“We are all artists, we are all family,” was the slogan of the Hygienic Art Gallery’s open mic on Friday, Feb. 9. Chairs formed a semi-circle around the microphone in the gallery’s space on Bank Street, New London. Those who didn’t come early enough to get a seat gathered in the adjacent room and craned their necks to see. Not a single wall was blank. In the background, paintings, sculptures, and collages came together to color in the lively atmosphere. The range of artistic styles on display that night was a product of the Hygienic’s declaration of “no judge, no jury, no fees, no censorship.” The motto pays homage to New London’s own Salon des Indépendants movement in the late 1970s.
The Hygienic literally sits on history. When digging up the soil for a new underground gallery a cannonball was found. While the original building dates back to 1884, it went through a series of transformations until 1931 when it became the Hygienic Restaurant and Delicatessen. A popular eatery, the restaurant is said to have served President Roosevelt and Al Capone. The building was purchased in 1998 and renovated into the artistic hub it is today.
Yet the space still boasts the original countertop from the restaurant as a reminder of its past. There is no stage. Shanell Sharpe, the featured poet of the night, moved the mic behind her and paced at the front of the room. It would have felt like a private moment, were it not for the way Sharpe responded to the audience’s demand for more. A UCONN alum and a former member of the Poetic Release team, Sharpe made her writing debut in the third grade with “Ms. Williams and the Spice Girls,” a piece dedicated to the popular band and Sharpe’s teacher. Now a poet, rapper, and singer, Sharpe ended her set by sitting down on one of the speakers and performing her recent single, “Lights Low.” The song has a steady beat that provides a simple background for Sharpe’s strong lyrics. Available on all major platforms, Lights Low is a fearless response to a negative relationship. Filled with self-love, Sharpe sang, “Only wanna see me when the lights down low. I don’t like this, I can’t hide no more.”
Applause followed Shanell’s performance. In fact, the audience was receptive to all kinds of performances and the energy remained for the entire two-hour set. There were musicians, singers, poets, and rappers. Themes ranged from political commentary to personal anxiety and grief. The performances included local poet and teacher Laura Strobel, who describes her poetry as a “slice of life, silhouette style” and others, like Seth Howard, editor of the new Capsule magazine, who wanted to accentuate the quietness behind his words.
A performer takes the mic. Photo courtesy of Summer Wrobel.
There are plentiful reasons for needing a space like the Hygienic in a community. Monica, a local poet, explained to me that when she graduated high school, where she took creative writing classes, it was as if her circulation was cut off. “It cut off every outlet to express myself,” she told me, “’cause there’s not really a lot of opportunities to express yourself as an adult in New London.” She described the Hygienic as being a life source and performing her poetry as coming up for air.
Open mics provide an opportunity for creative expression. What made the Hygienic open mic so successful was the celebration of both the community and the individual, which the Hygienic fostered by creating a space for the collective in which the individual was not lost. Taking advantage of this unique opportunity, performers and audience members alike celebrated a range of artistic styles and themes.
Open mics also provide a space to be heard and a platform for activism. Anita Dees, a poet and the current host of the Washington Street Café’s open mic, told me that it is only the artists who can bridge the divides in our country. “You can preach all day long,” she says, “and they will be impressed by you, but that does not mean they have internalized any word you’ve said. I’d far rather have people remember the ideas in my work and think they thought of it themselves.”
Organized by Juanita Austin and hosted by comedian Nika Domingo and DJ Prime, the event marked the closing weekend of the gallery’s XXXIX Arts Extravaganza. Yet nothing about the event felt like closure.
