The 275 Fairfield Ave. venue is under new management, with Naugatuck native Gary Peterson promising an array of entertainment including music, live theater, comedy and film screenings plus corporate events.

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Artist Talk videos of participating artists in City Light’s Gallery’s exhibit Pattern are now available on the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County YouTube channel.

View interviews from Liz Squillace, Tim Reimer, Norma Schlager, Adgar Cowens, and Gwen Hendrix.

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN tells the incredible true story of Rodriguez, the greatest ‘70s rock icon who never was. After being discovered in a Detroit bar, Rodriguez’s sound struck 2 renowned producers and they signed a recording deal. But when the album bombed, the singer disappeared into obscurity. A bootleg recording found its way into apartheid South Africa and over the next two decades, he became a phenomenon. The film follows the story of two South African fans who set out to find out what really happened to their hero.

On 10 February 2013, the film won the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary at the 66th British Academy Film Awards in London, and two weeks later it won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 85th Academy Awards in Hollywood.

Event Description: It would be difficult for any music fan not to be aware of the Sixto Rodriguez story at this point. While Rodriguez always enjoyed a respectable if impressive following in Australia and South Africa, knowingly or not, the Oscar-winning 2012 documentary Searching for Sugar Man that told his tale finally delivered the erstwhile demolition worker the North American success that had eluded him for decades since he released the albums Cold Fact and Coming from Reality at the dawn of the ’70s.

Sounds like: His soft and soulful tones, sitting somewhere between Bob Dylan and Nick Drake are melodic and accessible, with an easy breezy 1960s feel.

Event Description:

Based on the Victor Hugo novel and featuring songs from the Disney animated feature by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, the musical begins at the stately cathedral in 15th century Paris where Quasimodo, the lonely bell-ringer, is held captive in his tower. He’s enchanted by the kind and beautiful gypsy girl Esmeralda, but he has two rivals for her attention – including his devious keeper, Frollo, who will stop at nothing to have what he wants. Complete with a powerful Oscar-nominated score with classic songs like “God Help the Outcasts” and “Out There,” The Hunchback of Notre Dame is an epic and unforgettable love story that redefines what it means to be a hero.

Director: Christy McIntosh-Newsom
Musical Director: Clay Zambo
Choreographer: Lindsay Johnson

6:30 pm lobby cocktails & Blues
Comments and Q&A with the Director before and after the screening!

SIDEMEN: LONG ROAD TO GLORY
Sidemen: Long Road To Glory is an intimate look at the lives and legacies of three legendary bluesmen; piano player Pinetop Perkins, drummer Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith and guitarist Hubert Sumlin, all Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf sidemen. The film captures some of the last interviews and final live performances, beforetheir deaths in 2011. The historic live shows are accompanied by performances and personal insights from many of the blues and rock stars these legendary musicians inspired including; Bonnie Raitt, Gregg Allman, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Tim Reynolds, Shemekia Copeland, Robby Krieger, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Joe Perry, Joe Bonamassa and Johnny Winter

Join us for a murder-mystery cocktail party and fundraiser.

Limited tickets are available. September 29, 2017 from 7:30-10PM.

True Treasure Tales & Legends of Bridgeport
Who hasn’t dreamed of unearthing buried treasure? Lost gold mines of the Old West might be far removed and sunken ships difficult to reach…but according to legend and the historical record, vast riches might be secreted in Connecticut’s own Gold Coast: Fairfield County. From pirates to gangsters to a forgotten treasure map, author Michael Bielawa will share his original research highlighting some of Bridgeport’s mysterious lost caches!

This political satire musical examines America’s past and present.

Written & directed by Rev. Ina Alisa Anderson, former writer and director of the MAAFA Influence Production, Mount Aery Baptist Church, Bridgeport, CT.

Take a journey through American history. The young Republic is hypnotized into believing she can live in the past.

TICKETS: $20, $35, VIP $50
VIP – IS A MEET THE CAST, LIGHT REFRESHMENT PRE-SHOW RECEPTION

“Painted Stairway” is a community mural by artist Liz Squillace in partnership with the social action network Bridgeport Generation Now! The risers of the Broad St. steps have been painted color by color throughout the summer and are finally complete.

