Bridgeport Art Galleries, Museums, Supplies & More

Best art galleries Bridgeport museums supplies classes

Today we will be filling you in on everything we know about art in Bridgeport. Galleries, museums, supplies, schools, shows, events and more will all be broken down in depth on this page.

The best Bridgeport Art Galleries and Museums where you can see some of the finest exhibitions and collections the city has to offer seem like a natural place to start. After covering them we will get into the best art stores in town where you can find all the supplies and materials you need.

The top shows and events throughout the year will need to get their own section as well. Taking an art walking tour or checking out some of the most creative statues and sculptures around town can be a lot of fun when the weather is nice.

Local art classes and lessons can be a great way to step your game up and whether you prefer group classes or private lessons there are plenty of options. You might be able to find some art studios for rent near you if you are itching to get your next project started.

Dealers, appraisers and framing shops will also be discussed as things move forward. Stamford and Norwalk will also be discussed often throughout this post but don’t worry there is a local area map at the end that has all the various venues pinned on it so you don’t get too confused.

We have written quite a few Northeast art guides which you can look through at that link if interested.

Best Art Galleries & Museums In Bridgeport

The best art galleries and museums in Bridgeport would be:

The Housatonic Museum of Art (HMA) is home to one of the best college art collections in the country. Its collection allows scholars and the general public to view works from the ancient to the modern periods of art history. Africa, Oceania, and the Americas are represented, as are prominent modern artists such as Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, Jenny Holzer, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres to mention a few. If you want to find out about some new up and coming artists check out their Annual Regional High School Art Show in April.

Nest Arts Factory is a redesigned factory building that houses artist and musician studios as well as an art gallery. Knitting machines were replaced by artist easels and sketching desks as the area became the new Nest, which was originally a piano factory and then the home of Aerosol Techniques, the first hair spray.

The Bridgeport Arts and Cultural Council’s foundation is built on the ability to create, curate, and collaborate. This is accomplished by empowering local artists, sparking conversation, developing leadership, promoting cultural expression, providing funds, spreading municipal pride, and acting as a catalyst for innovation. They are committed to improving the city’s quality of life and economic development.

Dan Makara founded the first City Lights on Fairfield Avenue 35 years ago. The second City Lights, the one we know today, was started in 2004 by downtown visionary Philip Kuchma as a method to give artists in your area on-the-street exposure while also attracting visitors. The last two Saturdays of each month they host popular art classes and workshops plus they are part of the annual Bridgeport Art Trail every year before Veteran’s Day.

The Armstrong Gallery at The Knowlton is a privately run art facility that hosts monthly shows, discussions, live performances, and other cultural activities. Outside artists, private events, product launches, meetings, movies, bridal showers, birthday parties, engagement parties, cocktail parties, and fashion displays, to name a few, can rent it.

The Schelfhaudt Gallery, a spacious, modern display space in the Arnold Bernhard Center on the UB main campus, is open to the public Monday through Friday from 11am to 4pm. They also host the TDC competition held every Fall and Winter that is definitely worth checking out.

At Read’s Artspace Gallery you can expect to find a modern framework for thinking about the artist as a link to a collection of continually shifting identities. Themes of context, meaning, and time are explored through painting, sculpture, digital, collage, video, 3D fabrication, and other media.

The SM&NC is committed to preserving and interpreting art, natural and agricultural sciences, and history. The Museum is an important cultural and educational resource for the community, as well as a hub of activity and interaction for families.

You will find more than 20,000 pieces in the collection at the Stamford Museum, and you should definitely head over on one of their night out events. The UConn Stamford Gallery exhibits both emerging and established artists, with a focus on the works and topics of traditionally underrepresented groups, local/regional creators, multidisciplinary works, and a variety of mediums and viewpoints.

The Center for Contemporary Printmaking (CCP) is a non-profit committed to the art of printmaking, including intaglio, lithography, monotype, silkscreen, woodblock printing, paper works, books, and digital arts. Workshops, edition printing with master printers, exhibitions, community activities, and an Artist-in-Residence Program are all available to explore the complete spectrum of printmaking skills.

Sono Fine Art is the result of almost 50 years of curating the best in contemporary art while being housed in historic South Norwalk with bamboo flooring, brick walls, and high ceilings.

Materials & Supplies Near You

These art stores are good places to buy new supplies or materials:

Jerry’s Artarama over in Norwalk offers high-quality art supplies from around the world at a reasonable price. You probably already know what the Michaels in your area has to offer, and if you just want to buy cheap basic art supplies near you Dollar Tree might have what you need.

Shows & Events

The Bridgeport Art Trail is a citywide open house for arts venues that takes place every November. The climax is the city-wide open studio and arts celebration weekend that goes down just before Veteran’s Day.

Be sure to look into the Downtown Stamford Art Walk that we will be mentioning in an upcoming section too.

Art Dealers & Appraisers

Art dealers and appraisers near you are places to find new unique pieces or learn the value of something you already own:

Black Rock Galleries specializes in excellent personal property and estate furnishings, antiques, art, home décor, and more from the best mansions and estates on the East Coast and in Texas. Picture That Art Consulting Firm was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Stamford. In addition to acquiring framed artwork for venues, the company also offers art consultation, valuation, collection management, and curatorial services to corporations, healthcare organizations, and academic institutions around the country.

