Friday night was the culmination of all that is good and right in the Connecticut art and design scene. The opening of The Center for Public Art and Design, directed by Margaret Bodell, was a smashing success with a great venue, good people, excellent music and stellar installations. What made it even better was the knowledge that this beautiful space is also the first of AIGA Connecticut’s satellite locations.

I’ve been to a number of art openings in Bridgeport, and I can tell you, the city is becoming one of Connecticut’s hottest spots for art and cultural happenings. It is in large part due to the efforts of art mavens Eileen Walsh and Suzanne Kachmar who act as catalysts for bringing in new and exciting art works and are making great strides in reinventing Bridgeport as a cultural center. On Friday night, Margaret Bodell made her mark on the city as well.

When I received word that Bridgeport was having a grand kickoff to their new Bridgeport Art Trail 2010 this weekend, I immediately put those dates in my calendar. The Bridgeport Art Trail Openings ran through Nov 14th and promoted nineteen venues for artistic exploration. New galleries and studios have found homes in amazing open industrial spaces with lighting and architecture that any artist, designer or art lover would appreciate.

So what made last night’s event so great? It was everything! The installations, the lighting, the friends, the cellos and the dancers. But I also have to believe it was also the presence of the design community who brought with them the effervescence of hip and cool.

This merging of art and design communities makes me very happy. I see it as one of the first tangible steps towards my dream of one day having a Connecticut exhibition of great graphic design beside the work of contemporary artists. In a phone interview on Saturday morning, Eileen Walsh says “It’s wonderful that we now have a variety of dialogs going on in Bridgeport. Even a year ago, we couldn’t imagine having the types of conversations and connections that are being made in the art community today. The fact that the design community is getting involved makes it all the better.”

AIGA Connecticut President Rich Hollant also pledges his support to the Bridgeport art and design community saying “This first satellite location is a shared space with The Center for Public Art and Design run by the fabulous and energetic Margaret Bodell. We are hanging that shingle and rolling up sleeves to contribute to the rebirth of Bridgeport as a powerful cultural center in Connecticut.”  Music to my ears.

I encourage you to visit the Bridgeport Art Trail. Highlights are the American Fabrics Arts Building, the Gallery at Black Rock (three locations), The Bridgeport Arts and Cultural Council (offering 4 exhibitions a year in it’s newly refurbished historic Arcade building), The Barnum Museum, City Lights Gallery, The Nest (large industrial facility turned into a space for artists to work and exhibit it) and of course, the Center for Public Art and Design.

Sculpture shown here by: Joe Pentland, Photograph by Robert Frawley
Please see AIGA’s gallery of images from opening night.