We Live Here/ New London

This fall, a new exhibition at the Garde Gallery invites visitors to explore how housing has shaped life in New London for generations.

We Live Here/New London, presented by Connecticut College and the Housing Collective’s Center for Housing Opportunity Eastern Connecticut, opens September 25 and runs through December 18 at the Garde Gallery. Admission is free.

Blending history, art, architecture and personal stories, the exhibition examines how housing influences community, identity and daily life. Through photographs, historical documents, resident interviews, interactive displays and architectural designs, visitors can discover how New London’s housing story reflects broader conversations taking place across Connecticut and the nation.

“Housing is often discussed through numbers, policies and cost, but it is also about memory, design, daily life and belonging,” says Anna Vallye, curator of the exhibition and associate professor of art history and architectural studies at Connecticut College. “This exhibition invites people to see New London’s housing history as part of a much larger story.”

Highlights include a century-long housing timeline, portraits and video interviews with local residents, maps showcasing notable residential architecture, data visualizations and forward-looking housing concepts developed by graduate students from the Yale School of Architecture.

The experience extends beyond the gallery walls through a companion website and digital publication featuring essays, research by Connecticut College students and additional educational resources focused on New London’s residential history.

According to Beth Sabilia, Director of the Housing Collective’s Center for Housing Opportunity Eastern Connecticut, the project creates space for meaningful community dialogue.

“New London is a city shaped by many neighborhoods, experiences and housing stories,” she says. “This project encourages us to reflect on who can live here, who can stay here and how we envision the future of our community.”

The exhibition’s opening weekend begins with StreetLight, a free outdoor celebration on Thursday, September 24, from 7 to 9 p.m. outside the Garde Arts Center and Garde Gallery. The event will transform the theater’s facade with projected artwork, historical imagery, music and video, accompanied by a live performance from Connecticut College student band Brisa Azul.

Throughout the exhibition’s run, visitors can also take part in tours, workshops and community conversations hosted at the Garde Gallery, Connecticut College and locations throughout downtown New London.

We Live Here/New London is part of the larger A Right to Housing: Case Study Connecticut Project, a three-year initiative funded by the Mellon Foundation that explores housing access and security through research, public scholarship and community engagement.