Chapel Haven Schleifer Center was proud to host a special evening, “Inclusivity in Action” on Friday, Oct. 24.
This meet and greet with international artist Dr. Stuart Neilson also included a panel discussion with local leaders, and a pizza reception featuring the Big Green Pizza Truck. The event followed a groundbreaking symposium at the Yale Center for British Art entitled “Neurodivergence and Art Museums,” Oct. 23-24, at which Dr. Neilson was a keynote speaker.
And Dr. Neilson’s work will continue to be viewed. Chapel Haven Schleifer Center and First Place Global Leadership Institute have partnered to present “Picturing Inclusivity,” a traveling art and film exhibition that shares Dr. Neilson’s view of an accessible world, through both his work and a short film directed by award-winning director John Schaffer, “exploring how I look for ways to share my experience of my place in Cork City and the world through my images.,” Neilson said. The film soundtrack is scored and performed by acclaimed violinist Laura Nadine.
In Connecticut, Chapel Haven Schleifer Center is proud to host a selection of his work, along with New Alliance Foundation Art Gallery at CT State Gateway through November 7, 2025.
Chapel Haven’s reception drew a crowd, to see a sampling of Dr. Neilson’s work on exhibit in the serenity lounge, and to enjoy a pizza reception. A panel discussion explored themes of inclusion and featured:
Alderman Richard Furlow, who represents Ward 27 on the New Haven Board of Aldermen
Elizabeth Donius, executive director of the Westville Village Renaissance Alliance
Linda Friedlaender of the Yale Center for British Art and her daughter, Dr. Eron Friedlaender, an attending physician in the Emergency Department at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who played a pivotal role in the symposium. Chapel Haven Schleifer Center enjoys a nationally recognized partnership with the Yale Center for British Art through a program called Out to Art that brings CHSC students together with the museum on a weekly basis.
Two CHSC students – Jessica of the REACH program and David of the ASAT program. The students discussed how they are working toward independence.
Moderated by CHSC President Michael Storz, the panel discussed how city departments, schools and places of work can collaborate to foster more genuine inclusion.
See photo gallery below for more pix. Isaac, a student in the ASAT program, provided musical entertainment on his violin. Thanks to CHSC individuals who represented our program so well!
About Dr. Neilson
Dr. Stuart Neilson is an internationally renowned photographer, writer and lecturer in statistics who explores the world through a neurodivergent lens. Based in Cork City, Ireland, Dr. Neilson gave a keynote address about Neurodivergence and the Art Museum at the symposium. “Stuart Neilson uses his personal experience as an individual with an autism diagnosis to map barriers to access in museums. His keynote will explore how neurodivergent people experience place and space within art museums, as well as how we might advance our understanding of those experiences and address the needs of neurodivergent people in art museums. Using heat-map and stop-motion photography, his photographs visualize the movement within and transitions between spaces in museums, exhibitions, and galleries, and the circulation around them, including the urban streetscape. He is particularly interested in how photography can draw attention to the transitions between spaces and to barriers to access, such as anxiety about entrances, to showcase how “unremarkable” spaces can be difficult for neurodivergent individuals to access.”
Special thanks to CHSC Art Director Tina Menchetti for coordinating our special event and Denise Hawkins, Director of Communications and Engagement, for all their work on this successful event!
