We Live Here
Exhibition brings housing history, public art and community dialogue to downtown New London
How does America’s national housing crisis play out in one small coastal city? To answer that question, Connecticut College and The Housing Collective’s Center for Housing Opportunity Eastern Connecticut launched a three-year research and dialogue project using New London as a case study. The fascinating findings, which include contributions from more than 50 Conn students, are now on display in We Live Here/New London, a free exhibition open through Dec. 18 at The Garde Gallery.
“New London is in many ways representative of the nation in the way that it experiences issues with housing security and housing affordability,” said curator and Associate Professor of Art History and Architectural Studies Anna Vallye.
“Housing is often discussed through numbers, policies and cost, but it is also about memory, design, daily life and belonging. This exhibition explores housing as the framework of community life and invites people to look at New London as part of a much larger national story.”
Through historical images, photography, architectural designs, resident testimony and interactive displays, We Live Here/New London traces a century of residential life in the region, examining how communities have lived, how housing has shaped daily life and how creative solutions can increase housing access and security. The exhibition includes a detailed visual timeline of the past century of housing in New London and the nation; a resident portrait series; recorded video interviews; data visualizations and info graphics; a map display of notable historical and contemporary residential architecture; and architectural proposals for future living in the New London area envisioned by graduate students at the Yale School of Architecture. The contributors include Connecticut College faculty, students, staff and alumni as well as experts, researchers and community partners from around the region.
“We are so proud to play an important role in these ongoing efforts focused on housing, especially with regard to accessibility and affordability,” President Andrea E. Chapdelaine said at an opening reception on Sept. 24. “At Connecticut College, our mission states that we prepare our students to put the liberal arts into action—and by that, we mean taking scholarship and learning outside of the classroom to contribute to public dialogue and support thoughtful, informed policy and decision-making beyond the campus.”
Rae Wartelle ’27, a film studies and French double major and scholar in the Creativity Pathway from Tacoma, Washington, was one of the student researchers. “I developed a deeper understanding of the housing crisis in New London and forged a profound connection to the town in which I study and live,” Wartelle said. “I hope this project will inspire actionable change in New London so community members of all demographics and economic backgrounds can continue to thrive and invest in the area.”
Allie Cook ’28, an architectural studies and anthropology double major and Holleran Center for Community Action scholar from Marietta, Georgia, said working on the exhibition gave her a fresh perspective on “the web of housing.”
“I learned about the intricacies of community action that have helped combat housing inaccessibility and the many forms that it can take,” she said.
During her remarks, Chapdelaine stressed that research has shown that such community engagement is one of the best ways to deepen students’ understanding. Milana Kirianova ’28, a triple major in economics, international relations and Hispanic studies from Moscow, Russia, agrees.
“It was meaningful to help share a project that brings New London’s history and residents’ stories into view, especially because it is easy to move through the city as a student without knowing much about the people who have made their lives here or the changes they have seen,” she said. “I hope the exhibition makes people curious enough to look more closely and ask what kind of New London we want to help shape now."
More than 100 people from Conn and the local community attended the lively opening reception, which also featured the Connecticut College student band Brisa Azul.
After touring the exhibition, New London Mayor Michael Passero ’79 said he was “absolutely blown away” by the contents and the work that went into it.
“This project is going to help inform us and keep us working toward solutions. Everything’s about housing right now and affordability, and trying to give people the support they need, give our families the support they need,” he said.
Vallye says finding solutions is at the heart of We Live Here.
“It really is in our power to change the way we live if we work together,” she said. “Especially at the local level, we can envision and make possible better, more affordable ways of living.”
That prospect leaves Anna Wong ’27 hopeful. “Everyone deserves access to affordable housing,” the English major and Media, Rhetoric, and Communication Pathway scholar from Melrose, Massachusetts, said.
“This project allowed me to explore and share some stories of our New London neighbors and their homes, experiences, families, friendships, local businesses and livelihoods that were and still are impacted by urban renewal. I hope this project helps us reflect on the communities we are a part of and why those are so important to fight for.”
We Live Here/New London is an initiative of “A Right to Housing: Case Study Connecticut,” funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and directed by Connecticut College Professor Anna Vallye and CHO-EC Director Beth Sabilia. The exhibition is sponsored A/Z Corporation. For more information, visit welivehere.site.
