My favorite thing about this piece is that it is crowdsourced from New Haven citizens. Bruce Ditman and I posted a call for images of the Have and friends from around town sent in their images. No one asked why or for what or asked for credit or compensation. They were excited to share their photographs, and we are grateful for their enthusiasm and town pride. The piece was originally made for a short video competition with AirBnB, “Tell Us Why You Love Your City”, and while we did not formally win the competition I am delighted that the video continues to inspire. — Valerie Belanger
Valerie Belanger was raised in New Orleans, but transplanted to New Haven in 1989. While she travels frequently and works in the field of international development, she continues to call New Haven home. Passionate about public art, participatory and interactive projects that build communities, Valerie co-founded Beluma Arts (http://belumaarts.org) with Uma Ramiah in 2009.
new haven speaks 