Gordon Fine Arts honors artists David E. Gordon and Sue Brown Gordon. His enormous painted paintings depict colorful flowering poppy fields and tree forms, evoking a Tuscan countryside with a gentle but graphic edge. Ink washes, acrylic, pencil, and oil are applied to the board and canvas with cloth, wire brushes, and hands.

Nest Arts Factory, City Lights Gallery, and The Firm Gallery from our main list also sell art in your area.

Walking Tours

If the weather is nice go enjoy some great local art on a walking tour:

Artwalk In Stamford is a beautiful evening of art receptions, live music, dance workshops, art demonstrations, and children’s art activities takes place. This free event will include over 100 artists, with the majority of the artwork on display available for purchase.

You can learn about all of the magnificent public art that the Sono Art Walking Tour has to offer as it is guided by art students and professors. Our next topic will suggest that Seaside Park is another good place to walk around to find creative things.

Sculptures & Statues

There are some really nice sculptures around town like:

  • PT Barnum Statue at Seaside Park
  • Soldiers Monument at Seaside Park
  • Statue of Elias Howe at Seaside Park
  • Captured at 200 First Stamford Pl, Stamford

As you can see Seaside Park is home to the PT Barnum Statue, Soldiers Monument, and the Statue of Elias Howe all of which have been there since the late 1800’s. The Barnum Statue is sat on a chair, positioned on a pedestal and facing Long Island Sound.

The Soldiers Monument consists of a massive granite base with various artistic components that narrows into a shaft topped by a bronze allegorical representation of the United States. The monument’s sides are adorned with bronze statues of an infantry man and a sailor, Melzar Mosman sculpted the three bronze sculptures.

Elias Howe, Jr., a local manufacturer and Civil War hero, was honored with the first statue erected in Seaside Park. Salathiel Ellis sculpted the memorial, as well as statues of Abraham Lincoln and portrait painter Gilbert Stuart.

Seward Johnson sculpted Captured, a life-size sculpture depicting a lady reading a book on a bench, in 2013.

Bridgeport Art Classes

Framing art supply stores Bridgeport lessons near you studios

Whether you are trying to find private lessons or group classes for kids, teens, or adults some of the best Bridgeport art schools can be found at:

Bridgeport Center of The Arts provides cheap full-time K-6th grade education, free 7th to 12th grade home-school co-op, tutoring, dance, film, skateboarding, and theater workshops.

Patricia Hart, a musician who saw a need for music education for visually impaired children after gradually losing her own sight, created Neighborhood Studios in 1978. It provides high-quality art, music, theater, and dance instruction to children of all ages, regardless of aptitude, background, or financial circumstances.

Through seminars, exhibitions, and activities open to the public, the Rowayton Arts Center (RAC) promotes the study, creation, and appreciation of the arts.

Eddie Nino Art School offers small lessons with a limit of six students, providing a personal atmosphere in which students of all abilities study both fundamental and advanced ideas of drawing and painting.

The training approach at Pinot’s Palette gives you significant experience as well as the confidence to deal with any circumstance. For open-to-the-public studio events you must be at least 18 years old. Children aged 13 and above are welcome if accompanied by an adult, and their Little Brushes events are open to children aged 5 and up.

Local art classes are also available at other places we have mentioned like The Housatonic Museum, Stamford Museum, and City Lights Gallery.

Studios For Rent Near You

The Ground Floor Gallery at Reads Artspace at 1042 Broad Street is a private space on the first floor of Read’s Artspace Lofts, a renovated live/work artist community located downtown. Nest Arts Factory and the Center For Contemporary Printmaking may also have studio space available.

Framing

When you need to find Bridgeport art framing head to:

Thomas Del Spina Fine Frames provides museum-quality custom framing for any size or shape artwork, print, or collectible. Framemakers Picture Framing & Art Gallery is a custom frame business and gallery that features a monthly changing selection of unique works in oils, acrylics, watercolors, and sculpture.

At Art of Framing they have a huge selection of moulding, pre-made art, presents, and other items. Better more, they should be able to deliver and install whatever you get.

For almost 35 years Frame & Save has provided the finest in custom photo framing. Other places we have mentioned throughout the post like the City Lights Gallery, Michaels, Jerry’s Artarama, and Artists’ Market also offer framing services near you.

By the way we have also discussed the art scene in:

Have Fun Enjoying The Bridgeport Art Scene

Hopefully we did a fair enough job of covering the full art scene near you. The best local galleries, museums, events, shows, supply stores, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures, classes, studios, and framers that you may want to check out were covered in full detail.

Those who are still reading this probably love art as much as we do. If so our readers would really appreciate it if you could share your own local tips or let us know if you think we got anything wrong in the comments.

We hope you enjoy your time at the best Bridgeport Art Galleries, Museums, Supply Stores or doing whatever it else you plan to do with the info.

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