OCEAN TINY DESK

Thursday, December 4, 2025 at 7:00pm
CNTR, 725 Main St, Unit 31, Middletown, CT

Free and open to the public

Join the Center for the Arts for an end-of-semester celebration hosted by CFA Artist in Residence mayfield brooks, along with their artistic collaborator camilo, and Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Raquel Bryant.

OCEAN TINY DESK is an oceanic open-mic night that welcomes performers and audiences alike. Attendees are welcome to share music, dance, poetry, or stories that celebrate, question, or deepen connections with the ocean. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Bring your voice, your instruments, and your friends!

The evening will begin with music selections from Raquel Bryant and her band Hothouse, and music and poem selections from mayfield, camilo, and friends, followed by the open mic portion. Creative occurrences, no matter how conventional or experimental, are all welcome.

Interested in performing? No need to sign up in advance, just come by and put your name on the sign-up sheet at the event.

Not interested in performing? That’s ok too! Come be part of the fun as an audience member and enjoy the creative community.

This event takes place in downtown Middletown at CNTR, 725 Main St, Unit 31, Middletown, CT 06457, from 7pm to 9:30pm. CNTR provides access to space and quality arts and culture programs for Middletown communities. 

For students who may need transportation to and from the event, a shuttle will leave from the Usdan University Center (45 Wyllys Ave, Middletown, CT 06459) on December 4 at 6:45pm and return from CNTR (725 Main Street, Unit 31, Middletown, CT  06457) at 9:30pm. Shuttle seats will be limited. 

For more information about this event and shuttle service needs, please email rarbo@wesleyan.edu.

mayfield brooks, choreographer and Center for the Arts Artist in Residence, has been working on their Whale Fall project since 2021, a work that explores the life and death cycle of whales. From the metaphor of the whale fall, their project has expanded to explore the musicality of whale song and the history of the whaling industry (one of the first integrated industries drawing heavily on Black and Indigenous labor). At its core, Whale Fall asks the question: what becomes possible, inevitable, and necessary when systems break down?