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BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL NEWSLETTER
Welcome to our Bridgeport Art Trail newsletter, providing a listing of arts and cultural events.
With Memorial Day around the corner kicking-off the unofficial start of summer be sure to fill your calendar with the many great events happening right in the park city!
The Bijou Theatre presents “A Raisin in the Sun” this June. Originally produced in 1959, Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun was the first play written by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway, where it won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play.
CCR Fans, don’t miss Green River – Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre. Listeners enjoy a full show of their favorite CCR classics including “Bad Moon Rising,” “Proud Mary,” “Up Around the Bend” and songs that Creedence would turn into live jams such as Born on the Bayou and Susie Q.
VINTAGE opens at City Lights Gallery in time to welcome in the late spring antiquing and art fair season. Meet the artists who work with vintage items and subject matter at a shop & sip reception on Thursday June 9, 5:00-8:30 p.m. PLUS, view classic motorcars courtesy of DRAGONE CLASSIC MOTORCARS.
City Lights is also extending a call to all artists for our 6th annual Same Sex exhibit, scheduled for July 2016. SameSex explores LGBT themes, same-sex attraction, related feelings and issues of 2016. Artists need not be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender to participate.
Learn about monthly workshops at the Bridgeport Public Library and concerts/performances at Webster Bank Arena!
THIS MAY WE’RE EXCITED TO FEATURE OUR ARTISTS OF THE MONTH: Jay Misencik & Geralene Valentine.
The artists are currently working on Poli’s Palace & Majestic Theatres Memories Project where they interview people who share their memories of time spent at the theatres. The project is currently supported in part by the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County in partnership with the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts
Learn more about that project and their Bridgeport, Portrait Project, upcoming radio show on WPKN, and why Bridgeport remains such an important element in their work.
Details below!
Visit the full calendar of Bridgeport Art listings at the Bridgeport Art Trail Website.
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LIVE THEATRE: JEH PRODUCTIONS presents A Raisin in the Sun
June 3rd and June 4th
The Bijou Theatre
EVENT DESCRIPTION:
Set on Chicago’s South Side, A Raisin in the Sun revolved around the divergent dreams and conflicts within three generations of the Younger family: son Walter Lee, his wife Ruth, his sister Beneatha, his son Travis and matriarch Lena, called Mama. When her deceased husband’s money comes through, Mama dreams of moving to a new home and a better neighborhood in Chicago. Walter Lee, a chauffeur, has other plans: buying a liquor store and being his own man. Beneatha dreams of medical school. The tensions and prejudice they face form this seminal American drama.
Originally produced in 1959, Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun was the first play written by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway, where it won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. The Washington Post has called it “one of a handful of great American dramas.A Raisin in the Sun belongs in the inner circle, along with Death of a Salesman and Long Day’s Journey into Night.” The New York Times has hailed it as “the play that changed American theatre forever.”
June 3, 2016 at 8:00pm and June 4, 2016 at 4:00pm and 8:00pm. Doors open one hour before showtime.
Theatre seats – $27; Table seats – $32
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LIVE MUSIC: Green River – Creedence Clearwater Revival
Saturday, June 4th, 5pm and 8:15pm
Downtown Cabaret Theatre
EVENT DESCRIPTION: The Green River show is very faithful to a live CCR performance. Listeners enjoy a full show of their favorite CCR classics including “Bad Moon Rising,” “Proud Mary,” “Up Around the Bend” and songs that Creedence would turn into live jams such as Born on the Bayou and Susie Q. The band makes a costume change and comes back to perform solo John Fogerty classics including The Old Man Down the Road and Centerfield capturing the energy of his current show.
The theatre opens 90 minutes prior to every show. Doors open 30 minutes prior to every show.
More Info
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VISUAL ART: VINTAGE exhibit
Opening Reception: June 9th, 5-8:30pm
City Lights Gallery
855 Main Street
Downtown Bridgeport, CT 06604
EXHIBIT DESCRIPTION:
JOIN US:
ARTISTS PARTY, SIP & SHOP: THURSDAY JUNE 9, 2016, 5:30-8:30 PM
VINTAGE: Furniture, Clothing, Collectibles, Art Made from Vintage items
VIEW CLASSIC MOTORCARS.
SPECIAL THANKS TO DRAGONE CLASSIC MOTORCARS for lending us 2 vintage motorcars to set the party mood on downtown Main St. Bridgeport, CT.
ENJOY VINTAGE JAZZ STANDARDS PERFORMED LIVE:
Walter Duda keyboard, George Kachmar guitar and vocals, Kenny Owens percussion while viewing and purchasing vintage items, clothing, furniture, accessories and and collectibles and art inspired by vintage objects.
