The Ely Center of Contemporary Art’s mission is to reaffirm Grace Ely’s testamentary wishes for an art center where arts organizations and the public assemble, exchange, learn, and engage through emerging contemporary practices.
The John Slade Ely House is an English Elizabethan style house built in 1905 by S. G. Taylor. It was home to John Slade Ely (1860-1906) and Grace T. Ely, who came to New Haven in 1897. From 1897 up until his tragic death in 1906, he held the Theory and Practice of Medicine chair at Yale School of Medicine. Grace, an active community member and supporter of the arts, left the house in Trust as an art center after her death in 1960. The first exhibition opened in April 1961 with works from New Haven Paint & Clay Club.
Founded in 1961, the John Slade Ely House is New Haven's first major arts center curating hosting many regional arts organizations.
