The Thursday night BAT Artists’ party kicks off the weekend celebration with art exhibits, live music, and projection art at 9 sites within a few downtown blocks. The wall of the quaint Cannon St landmark building has a wall facing Broad St perfect for projection art. It’s adjacent to the Read’s ArtSpace, living/working spaces, and the creative entrepreneur venues of the Arcade Mall, including Cris Dam and Dustin Malstrom’s Ursa Gallery and Liz Squillace’s Paradox Ink.

Projection art will include original music videos of local artists and a slide show of Bridgeport Art Trail art. This year’s popular art party is designed as an indoor/outdoor meander and mingle to accommodate Covid 19 best practices. Yes, face masks will be required indoors.

The Coral Reef Principle, Ursa Gallery features 50 artists addressing global climate change and all the associated economic and social justice issues related to it. One of the exhibitors, Ken  Butler, constructs string instruments resembling guitars and cellos from found objects. Ken will close out the art weekend at the Bijou Theatre with an astonishing musical performance on his musical creations; “..a crazy instrument builder who can get virtuoso riffs from anything.”  The Village Voice 

He has performed and exhibited on the Jay Leno show, the Museum of Modern Art, and others.

Ken Butler builds and performs with instruments made of found objects. You know the saying one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Ken uses all sorts of found/discarded objects from a vintage ax, tennis racket, a rifle gun stock, even a tailor’s female mannequin. He calls his playable constructions “Bricloleuthiery”. This is the combination of bricolage- creating something from whatever is available and luthiery- the artisanal practice of constructing and repairing string instruments.  

Butler will discuss and present various instruments and then play them! Critics describe his music as “mesmerizing world textures and driving melodic grooves with passion and purpose on an amazing arsenal of amplified hybrid string instruments made from household objects and tools. Duchampian Dada meets Hybrid Hindu Hendrix as function and form collide in an environment of hyperactive hardware.

Curator Suzanne Kachmar asks viewers to find the beauty in complexity.

Artists: Maralyn Adlin, Carlos Bautista Biernnay, Claude Desir Jr, Dan Makara, Marcella Kurkowski, Tunde Odunlade, Mark Rich, Gerald Saladyga, Isabella Saraceni, Roxanne Faber Savage, Scott Schuldt, Joan Wheeler

Fiber art, paintings, drawing, and assemblage in this exhibit contain contradictory, ambiguous content with complex imagery and compositions. Although materials and techniques vary, all artists in this exhibit practice the sincere process of artmaking, combining automatism, criticism, and plan.

“Creativity is messy. Life is complicated.” Curator Suzanne Kachmar suggests we practice sitting with complexity and find the beauty there. “I suggest we acknowledge that conditions, ‘facts’ and perspectives are a mash-up of information, feelings, and learned bias, where more than one point of view or logic can be true. In life and in the art in this exhibit, there is often more to a story than what we see on the surface. As we try to make sense of things, remember that existence of any form is an ever-changing battle between order and entropy. It’s complicated!”

“We are living in a time fraught with contentious polarization, hubris, disruption, and a lack of trust, that tests loyalties and exposes who we are, what we need to change and cherish. We may tend to settle with those who have similar perspectives, rather than doing the work to find the answers that are in the mess somewhere in the middle, between the extremes.” 

We added one fancy event to the BAT hosted at Paier College, which recently moved to the once University of Bridgeport campus. “Legacy of the Collector” recognizes, the unassuming Bridgeport collector, Harry Laurie. This BAT fundraiser previews select works from his collection from Banksy, Shephard Fairey, Rauschenberg, Christo, Alice Neel, on exhibit for one night at the Paier gallery.

Collectors and curiosity-seekers can catch a preview of select works from an extensive art collection on view at this Bridgeport Art Trail fundraiser, enjoying reception fare and live music by the Hot Club of Black Rock, an acoustic Gypsy swing band. 

The life of Bridgeport native, Harry Laurie and his passion for collecting art is a jumble spanning from Woodstock to a truck driving Teamster amassing an impressive collection of art and collectibles, including Josef Albers, Banksy, Alice Neel, Shephard Fairey, Robert Rauschenberg, Christo, Andy Warhol, William Wegman and the Spanish abstract painter Antoni Tapias. He was so intrigued by Tapias’ work he traveled to Spain to meet him. 

We love that our beautiful city of Bridgeport is being enriched by even more art and culture and we wanted to highlight these wonderful new creators, studios, and spaces making Bridgeport their home! 

lionheART GALLERY
277 Fairfield Avenue, 2nd Floor, Bridgeport, CT 06604
203-581-0150 / lionheartbpt@gmail.com
lionheartct.com / instagram.com/lionheartct

lionheART Bridgeport is an art space in the loving memory of grandparents Bonnie and Richard Bieder. lionheART combines Bonnie's joy, laughter, and love of the arts with Richard's humility, honesty, and sense of justice. lionheART offers free gallery openings for Connecticut artists, free weekly painting sessions for children and adults, and a free arts & social justice library.

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NBALAB
1163 Main Street, Bridgeport CT 06604
bk@nbalab.com  /  nbalab.com
instagram.com/nbalab  /  facebook.com/nbalab  
646.228.4140
Contact: Billi Kid

NBALAB is a disruptive research and development incubator focused on innovative design, imaginative concepts, and strategic partnerships. Founded in 2015 to facilitate product expansion for the NBA’s Global Licensing Group, the NBALAB experiments with a variety of consumer goods as well as new product categories in collaboration with small and minority-owned companies that are making noise in their respective fields.
Graphic designer/Illustrator/Mural painter/Entrepreneur hosts a meet and greet during the Bridgeport Art Trail on Sat. 11/13/21 from 3;30-5pm, presentation begins at 4 pm.
 