VINTAGE opens at City Lights on May 26, 2016 in time to welcome in the late spring antiquing and art fair season. Featured art includes creations and select pieces, clothing and accessories from the Made In Bridgeport collection, collectible and restored Mid-century Modern furniture from Orbitz studio, vintage postcard art by Steve Gerber, steam punk lamps by Dave Rosenberg, still-lifes by Maralyn Adlin, photography by Jay Misencik, furniture assemblage by Vince Filardi, fabric art by Karen Loprete,intage radios collected by George Dragone.
Meet the artists who work with vintage items and subject matter at a shop & sip reception on Thursday June 9, 5:00-8:30 p.m. Enjoy light refreshment and jazz standards performed by George Kachmar on guitar and Waler Duda on keyboard.
Admission is free and open to the public.
City Lights 855 Main St. Downtown Bridgeport CT 06604 (203)334-7748
www.citylightsgallery.org
More Info
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SPECIAL EVENT: An Evening with Terrence McNally
Monday, June 13th, 7:00pm
The Bijou Theatre
EVENT DESCRIPTION: Join us for a very special evening as Broadway comes to the Bijou! Terrence McNally will join us for conversation and a book signing. He will also be in the audience for the reading of our two finalists in our first annual short play festival, offering comments and awarding the top prize. It will be a one of a kind night in Bridgeport aimed at supporting our 2016 Capital Campaign.
Doors open at 6:00pm, Events starts at 7:00pm
The Bijou Theatre, 275 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06604
More Info
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CALL FOR ARTISTS: ”SameSex 2016” at City Lights
DEADLINE: June 18th, 2016
SUBMISSION DETAILS:
City Lights is extending a call to all artists for our 6th annual Same Sex exhibit, scheduled for July 2016. SameSex explores LGBT themes, same-sex attraction, related feelings and issues of 2016. Artists need not be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender to participate.
All artists are invited to submit jpegs of their work for consideration by June 18, 2016 .Artists will be notified by June 30, 2016. For more info email: clgallerybpt@gmail.com
City Lights is a nonprofit arts organization located in downtown Bridgeport CT. that serves the community through art , easily accessible by Metro-North, Port Jeff Ferry, I-95 and the Merrit Parkway via the Route 25 Connector. There is no size limit to the dimension of art submitted, however larger works, over 60″ will be subject to space limitations.
SEND SUBMISSIONS IN JPEG FORMAT,(no more than 8 images), 72 DPI, DUE BY June 18, 2016 to: clgallerybpt@gmail.com
NECESSARY INFO TO INCLUDE WITH SUBMISSION: Brief artists statement, itemized list of art submitted should include: title, size, medium, price of work, Works not for sale should include a value rather than a price. Also include artist’s contact info: name, email, phone (evening and daytime numbers), mailing address and website if available.
For more info please email us at: clgallerybpt@gmail.com our website: www.citylightsgallery.org City Lights Gallery, 855 Main St, Bridgeport, CT. 06604 (203) 334-7748
More Info
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CONCERTS AND EVENTS AT WEBSTER BANK ARENA
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SPECIAL EVENT: Cirque DuSoleil – OVO
June 8-12th
Tickets on Sale Now
Webster Bank Arena
Event Description: Cirque du Soleil returns to Bridgeport in June 2016 with OVO, its newest touring show in arenas. As part of a global tour in arenas around North America, the production will be presented at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport from June 8 to June 12, 2016 for 7 performances. The show is presented by Visa Signature®.
Thrilling more than 4.5 million people worldwide since the show premiered in Montreal in 2009 as a Big Top show, OVO will embark on a new journey, performing the same captivating production, but now in arenas, giving more people the opportunity to enjoy a Cirque du Soleil show in their own town.
More Info
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LIVE MUSIC: Daryl Hall & John Oates
Thursday, June 16th
Tickets on Sale Now
Webster Bank Arena
Event Description: Multi-platinum selling music artists and Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES announced today that they will make their Webster Bank Arena debut in Bridgeport, CT on Thursday, June 16. Mayer Hawthorne is the supporting act for this show, and tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.
“Webster Bank Arena is honored to host and welcome one of the greatest music acts of all time, Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Daryl Hall & John Oates to the city of Bridgeport and Fairfield County,” said Webster Bank Arena President Michael Picker. Picker continued, “This show is the perfect way to kick off the summer season, an evening with the legendary #1 selling duo in music history, whose iconic sounds appeal to fans of all ages, then, now and forever.”
