Subject: April's Art and Culture Update from the Director's Desk

April 22, 2024

Advancing Arts and Culture through Equity

I am thrilled to announce our partnership with Fairfield County's Community Foundation and the Bridgeport Regional Business Council for the launch of the Arts in Service of Equity grant opportunity!

In recognition of the power arts and culture hold to amplify community voice, change narratives, promote inclusivity, and transform our communities for the better, we are excited to announce a 3-year renewable grant opportunity focused on arts innovation for systems change in Greater Bridgeport.

With a total funding pool of $1 million, this initiative will support up to three collaborative projects in Greater Bridgeport. Each project will receive three general operating support grants over three years, with the largest of the three grants coming in year one, and smaller wind-down grants in years two and three. General operating support will allow collaborating organizations flexibility to allocate funding in the ways that they deem best facilitate their projects’ goals and objectives. This funding seeks to leverage the arts to accelerate and catalyze social change in our community.

Please join the informational webinar on TODAY at noon for more details and to ask any question you may have! We are here for you! Register below.

Erika K. Wesley,

CAFC Executive Director

Get Involved

This workshop is designed to provide artists with practical insights and strategies for opening up your studio to the public. Whether you're considering hosting open studio events, participating in art walks, or simply inviting visitors in one by one, this workshop will offer valuable guidance and resources to help you navigate the process with confidence. All artists welcome.

To register for next month's Artist Worklab, click here.

Outdoor Dinner & Art Exhibit: Cultivating Seeds of Community

June 8, 2023

Join us for an evening filled with art, food, drinks, and fun! The community dinner will feature an array of dishes prepared by the chefs of 29 Markle, accompanied by libations, live music and the artistic talents from our community showcased on the fences on either side of the street; our vision is to turn the area into an exhibition space featuring work by local artists!

Call for Art: We are seeking submissions from artists to participate in the community dinner and outdoor art exhibition that will be held on Markle Street in Bridgeport, CT. Whether you specialize in painting, photography, or mixed media, or any other form of visual art, we welcome your contributions.

Submission Guidelines:

Artists may submit up to 5 pieces of artwork for consideration.

Artwork should be original and relevant to the theme of "Cultivating the Seeds of Community".

All mediums and styles of visual art are welcome.

Please provide a brief artist statement or description for each submitted artwork.

Artwork must be ready for display (framed or appropriately mounted).

How to Submit: To submit your artwork for consideration, please send the following to info@culturalalliancefc.org:

High-resolution images of your artwork (JPEG or PNG format preferred)

Artist statement or description for each submitted artwork

Contact information (name, email, phone number)

Deadline for Submissions: Please submit your artwork by May 10th.

We look forward to celebrating the creativity and talent within our community!

For inquiries and submissions, please contact: Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County info@culturalalliancefc.org.

ICYMI

April Spotlight On Arts & Culture: National Poetry Month with Shanna Melton

This episode of Spotlight on Arts and Culture is a celebration of National Poetry month featuring a conversation with poet, artist, and archivist Shanna Melton. Shanna Melton runs the Writer's Group in Bridgeport, a monthly creative writing workshop. To listen to the recording, click here.

New FC BUZZ Event Calendar

We are thrilled to announce our new FC Buzz Event Listing through the CivicLift Calendar Platform, marking a shift towards a more vibrant and beneficial system for event management! It's the most comprehensive arts and culture event listing around with over one hundred fantastic offerings in Fairfield County that shines a spotlight on you, our members, all the wonderfully creative individuals, organizations and businesses who provide us with an abundance of interesting opportunities to feed our souls. We firmly believe that this change will benefit event organizers and attendees alike. If you have events to share for May and the upcoming months, please begin to submit them on our new calendar. You can find information on how to create log in credentials and a tutorial of the site HERE.

Mark your calendars!

Fairfield Arts Commission's Community Conversation on the Arts

Date: Saturday, April 27th

Time: 10:00 AM until 12:00 noon

Location: Warehouse at the Fairfield Theatre Company, 70 Sanford Street in Fairfield

Contact: Sam Goldstein, sam@workingwithsam.com

ARTIST & ART ENTHUSIASTS: IMPORTANT NOTICE - PLEASE SIGN UP TO ATTEND THIS FREE EVENT!! HOW CAN THE Fairfield Arts Commission HELP YOU?!?! This two-hour facilitated workshop is designed to engage with and hear from

artists and art enthusiasts on how best to create a flourishing and vibrant arts community.

Doors open at 9:45AM for registration check-in and informal networking. Coffee and light refreshments will be provided.

The event is free and open to all, but advance registration is preferred.