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May 2020- Part 2
IN THIS ISSUE: Stay connected with BPT arts as we creatively navigate this new landscape. Learn about virtual programs and community news. Save the Date "Make Music Day Bridgeport" - June 21, Bridgeport Pride Exhibit Call for Art. Plus, sustaining City Lights programs and services for 16 years!
SAVE THE DATE: MAKE MUSIC DAY-BRIDGEPORT
SUNDAY JUNE 21, 2020
Fuzz Sangiovanni is mixing up an online review of local music videos with greetings and comments from some favorite musicians and sharing how they are staying creative during shutdown of musical venues during Covid19. News about featured artists and broadcasts on WPKN to follow, to be posted on the  Bridgeport Art Trail Website.
Bridgeport Art Trail covered the Chalk Art Thank You that local artists volunteered to create for the Healthcare Workers at Bridgeport Hospital. Darius Daniels, creates a chalk drawing outside Bridgeport Hospital thanking healthcare workers for "Hospital Week."
Watch the News 12 Connnecticut Feature

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM THE BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL


2019 PROGRAMS REACHED 6000+ STUDENTS. YOUR SUPPORT KEEPS THE CITY LIGHTS BURNING.
Please make a contribution at www.citylightsgallery.org
Or send a check made to City Lights & Company
Mailing Address: City Lights 130 Elm St Bridgeport, CT 06604
CLICK HERE TO DOUBLE YOUR CONTRIBUTION THROUGH A DOLLAR TO DOLLAR MATCH
Sustaining City Lights programs and services for 16 years! 
Successes, challenges, generous support and collaboration are the 16-year story of City Lights. 2019 to 2020 is no different. Last year City Lights produced a robust year of programs that reached 6000+ students in Bridgeport and in Fairfield. These outreach programs combined with sales and other work provided $80,000 of critical supplemental income to artists and creatives who are gig-economy workers. 

Now in the Covid-19 crisis these opportunities are at risk. City Lights and community partners created a 2020 calendar of programs, partnering with Bridgeport schools, the Barnum Festival and of course Bridgeport’s arts community. Our programs that attract public audiences need to be transitioned to online presentations. Like everyone, we are adapting and finding ways to continue to serve the community through art. 

We are collaborating with teaching artists to create engaging online educational programs, relevant newsletters, articles and exhibits shared on social media and our websites. We are working with community partners on public art projects. During this health and economic struggle, we have been a public advocate on TV, radio and social media raising awareness for artists, gig-economy workers, who have lost most or all, of their sources of income, due to the shutdown of venues and the rise in unemployment. 
WE WILL MAKE IT WITH YOUR HELP
We need your help to keep the City Lights burning. Please make a contribution. Any amount is gratefully appreciated and will be matched dollar for dollar, if you donate during our 16th anniversary fundraising campaign ending June 30th. Funds will support arts enrichment programs for youth and general operating support. This will enable us to continue programs to enrich the learning experience for youth and work opportunities for teaching artists. 
DONATE
COVID19 CHRONICLES
Programs will include a student-led creative writing online journalism project, called the Covid19 Chronicles. Youth are empowered to gain insight from elders and peers by chronicling the disruption of daily activities, innovations/hardships of social distancing and the economic impact from the shutdown, gaining insight from elders and peers. Through this multi-generational project, together they create a living history document and song. Copies will be gifted to the Bridgeport Public library, who has requested that community members keep journals and donate them. Students learn and practice interview and writing skills, and illustration and photography for stories. Students will gain transferable skills for work, school and interpersonal relations like collaboration, following directions, public speaking and problem solving.
Watch the News 12 Connnecticut Feature

COMMUNITY UPDATES AND PROGRAMS 

CONGRATULATIONS TO RUBEN MARROQUIN

RECIPIENT OF THE GRAND PRIZE IN “FIBER 2020”
SILVERMINE ART CENTER
View from Norwalk
Embroidery over Belgian linen.
48”x35”
2020

Silvermine.org:
Exhibition title: Fiber 2020
Silvermine Galleries

Fiber 2020 showcases the best of contemporary fiber art and reflects a breath of functional and non-functional works that use natural fiber and or hight tech materials in traditional or innovative ways.
“A Bridgeport artist who transformed a familiar Norwalk landscape has taken the Grand Prize in “Fiber 2020,” an exhibition currently at the Silvermine Art Center dedicated to showcasing the best in contemporary fiber art from across the country.” CT Post, Joel Lang
Read The Article Here
CALL FOR ARTISTS, 10th ANNUAL BRIDGEPORT PRIDE EXHIBIT 
10th Annual OUTwork Exhibit depicts expressions of LGBTQQIP2sAA life and issues. You do not need to identify nonbinary to participate. The intention is to achieve greatest possible inclusion and to create a platform for people of diverse backgrounds to meet and exchange ideas. Also there are many who want to express their support and respect. 
 
All artists are invited to submit jpegs of their work for consideration by May 30, 2020.

Artists will be notified by June 6, 2020.
For more info email: clgallerybpt@gmail.com
City Lights Vintage - Reopening Phase I
The Writer's Group with Shanna T. Melton
Join Shanna Melton for a nurturing experience of creative writing sponsored by City Lights the first two Saturdays of every month. She is hosting this workshop via ZOOM. 