More Info
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LIVE MUSIC: KISS – Freedom to Rock Tour
September 7th
Tickets on Sale Now
Webster Bank Arena
EVENT DESCRIPTION: KISS is regarded as one of the most influential rock and roll bands of all-time. They remain one of America’s top gold-record champions and have recorded 37 albums over 40 years, selling more than 100 million albums worldwide.
More Info
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ON VIEW – VISUAL ART: Flora & Fauna
May 14 – June 11, 2016
The Nest Arts Factory
Event Description:
Invitational Art Exhibition
Mary Bailey
Amy Bock
Leah Caroline
Cynthia MacCollum
Mary C Manning
Gina Piccirilli-Hayden
Rick Shaefer
More Info
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MAY 2016 ARTISTS OF THE MONTH
Jay Misencik & Geralene Valentine
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Palace Theatre – Theatre Memories
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Q. How would you describe your artwork/style?
A. If our photographs have a look, we hope they have a “humanities” based documentary style.
Q. What medium do you work in?
A. Still photography has been our first tool of choice. However, we are currently working on two Bridgeport-centric cultural heritage projects where we are using video and audio to complement still photos.
Q. What is your process like?
A. We try to keep things simple and straightforward. First, we ask a person to participate in a project. Then a collaboration begins . . . We talk about the ideas behind our project and ask that person for their thoughts. Then we “take” a few “pictures”.
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Bitty – Main Street
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Q. What inspires you?
People
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Vincent – Main Street
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Bill – Main Street
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Q. How do you think you’ve changed or developed as an artist?
A.The biggest changes have been the necessary responses to technology advancements. Digital imaging has changed the photographic production process. But you still need to start the process with an idea.
Q.What role does history play in your work?
A. A historical perspective is always a consideration for us. But we just hope to document parts of today’s Bridgeport through the people we meet. Time will take care of the history.
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Majestic Marquee – Theatre Memories
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Q. You have a variety of Bridgeport-centric projects, can you describe them? Why do you think Bridgeport is such a central aspect of your artwork?
A. In 1989, Geralene and I were operating a commercial photography business in Bridgeport.
Our first local photo project was a portrait series on Bridgeport’s Main Street. We wanted to show some of the different “occupations” that existed on just one street in the City. Several people participated in the project. We photographed . . . a butcher, a barber, a bootblack, a bank president, a police officer, a museum curator, and a newspaper “boy” who would soon celebrate his 81st birthday.
During the Main Street project, we met Barbara Jean Zanesky. Barbara was operating the Joy Center Church Ministries out of the building complex that housed the Palace & Majestic Theatres, a former hotel, and several storefronts . . . all on Main Street. We soon became intrigued with the building itself and spent time photographing architectural elements inside the 1922-built theatres.
Our first photographs in the theatres were successful thanks to Emil and Bob Rolleri who owned and operated the Ocean Sea Grill, a restaurant across the street from the theatres. Because of the poor electrical service in the theatres, Emil and Bob let us run an extension cord from their restaurant, across Main Street, to power our lighting equipment in the theatres. Without their help our photos would not have been possible. We made photos in the theatres several times during the next few years.
In 1992 the City of Bridgeport took ownership of the building complex. A new roof was put on, and the electric service was upgraded.
Geralene and I would not be back to photograph the theatres until early in 2011. The years had been good to the theatres. Our first visit back to the theatres after 19 years was to make some photos to be included in the exhibit, “Bravo! A Century of Theatre in Fairfield County” at the Fairfield Museum and History Center.
Later in 2011, Geralene and I began looking for people who had a connection to the Palace and Majestic Theatres. We wanted to animate our architectural photos with the memories of people who performed, worked, or just saw a show at the theatres. We are currently working on Poli’s Palace & Majestic Theatres Memories Project where we interview people who share their memories of time spent at the theatres. The project is currently supported in part by the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County in partnership with the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
We are also currently working on The Bridgeport Portrait Project. It is a documentary style project based on still photo portraits, complemented with interviews of participants who share their values and beliefs . . . their culture and heritage, and stories of their time spent in Bridgeport.
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Q. Any other upcoming news, events, or anything else you’d like to share?
- Website includes photos from our Bridgeport projects: www.misencik-images.com
- Soon to debut – WPKN Radio show . . . We will interview participants in our two current Bridgeport photo projects.
- If you’d like to participate in either The Bridgeport Portrait Project or Poli’s Palace & Majestic Theatres Memories Project, please contact Jay and Geralene at 203-268-8306 or misencik.images@gmail.com.
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