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PARK CITY MUSIC HALL
2926 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport CT 06605
203.335.3655  /  parkcitymusichall.com

The Torres family, proprietors of Harborview Market, (arguably the heart of Black Rock) open their latest endeavor, Park City Music Hall. Live music, food, drinks at Bridgeport's latest music venue! Park City Music Hall began its life as The Acoustic Cafe way back in 1999. Over the following decades, The Acoustic became a wellspring of legendary musical performance and birthed the modern Bridgeport music scene. Park City Music Hall intends to carry that mantle well into the future.

Their projected first night of music is set for Nov 20!

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TWIG LIPS
277 Fairfield Avenue, 2nd Floor, Bridgeport CT 06604
860.716.8879
www.twiglips.com / instagram.com/twig.lips

Twig Lips is a Bridgeport, CT- based artist. Self-taught, she has been painting professionally since 2017, transforming canvas with acrylic, oil, and surprising materials which add a sculptural dimension to her work. Derived from the artist’s original source of inspiration, her nom de plume sprung from her fascination with the mouth and the painting of lips.

 A year ago, City Lights/Bridgeport Art Trail introduced Carlos Bautista Biernnay to the Fernando Alvarez Gallery, to apply for the Sprouting Spaces artist’s residency in Stamford sponsored by the Clementina Foundation. Carlos and the Clementina Foundation will host an open house in Carlos’ studio on Friday, October 15, 2021! He is a prolific art-maker and claims this opportunity has really pushed him to stretch his creative muscles and explore new ways to create with textiles and art quilts. 

Check out this video of Carlos, live in action HERE. 

PechaKucha Night Bridgeport is a storytelling telling event for adults during the Bridgeport Art Trail annual open studios weekend on Sunday, Nov 14th at 6:00 PM. LIVE IN PERSON and VIRTUALLY on YOUTUBE LIVESTREAM. Hear authentic, true personal stories on the theme, "Reinvention + Discovery”. Quick-paced visual stories containing 20 images are told in 6 minutes and 40 seconds. Questions? Contact John Swing at the Barnum Museum 203- 331-1104 ext 100 



Here are the free ticket links! 

• attend in person at the Bijou Theatre HERE
• attend virtually HERE

To watch previous stories, click HERE. 
 

Opening reception: Friday, November 12, 5:00 – 7:00 PM

Location:
Sterling House Community Center
2283 Main St.
Stratford, CT 06615

Arts Alliance of Stratford and our partner Sterling House Community Center would like to showcase the creativity outside the arts community. We invite people with a passion for the arts who work in occupations unrelated to the arts to show the world what you’ve got.

After hours, many find their mojo creating music, visual arts, dance, writing, or in other creative pursuits. If this is you, we’d love to see your work.

For this show, we seek creative souls, whether you identify as a creative or you’ve been keeping it under wraps, we ask you to show us your stuff.

To be eligible for this show, you must have a creative outlet (that you can show us) while earning your living from or retired from a non-creative field. Whether you’re a white-collar executive, a blue-collar hero, or anything in between…if art is not your main career and you have a creative life after hours, we’d invite you to submit your work.

This show will be part of the Bridgeport Art Trail

For more information and submission guidelines, visit the show prospectus page.

The Artists Respond grant program provides direct funding to Connecticut artists to pursue community-based projects that use the arts to respond to social issues, current events, and community needs.

Connecticut artists may apply for grant of either $1,000, $2,500, or $5,000 to support artist fees associated with project activities. 

Projects must occur in Connecticut and may address a range of social issues such as:

• equity and racial justice;
• community development;
• empowerment of LGBTQ communities;
• COVID-19/pandemic;
• mental health;
• and other artist-centered initiatives that use the arts to inspire, empower, educate, and transform our Connecticut communities.

The Spirit of 76: the 76th season of American and American- inspired music!  Hear Dvořák’s “Symphony No. 9 From the New World”, Gershwin’s “An American in Paris”, Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 1 in F# minor” with pianist Andrew Armstrong.

Tickets  $15-$59

Ticket Info Here. 

Join us for the return of our monthly ride to enjoy the many phases of the moon in the city of Bridgeport.

We’ll meet at BPT Creates first, then head to our destination for optimal viewing and enjoyment. Bring your bike or borrow one of ours. Photographers, get your cameras ready for some night photography. Feel free to bring along some snacks and beverages. Mask & Social Distancing is highly recommended.

Tickets Here

Sponsored by AARP online

Wildlife Biologist Kurt Zias discusses how scientists use animal tracking skills to monitor rare and endangered mammals.. Kurt will recount his experiences tracking wolves, wolverines, and mountain lions in the West. Animal tracking fundamentals will be covered, giving viewers the tools to begin tracking wildlife in their backyards. Free, a $10 donation is suggested.

Dude Perfect is a sports and comedy group who bring the action right into the audience with stunts, competitive battles, some of their most funny and embarrassing stories, outlandish stereotypes, and several of their most popular segments from their award-winning “Overtime” series. Tickets: $30 – $40.

Take a journey under the sea with us as a plucky mermaid princess risks everything for a chance at a better life. This exciting new adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen story asks, “What you’re willing to give up to get what you want?” Tickets: $19.75 - $29.00

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JOIN US FOR A WICKED RETRO HALLOWEEN PARTY! Retro 60s-70s costumes encouraged! Opening act, Paul Venier “the one man comedy tornado”. Pocket Full of Soul is a horn driven band built on a 70's musical influence. We play music by such great bands as Tower of Power, James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire, Average White Band, Kool & the Gang, KC & the Sunshine Band, Blues Bros., Sam & Dave, Santana, Chicago, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Rick James, Barry White, Sly & The family Stone and so many more!

Learn More