For more info:clgallerybpt@gmail.com
Visit the Writers’ Group Facebook page

COMMUNITY NEWS DURING CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19

AMUR LEOPARDS GO VAN GOGH! 
CONNECTICUT BEARDSLEY ZOO
Watch Connecticut Beardsley Zoo Amur leopards as they enjoy a Zoo enrichment activity and create leopard art masterpieces! This non-toxic, rinsable paint is used to offer the leopards a new activity and create one-of-a-kind animal art.
Watch the Video Here
BRIDGEPORT ARTS AND CULTURAL COUNCIL UPDATES
All of us at the Bridgeport Arts & Cultural Council hope you're staying safe and following the important Social Distancing guidelines to help keep us safe in these trying times. In response to the Covid-19 Pandemic, the BACC and I Luv BPT have decided to cancel our 2020 Downtown Thursdays Concert Series & The Bridgeport Arts Festival. We understand how much of a disappointment this may be but the health and safety of our citizens are our priority. So in place of that, our focus will be on providing opportunities to local Bridgeport artists in the form of streaming programming and scholarships.

We are looking forward to sponsoring The BACC Virtual Creative online Workshops. 16 artists for 8 weeks of online creative programming designed to support our local artist community. We're also proud to present 4 BACC Virtual Scholarships that will be made available to Bridgeport Residents.
HCC Virtual Student Art Show
From Apr 29 to Sep 30, 2020
For the first time in its history, the Housatonic Community College (HCC) Student Art Show adopted an online-only format. Typically held in the school’s Burt Chernow Galleries each spring, the Art Department created an innovative virtual exhibition while the college’s campus is closed due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The show features over 75 paintings, drawings, pastels, digital images, sculpture, ceramics and more produced by 40 of HCC’s talented student artists, providing an opportunity for art to not only offer comfort but also a chance to come together.

“I could not believe the speed and enthusiasm of the students’ response to a virtual show,” said HCC Art Professor Tom Brenner. “It was like opening a floodgate. I quickly realized that it was not simply a matter of wanting their work displayed, but that the idea fulfilled a need for connecting with their friends and fellow students in HCC’s artistic community.”

“Now, more than ever, people need the arts,” said Dr. Thomas Coley, Acting President Housatonic Community College and Regional President, CSCU Shoreline-West. “The arts feed the soul, and this show is not only a testament to the talent of our students, but also the commitment of our faculty. Bravo!”
VIEW THE HOUSATONIC COMMUNITY COLLEGE VIRTUAL STUDENT ART EXHIBIT
WPKN Community Radio Podcasts 
WPKN is a nonprofit, freeform, community radio station (arts organization) that is more than 50 years old. The vision of WPKN is to build community, a loyal and growing audience, and an engaged and educated citizenry by providing the highest quality of free-form programming that broadcasts entertainment, music, news, thoughts, sounds, ideas and event listings that support free speech, diversity, and the interests of the local and global communities WPKN serves. MORE INFORMATION 
Coastal Art Guild of Connecticut - Zoom Figure Drawing
Join us for figure drawing sessions on Zoom. Draw from a live model.

Sessions begin with the model taking short, athletic poses of 1 or 2 minutes to get everyone warmed up. We will progress with a few 5 and 10 minute poses. The remainder of the session will be 20 minute poses.

Cost:
$7.00: Coastal Arts Guild of CT members
$10.00: non members

THE ONLY WAY to get the Zoom meeting link is to register for the session here: https://www.coastalartsguildct.org/figure-drawing-via-zoom.

The meeting is password-protected. The password will be sent in a separate email to all participants who register at the above link. Registration is required. 18 years of age or older. No instruction is provided.
MORE INFORMATION 
Letter from Executive Director to ticket holders for canceled shows between 3/16/20 and 5/17/20
This is a difficult letter to write but these are extraordinary times. There is a little something at the end of the letter that I hope will give those of you with kids cooped up at home a break.  Yes, there’s a catch!....

Known among our senior staff is ‘The Vault’. Inside of The Vault is 27 archive videos of our award-winning and critically acclaimed Children’s Shows.  Not only do the critics and kids love these clever adaptations of classic children’s stories written by our very own in-house playwright Phill Hill, the parents more times than not enjoy the shows much more than they anticipated!  What’s the catch to get access to The Vault where you can pick and choose from 27 shows or choose them all with full access for a month? You have to convert your tickets or credits into a 100% tax-deductible donation. That’s the catch. Those of you who have already donated your tickets or made a donation over $100 since March 1, 2020, are eligible to access The Vault. MORE INFORMATION 
NEED ART SUPPLIES? OPEN CONNECTICUT ART SUPPLIES

Palooza our partner store in Fairfield, CT is open. Palooza has been granted as an essential business in Connecticut for Educational supplies and Art supply hardware for both students and professionals. Operating days and hours are from Tuesday - Saturday 11:00-3:00. They have a full selection of art supplies. Product shipping from New York on Wednesdays and Saturday’s.

Please send us a email of your needs to ctpalooza@yahoo.com with your phone number, You can also call 203-257-3471 or 203-255-3655 for questions or requests. Orders can be scheduled for pick-up. They are allowing 1 customer in at a time, so please no browsing. Gloves are available at the front counter for shopping. The door will be locked so just knock gently. Please follow social distance guidelines. Many of our popular linens and Aluminum Stretchers are available at Palooza along with our full line of professional artist’s materials.

Palooza
1636 Post Road
Fairfield, Ct 06824
203-257-3471
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT

Stay safe, be prudent, and kind to others and yourself. Stay in touch with us on the Bridgeport Art Trail Facebook Page where we post frequently. 
SUPPORT DOWNTOWN BRIDGEPORT 
Read the Guide Here
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