshop at 80 Audubon St
- Ely Center of Contemporary Art at 51 Trumbull St
- Mohamad Hafez Studio at 909 Whalley Ave
- The Firehouse Gallery at 81 Naugatuck Ave, Milford
- Beach Gallery at 2 Broadway, Milford
Anyone can enter the Yale University Art Gallery for free and it opens at 10am Tuesday through Friday and at 11am on weekends. It has been in operation since the 1830’s and is the oldest university art museum in the country with literally hundreds of thousands of pieces in its vast collection plus they offer a wide variety of educational programs for kids and adults which include lectures, tours, and other activities and they can even handle the restoration of old works.
Another great free place to go is the The Yale Center for British Art which is open from 10am to 5pm Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5pm on Sunday and has the largest collection of British art outside of the UK. Additionally they provide a wide variety of classes, lessons, and workshops available to all ages.
Artspace Gallery is open from noon to 6pm Wednesday through Saturday as a non-profit that focuses on getting exposure for new artists and contemporary art near you in general. Free drawing workshops for students in grades 8-12 as well as more intensive summer programs are available while any emerging local artists reading this would be wise to apply for their Artist-in-Residence program. Every October they also put on the City-Wide Open Studios Event.
There are a variety of virtual art classes, exhibitions, and public programs available at Creative Art Workshop which is open from 9am to 7:30pm Monday through Friday and 9:30am to 4:30pm on Saturday. Every year nearly two thousand people enroll in their hundreds of course options while many people visit to check out their free exhibitions.
Materials & Supplies Near You
The best places to buy art supplies and materials in your area are:
- Hull’s Art Supply & Framing at 1144 Chapel St
- The Yale Bookstore at 77 Broadway
- Artist & Craftsman Supply at 821-825 Chapel St
- Joann at 1405 Boston Post Rd, Milford
- Hobby Lobby at 1777 Boston Post Rd, Milford
- Michaels at 79 Turnpike Sq, Milford
You can find a variety of supplies and get custom framing at Hull’s Art Supply.
There is a wide selection of materials at Artist & Craftsman Supply that you can buy for a fair price.
Joann, Hobby Lobby, and Michaels all can provide custom framing.
Shows & Events
Check out these shows and events held throughout the year:
- International Festival of Arts & Ideas in June
- Celebration of American Crafts in November-December
- City-Wide Open Studios Festival in October
The International Festival of Arts & Ideas is held every June and you will be able to see performing arts, lectures, dance, music, and theater.
The Celebration of American Crafts is hosted by the two floor gallery at Creative Arts Workshop where you can expect there to be over a hundred artists showing off their newest works in a variety of mediums like fiber art small-scale sculpture, pottery, ceramics, handmade books, jewelry, and ornaments.
Artspace puts on the City-Wide Open Studios event each October that is the biggest gathering of visual artists in Connecticut.
Art Dealers & Appraisers
When you are ready to find a new piece for your collection or when you want to know how much a piece is worth you can go to art dealers and appraisers near you like:
- Mona Berman Fine Arts at 78 Lyon St #4927
- New Haven Auctions at 14 Business Park Dr #5, Branford
- Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers at 49 Research Dr, Milford
- Gilded Lily Gallery at 101 River St, Milford
Mona Berman Fine Arts can handle art consultations, appraisal, art handling, installation, framing, conservation, restoration, storage, and shipping.
You will find unique works made by local and regional artists at the Gilded Lily Gallery who also has hand blown glass, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, and more in addition to paintings.
Kehler Liddel Gallery and Fred Giampietro Gallery from our initial list also sell art in New Haven.
Walking Tours
On a nice day try taking a walking tour in your area and checking out some cool stuff:
- Public Art at Yale at 149 Elm St
- Milford Art Stroll at 207 S Walnut St, Milford
- International Festival of Arts & Ideas at 195 Church St
While not exactly an art walk per se if you wander around the Yale Campus you will definitely see a lot of creative pieces.
The best part of the Milford Art Stroll might be all the public art sculptures along the river but there are also some really cool murals to check out.
Unfortunately the International Arts Festival is only a possibility in June.
Sculptures & Statues
There are some really nice sculptures and statues around town like:
- Amistad Memorial at 165 Church St
- The Women’s Table at 175 Elm St
- Soldiers And Sailors Monument at 107 North Broad St, Milford
Back in 1992 Ed Hamilton created the Amistad Memorial.
Maya Lin created The Women’s Table which was put up to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the coeducation of Yale.
Head to East Rock Park to get an up close view of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument which is so tall that it can be seen from just about anywhere in town.
New Haven Art Classes
Whether you are trying to find lessons for kids or are an adult who wants to grow his skills there are some great options here. Some of the best New Haven art schools and classes near you can be found at:
- Yale School of Art at 1156 Chapel St
- Adae Fine Art Academy at 817 Chapel St
Yale School of Art might be a bit out of reach for most of us but if you have some skills you might as well try.
Adae offers free trial lessons plus there summer artist immersion program for children ages 7 and up is worth checking out.
The Yale Center for British Art and Creative Arts Workshop from our initial best local galleries list are probably more realistic options.
Studios For Rent Near You
When the time comes to rent an art studio in your area try:
- Studio i at 315 Peck St Building #5
- Arts Council of Greater New Haven at 70 Audubon St #2a
Artspace and The Firehouse Gallery from our first list may also have studio spaces for rent.
Framing
A frame can transform a regular looking piece or picture to that next level and some of the best places for art framing in New Haven are:
- Frames & Stretchers Factory at 1175 State St #273
- Merwin’s Art Shop at 1052 Chapel St
- The Frame Shop & Dasilva Gallery at 897-899 Whalley Ave
- New England Framing & Art at 1095 Bridgeport Ave, Milford
- Frame Works at 114 Cedar Hill Rd, Milford
Frames and Stretchers Factory specializes in over-sized museum quality stretcher bars, onsite stretching, and complex art installations in your area.
You can get custom framing, mats, or glazing at The Frame Shop & Dasilva Gallery.
For more custom framing options or high quality photo restoration head to New England Framing & Art.
Other places we have listed throughout the post that also do local custom framing are Mona Berman Fine Arts, Hull’s Art Supply, Joan, Hobby Lobby, and Michaels.
Some of you may also want to read our art guides for:
Have Fun Enjoying The New Haven Art Scene
For the time being that is all we really know about the art scene near you. We listed the best galleries, museums, events, shows, supply stores, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures, classes, studios, and framers in your area that you may want to check out.
Anyone that made it this far probably loves the local art as much as we do. If so go ahead and use the comments to share your own tips or to let us know if you think we got anything wrong.
We hope you enjoy your time at the best New Haven art galleries, museums, supply stores, or doing whatever else you plan to do with the info.
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