25 Elm Street, Unit 102, Bridgeport CT 06604
203.612.7769 / freemancenterbpt-ct@yahoo.com /freemancenterbpt.com
Executive Director: Maisa L Tisdale
The Mary & Eliza Freeman Center for History and Community, a 50l(c)3 nonprofit, owns the Ma1y & Eliza Freeman Houses (circa 1848), located at 360 & 354 Main Street in Bridgeport. The Freeman Center is creating a national African American historic site consisting of a museum and education center, a research/digital humanities center, and housing. The Center’s preservation and restoration plans are designed to act as catalysts to neighborhood revitalization. The Freeman Houses, the last original structures of Little Liberia (circa 1822) – a seafaring community of free people of color – are listed on the National Register of Historic Places for their significance to African Americans and women.
Event: The Art of Richard Patton IV Exhibition
Friday, November 8; 10 am to 9 pm
Saturday, November 9; 10 am to 6 pm
Sunday, November 10; 12 pm to 5 pm
Richard T. Patton IV is a contemporary fine artist and graphic designer. Two of his pieces appear in Reimagining Little Liberia: Restoration and Reunion. Born in Bridgeport CT, Richard showed an early interest and talent in drawing that later grew into a career and life as an artist. He holds a BA in Graphic Design from Western Connecticut State University. “After graduation, life led me to painting. My work is spiritual to the point that the act of painting becomes a form of prayer and meditation.” Patton’s work expresses emotions, feelings, ideas, and beliefs, created through the use of vibrant colors, bold compositions, textures, and patterns. Richard has exhibited his work in solo and group exhibitions throughout Connecticut. He was awarded a grant for his work Ethiope depicting Little Liberia and Bridgeport’s rich history. His art work is owned by private collectors in the US and abroad. His work is also in public collections, such as Yale New Haven Health Park Avenue Medical Center in Trumbull.
Richard’s African, Hispanic, and Native American heritage are also seen throughout his work, along with his roots in abstract expressionism