The iconic stairway starts where Broad St. meets Elm St. and leads up to the Downtown Cabaret Theatre. –Fairfield Hamlet Hub

“The mural was designed and implemented with the theme of celebrating the diverse population of Bridgeport collaborating together to achieve unity and prosperity.” -Artist, Liz Squillace

Housatonic Museum of Art is pleased to present SCROLLS, paintings by JOE ZUCKER, on view in the Burt Chernow Galleries at the Housatonic Museum of Art September 7 through October 15, 2017.

The exhibit features unique, double-sided paintings exploring the legends and lore of pirates. Images of cannon balls, sailing frigates, oceans, islands and the iconic Jolly Roger flag with skull and crossbones share the spotlight only with the materials themselves. Scrolls of varying sizes, evoke impressions of commerce raiders, seaborne warriors, and adventurers in search of booty.

“With inspired ingenuity, Joe Zucker has once again intertwined history, subject matter and the physical materials of his work,” said Robbin Zella, Director of the Housatonic Museum of Art, “to create an inventive iconography that aptly captures the swashbuckling energy of these infamous buccaneers.”

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT:
Planes is a vibrant abstract painting series inspired by who we are, how we change, and our interaction of personal energy in each position.

Works explore how different emotional or identity states influence a moment and the creation of various energy thumbprints.

Through visuals a conversation occurs on the themes of transient existence, space in different forms, and transference of energy. Meditation, energy vibrations, quantum and astral physics are also considered as part of this expressionist series.

UnderExposed
Exhibiting in the NEST Gallery are emerging photographers, including Alison Frank, Pam Poling, Samantha Davila, and Harry Lee.

Black Rock Art Guild
The artists of the Black Rock Art Guild exhibit in the NEST Passageway Gallery. 

The LATINISIIMO II exhibit celebrates Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month at the Margaret E. Morton Government Center, 999 Broad Street.

Curated by Yolanda Petrocelli of Read’s Artspace, the exhibit features painting, photography, and works on paper. Participating artists include Carlos Hernandez Chavez, Ernest Lopez, Mercedes Tata Arsenberg, Janeivy Hilario, Ben Casi Año, and Yolanda Petrocelli

An early celebration of national Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15), Benjamin Casiano has curated this exhibition of work by notable Latino and Latina artists.

Artists included are:
Ricky Mestre
Benjamin Casiano
Mercedes Tata Arensberg
Yolanda Petrocelli
Ruben Marroquin
Rene Soto
Sandra Rossini
Ana Ruiz Castillo

Curated by Ben Casiano.

VISUAL DESIGN: PATTERN
The first in a series of exhibits exploring the principles and elements of design

A new series of exhibits based on the visual elements and principles of design opened September 7th at City Lights Gallery in Bridgeport. Executive Director Suzanne Kachmar is grateful to Jane Davila for contributing her curatorial skills to this collaboration which grew out of conversations regarding programs that explore the basic concepts of visual design.

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT AND ELEMENTS OF DESIGN
The elements of design are “building blocks” and their arrangement forms the composition of a work of art. The principles of design are the guidelines used to arrange the elements into a composition. The elements of design are line, color, shape, value, size, and texture and the principles include balance, emphasis, harmony, rhythm, pattern, movement, proximity, repetition, variety, proportion, and space.

This first exhibit explores the Pattern. The principle of Pattern is constructed by repeating or echoing a form, shape, symbol or mark to create a sense of balance, harmony, contrast, rhythm, or movement.

The exhibition opens September 7 and runs through October 13, 2017.
City Lights Gallery is open Wednesday-Friday 11:30-5, Thursday we are open until 7 p.m. Saturdays 12-4, and by appointment. Call 203.334.7748. Visit www.citylightsgallery.org
City Lights Gallery presents local, regional, and emerging artists to Bridgeport and its visitors. It provides opportunities for artists of all levels, backgrounds and abilities to present and sell their art.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
The artists selected to participate in this exhibit are showing both large and small works that highlight the many facets pattern and texture, rendered in a variety of media from fiber art to painting to weaving. Participating artists include Adger Cowans and Liz Squillace of Bridgeport, Gwen Hendrix of Oxford, Norma Schlager of Danbury, and Tim Reimer of Stratford.

