On the altar were pages of handwritten sheet music, a bible, a heartfelt card, and a homemade CD.
After 16 years, “I can still hear her voice,” said Paulette Branch, the youngest of five children of Syla Alexandria Artis Branch, a legendary pianist and organist from New Haven.
Syla had made the CD herself; on it her music and voice are recorded for perpetuity. From now until Nov. 23, the CD along with the rest of the altar will be on display at NXTHVN in Dixwell, one element of local artist Arvia Walker’s “Reverence: An Archival Altar” exhibition.
The altar, accompanied by a painting and video of Syla, is part of Walker’s effort to commemorate the “giants” of New Haven’s Black History.
At a packed show opening on Saturday, Walker and her team blended past, present and future to encourage not just the viewing of archives but the act of creating archives for yourself — and taking history into your own care.
“Through the memory work of story collection, Reverence brings together the power of archival preservation and the sacred practice of ancestor veneration through altars,” the exhibit description states.
Paul Bryant Hudson and his band gave the crowd chills with their slow, soulful melodies. A food altar created by Justin Hernandez featured empanadas, plantain chips, artisanal dips, and more for the guests to enjoy.
Ashley LaRue from New Haven queer art incubator Qommunity set up collage stations throughout the event space, complete with butterfly stickers, paper cutters, and two-dimensional golden frames. At small wireless photo printers along the wall , people could print pictures of themselves and their loved ones for collages or personal archives — or both.
Those looking to document their present as a future memory could go to local photographer Bizzie Ruth, who was taking family and individual photos in front of a gorgeous floral wallpaper backdrop.
The exhibit invited attendees to take copies of an “Archival Mini Zine” prompting them to think about their own roles as ancestors in training and instructing them on how to build a home altar like the ones on display. They could then sit in a quiet lounge section in front of the welcome counter, where there was comfortable seating, a living-room-evoking backdrop, and a table of supplies for letter writing. If they wanted, they could leave their letters in a binder on the table to serve as part of a community archive for future generations.
The importance of documenting one’s own family and personal history was highlighted by a quote from poet Maya Angelou, displayed on the back wall of the altar space:
“Hold those things that tell your history and protect them. During slavery, who was able to read or write or keep anything? The ability to have somebody to tell your story to is so important. It says: ‘I was here. I may be sold tomorrow. But you know I was here.’ ”
In one corner of the gallery was a looped video Walker put together, featuring the music of two of the “giants” being celebrated in the show: gospel and doo-wop singer Douglas McClure and “Sweet Mother Branch.” In Branch’s part of the video, church music plays over visual memories from her life. A New Haven Register front-page Sunday clipping from 2007 features Branch at the piano, with the tagline, “Even angels stop to listen when she plays.”
Dana Reid, Syla’s granddaughter, held a clipboard as she asked attendees to sign a petition to name the corner at Division Street and Winchester Avenue the Syla Alexandria Artis Branch Corner, “to honor the legacy of Mrs. Syla Alexandria Artis Branch, a New Haven native, well-known and respected musician and resident of the Newhallville community for 50 years.” Deja Reid, Syla’s great-granddaughter, said the theme of Walker’s art show and the corner-naming effort “lined up perfectly.”
Linda Branch, one of Syla’s daughters, said the idea for the petition came out of a conversation with Alberta Gibbs, a legislative assistant at the Board of Alders, about a month ago.
Kendra Branch, Linda’s niece and Dana’s sister, told me about how the family had talked about the exhibit in their group chat and the chance to bring their petition to the space. “Oh, this is a good time to do this,” she remembered thinking.
New Haven is on a roll naming its corners after beloved local legends. We now have the Annie Louise Boyd Corner on Congress and West, Lucretia’s Corner on Orange and Elm, the Reverend Bonita D. Grubbs Corner on Davenport and Ward, and the Ms. Betty Thompson Corner on Rock and Grace Streets in Cedar Hill. If all goes well with the Branches’ petition, there may soon be a Syla Alexandria Artis Branch Corner in Newhallville, too.
In the gallery space, Paulette and Linda pointed out details in a large, flower-filled painting made by local artist Kulimushi Barongozi, with the help of Kaelynne Hernandez. The piece depicted younger and older versions of their mother, repeated multiple times and overlaid on each other.
I asked Linda how Syla was as a mother, and it took her no time to respond, “Oh, awesome.”
“She always did something for all of us. She just loved all of us,” she continued.
“She was the true matriarch,” Paulette said. “She was very crafty. She had an imagination. Her father was an elocutionist,” meaning he would memorize stories and speeches to tell.
“She was a soft-spoken woman, lovable, kind.” Paulette paused before concluding, “She taught us those qualities.”
Paul Bryant Hudson, the crowd-favorite singer from earlier in the day, popped up to reveal himself as Syla’s great-grandson. Hudson, a legendary New Haven musician himself, said simply, “We always had music around.” Paulette chimed in, “During Christmastime, we would all gather around the piano and sing.”
Walker, who put together Syla’s altar along with all of the altars for the show, writes about Syla in the exhibition pamphlet, “She was Black brilliance, lived quietly and fully. This is her altar, where we pay our respects to her.”
“Reverence: An Archival Altar” is on exhibit at NXTHVN until Nov. 23. The gallery will hold a Youth & Family Program on Saturday, Aug. 2, a ticketed Sip & Print event on Thursday, Sept. 25, and an Artist & Family Talk on Saturday, Oct. 25.
