News / Press

ECA Visual Arts Department Presents: Soft Systems Student Exhibition at City Gallery

(North Haven, CT – November 24, 2025) Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) is proud to announce that the ACES Educational Center for the Arts (ECA) will host Soft Systems, an evocative student exhibition presented by the Visual Arts Department. This curated collection of sculptural works will be on view from December 5, 2025, through January 2, 2026, at City Gallery in New Haven, with an Opening Reception scheduled for Sunday, December 7, from 1–3 PM.

Soft Systems feature the innovative and thought-provoking creations of ECA high school visual arts students who have explored the expressive and structural properties of fiber and nontraditional materials. Employing techniques from traditional textile construction to experimental material manipulation, the students’ works invite viewers to reimagine softness as both a tactile and conceptual tool.

The pieces reflect systems of organization found in the natural world, cellular growth, bodily forms, tension grids, and stretch into the abstract, where materials fold, stretch, and hold space in unexpected ways.

“Soft Systems is a beautiful representation of our students' courage to experiment, question, and create from a place of deep inquiry. This exhibition exemplifies the ECA philosophy, where young artists work shoulder to shoulder with professional artists, shaping not just artwork, but ideas. It’s a celebration of transformation, texture, and thought,” said Stefanie Savo, Principal of ECA.

The ECA Visual Arts Department, grounded in material exploration and professional mentorship, offers over thirty-six foundation and special topics courses annually. These span media such as sculpture, printmaking, video, photography, interdisciplinary media, 4D digital fabrication, and more.

The Soft Systems exhibition is free and open to the public.
Location:
City Gallery
994 State Street, New Haven, CT 06511
Gallery Hours: Friday–Sunday, 12 PM–4 PM, or by appointment
 

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About ACES:

Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) is the regional educational service center for New Haven and parts of Middlesex and Fairfield Counties. ACES serves school districts through innovative programs and services that meet the needs of a changing educational landscape. ACES operates magnet, special education, and alternative schools, as well as providing a wide range of educational services including professional development, transportation, translation, and adult vocational programs. Learn more at www.aces.org.