Celebrating Bridgeport Creatives

Artists / Designers / Photographers / Musicians / Composers / Chefs / Imaginators

SusanBreen_photo

Susan Breen

Painter

Joseph-Celli_photo

Joseph Celli

Inter-media Artist

DaltonGhetti-Saw

Dalton Ghetti

Artist

Leica Basel

Karl Heine

Photographer / Designer

Tyler Jayson

Tyler Jayson

Videographer / Photographer / Motion Graphics Expert

kHyal™

kHyal™

Imaginator

OcheltreeDesign_photo

Richard Killeaney

Quilt and Accessory Designer

JinHiKim_photo

Jin Hi Kim

Composer / Musician

EmilyLarned

Emily Larned

Artist / Designer

tommezzanotte

Thomas Mezzanotte

Photographer

Yolanda

Yolanda Petrocelli

Artist

raquel2

Chef Raquel Rivera-Pablo

Chef / Caterer

ChristianRuggiero_photo

Christian Ruggiero

Composer / Musician

DavidRyan_photo

David Ryan

Writer

DenyseSchmidt_photo

Denyse Schmidt

Designer / Quilter

RickShaefer_photo

Rick Shaefer

Artist

TerriCSmith_FranklinStreetWorks

Terri C. Smith

Creative Director, Franklin Street Works

KateSpain_photo

Kate Spain

Illustrator / Designer / Quilter, KD Spain

Creative Companies

Bridgeport-based or Bridgeport Resident-owned

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REJECT Found + Made

Vintage, Mid-Century, Antique + Artisan

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DesignerJournals

Custom Luxury Notebooks

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#06605

Custom Bridgeport Merch

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Denyse Schmidt Quilts

Custom Quilts and Workshops

EyeHeartHand

Eye. Heart. Hand.

Sustainable Artisan Rugs by Kate Spain

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MegaGlam

Fashion, Textile + Product Design

OcheltreeDesignProducts

Ocheltree Design

Minimal, masculine, and enduring

TheArchive

The Archive

Movies and Music

vinegarsyndrome

Vinegar Syndrome

Film Archive

Artful Eating

Bridgeport-based

apinchofsalt

A Pinch of Salt

Good Food for All

HarborviewMarket

Harborview Market

The Original Social Network

Bloodroot_logo

Bloodroot

Vegetarian Restaurant

Brought to you by:

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kHyal™

Artist

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fiZz Agency

Full Service Marketing and Design Agency

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MegaGlam®

Street Style by kHyal

WHY I CREATED THIS WEBSITE IN 2019:

As a Connecticut native raised in Glastonbury, who moved to New Haven after attending college in Boston, living in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, I was introduced to Bridgeport by my long-time friend and art dealer Margaret Bodell in the mid-80s. In the mid-2000s, Margaret and I reconverged in Bridgeport where she wanted me to see the former Nun’s bookbindery she hoped to turn into a gallery. We also had a tour led by Phil Kuchma of the apartments above the old Schwerdtle Stamp Co. when they were just being renovated, and we considered each getting one so we could be next-door neighbors (like Lucy and Ethel) as we had been on Chapel Street in New Haven.

As a journalist looking for a creative scoop, I wrote a story in 2006 about the then (seemingly) burgeoning scene in downtown Bridgeport. I interviewed Phil Kuchma, Eric Anderson of Urban Green Builders (who had taken control of 17 “Downtown North” properties) and Phil Hartman the founder of Two Boots. Phil Hartman and I became friends and he offered me a retail store in part of the space he rented in the Bijou Theater building, and I politely declined. (Later, he had to close Two Boots, which was my favorite thing about downtown back then.)

In 2007, I met Karl Heine, a Bridgeport resident, and we bought a house in Black Rock together. Although I already had an international art career, I was excited about my new city and did my best to contribute to making things happen in the arts, which ultimately was unsuccessful. That included having registered a number of related domains and launching “Black Rock Culture” and “ART Bridgeport” a bit before their time.

Twelve years later I have solidified friendships with talented local creatives. However, most of them are not about hyping themselves and many of them have national and international careers so may not be known in the area. Because of this, I find myself sharing their information repeatedly with new people I meet at places like Harborview Market (the heart of Black Rock). There is a richness here that is largely undiscovered that I hope to help shed a little light on. It is not meant to exclusivize some over others, it is built purely out of passion, friendship, admiration, and pride — it’s profoundly personal and somewhat random. Enjoy!