PATTERN features 3 Bridgeport Art Trail artists.

Adger Cowans resides in his Bridgeport studio. He is a fine arts photographer and abstract expressionist painter has experimented with a myriad of mediums over his artistic career. He was the first Black stills photographer in the film industry. He is renowned in the world of photography and fine art, his works have been shown by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, International Museum of Photography, Museum of Modern Art, The Studio Museum of Harlem, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Harvard Fine Art Museum, Detroit Art Institue, James E. Lewis Museum and numerous other art institutions.

Read more about Adger below. View CBS new archive.

Liz Squillace also lives and works out of her Bridgeport studio and maintains a workshop in the historic downtown Arcade Mall. She is a painter, silkscreen printer and mural artist. Her most recent work is the visual transformation on the steps between Golden Hill St. and Elm St.in downtown Bridgeport. CT. Words cannot do it justice. The steps connect Elm St. and Golden Hill St. leading you to City Lights Gallery. Attendees can enjoy the neighboring steps as an exterior focal point of the exhibit.

Gwen Hendrix is an abstract painter, mixed media and fiber artist. She is a master of surface design. Her working studio is at the NEST Arts Factory in Bridgeport.

Co-curator Jane Davila is Bridgeport Art Trail working from her studio at the NEST Arts factory where she coordinates NEST art events and exhibits, teaches workshops, creates fiber art, prints, and graphic design work.

Adger Cowens served in the United States Navy, he worked as a photographer before moving to New York, where he worked with Life magazine photographer Gordon Parks and fashion photographer Henri Clarke. He is the recipient of a John Hay Whitney Fellowship and the Martin Luther King, Jr., Caesar Chavez, Rosa Parks Visiting Scholars Award, Wayne State University. He attended Ohio University where he received a BFA in photography. He furthered his education at the School of Motion Picture Arts and School of Visual Arts in New York. While serving in the United States Navy, he worked as a photographer before moving to New York, where he later worked with Life magazine photographer, Gordon Parks and fashion photographer, Henri Clarke. Adger Cowans was awarded the Lorenzo il Magnifico alla Carriera in recognition of a Distinguished Career at the 2001 Florence Biennale of Contemporary Art.

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Photo Credit to #karynleitophotography Karyn Duda Leito

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Throughout the season each market offers interactive programming such as market tours and cooking demonstrations by Chef Raquel Rivera-Pablo of A Pinch of Salt.

For more information please view BFMC’s website, bridgeportfarmersmarkets.org.

The SNAP Matching program invites individuals to use their SNAP/EBT cards when shopping at the markets. Every dollar of SNAP swiped is an additional dollar to shop with ($1=$2). There is no minimum or maximum with this program! The Collaborative also operates a $2 or $5 coupon-program, otherwise known as Bridgeport Bucks, redeemable for fruits and vegetables. All seven markets also accept payment in forms WIC and Senior FMNP Checks, Cash, Credit, Debit.

The produce for both St. Vincent’s Farm Stand and East Side Market is provided by Cecarelli Farms in Northford, CT. Get to know your local farmer here through inquiring about specific produce and ways of preparation! St. Vincent’s operates Tuesdays, June 27-October 31, 11:30am-4pm and East Side Market operates Wednesdays, July 12-October 25, 10am-2pm.

Reservoir Community Farm is not only aesthetically pleasing but their produce shows pure beauty as well! This Farm Stand is open multiple days of the week and welcomes community involvement.   Thursdays, 4-7pm and Saturdays 10am-2pm June 24-October 14.

East End Market is returning stronger than ever! This year, the market is driven towards community involvement and increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables. East End Market will operate Saturdays, July 22-October 21, 12-4pm.

South End Market offers a variety of delicious food options, from fresh fruits and vegetables to delicious cookies and jams. South End Market will operate Sundays, July 9-October 8 12:30-3:30pm.