Color It In

Color It In: Downtown Public Art

Downtown Bridgeport is a commercial area that represents and serves a diverse tapestry of the wider Bridgeport community. The public parks and independently owned restaurants and shops that populate the street-level spaces in our neighborhood create connection points that foster the sense of community so special to the Downtown and the city. The murals in our neighborhood add to that sense of community by celebrating the full spectrum of Downtown and its beautiful and vibrant overlapping forms, shapes, and colors that intersect through its people, streets, places, and spaces.

Downtown Bridgeport’s public art scene is growing. We hope you will explore and enjoy these public art destinations. Check out the artworks listed below, and access this walking guide to take your own tour of Downtown Bridgeport public art! All public art documented by local photographers, Whiskey & Oxfords and Pivot Language Media. Head over to our Instagram feed and YouTube channel for interviews with all of the artists involved in making colorful Downtown Bridgeport a vibrant destination.

Welcome to Bridgeport

1330 Main Street

Created by E. S. Barraza in 2023.

Serenity

1330 Main Street

Created by Marka27 in 2023.

Evolve in Love

Main Street at Congress Street

Created by Alicia Cobb and members of the Bridgeport arts community in 2023.

MetArtMorphosis

Water Street at Congress Street

Created by Alicia Cobb and members of the Bridgeport arts community in 2023.

Levitathan

1198 Main Street

Created for print and installation by Rick Shaefer in 2022.

Sunlight on Seascape After Squall

179 Middle Street

Created for print and installation by Rick Shaefer in 2022.

Colorful Crosswalks

90 Golden Hill Street

Painted by local artist Razul Branch, with assistance from Alicia Cobb, Juliana Harebin, Aisha Nailah, and Jason Streater in 2022.

Skateport

90 Golden Hill Street

Created by Takina Pollock Shafer and the Skateport team in 2023.

Fabric of the City Seating

Post Office Square

Created by Jahmane in 2023.

History of Mail Transportation

Interior of 120 Middle Street

Explore inside the Bridgeport Post Office! Mural commissioned by the Works Progress Administration, executed by Robert Lamdin.

Technology, Industry, Futurism, and Nature

Interactive projection art series created by Dustin DeMilio in 2022 and 2023.

The Great P.T. Barnum Mural Extravaganza

56 Fairfield Avenue

Created by Octavio Logo in 2022.

Arrows Weave

1163 Main Street

Created by local artist, Liz Squillace. Commissioned by the Schipper family in 2020.

BSKTBLL

1163 Main Street

Created by Billi Kid, with assistance from Will Corprew and Luis Lopez in 2022.

Color Rain

1115 Main Street

Created by Icy & Sot in 2023 in partnership with CIRI.

Nevis

78 Elm Street

Created by Brechin Morgan in 2023.

Space Particle Pillar

202 Fairfield Avenue

Created by Jahmane in 2023.

Painted Stairway

Broad Street Steps at Elm Street

Created by local artist, Liz Squillace. Painted with love by members of the Bridgeport community.

Golden Chalice and Yonder Reflections

314 Fairfield Avenue

Created by Sean Maze in 2023.

Mediterraneo

272 Fairfield Avenue

Created by Micaela Levesque in 2022.

Memories of Melville

1115 Broad Street

Created by Brechin Morgan in 2023.

B'Port Gates

Baldwin Plaza

Created by Aisha Nailah in 2023.

Katrina Latina

1042 Broad Street

Commissioned by the Bridgeport Public Art Fund. Painted by local artist E.S. Barraza.

Peacock Alley

Painted Walkway between 1042 Broad Street and 1001 Main Street

Designed by Razul Branch. Painting powered by Groundwork Bridgeport youth.

Many Man Studios

1001 Main Street, Suite 14

Designed and commissioned by Razul Branch, owner of BPT Creates. Installed by painters from Ursa Gallery.

Painted Planters

Walkway between 1042 Broad Street and 1001 Main Street

Commissioned by the Bridgeport DSSD. Painted by local artists Aisha Nailah, Tali-Anna Sutherland, Jahmane West, and members of Groundwork Bridgeport.

Crane

Alley between 49 Cannon and 41 Cannon Street

Uncommissioned work by artist unknown.

The Wading Pool

1065 Main Street

Created by Brad Noble in 2023.

Wild Bloom

1000 Main Street

Created by Vizie in 2023.

Re-Imagining Park City

Main Street and Broad Street

Created by Bridgeport students under the guidance of Aisha Nailah in 2023.

Men in Black

211 State Street

Created by Brad Noble, with assistance from James Chantler Brown and Mike Vartuli in 2022. Learn more about Albert Bender, the Bridgeport resident who inspired the mural, here.

Housatonic Museum of Art

900 Lafayette Boulevard

The Housatonic Museum of Art houses one of the premier college collections in the United States, spanning from ancient to contemporary art. The permanent collection is on continuous display throughout the 300,000 square foot facility.

Lewis Howard Latimer

999 Broad Street

Created by sculptor Susan Clinard. Commissioned by the City of Bridgeport.

Pictures in Exhibition

1057 Broad Street

Created by Brechin Morgan, resident at Bridgeport studio AmFab Arts.

Secondary Eclipse

1042 Broad Street

Created by Cris Dam and the Ursa Gallery team in 2022-2023.

Seaside

1 Lafayette Circle

Created by Key Detail in 2023.

First in Flight: Gustave Whitehead

525 John Street

Created by Joshua Paiz in 2023.

Tessellating Arrows & the Passage of Time

525 Water Street

Created by local artist, Liz Squillace. Commissioned by Bridgeport Transportation Center.

Connecticut Post Building

410 State Street

Commissioned by the Connecticut Post. Sculpted by Constantino Nivola. The mural is documented in the Smithsonian Art Museum’s archives.

Faith Community Mural

210 Elm Street

Commissioned by the Golden Hill United Methodist Church. Designed by Peter Kosterlie and painted by members of the community.

Upcoming Opportunities

Building on the past success of the Color It In public art collaboration with the Bridgeport Downtown Special Services District, the City of Bridgeport is expanding the program across all neighborhoods of Bridgeport. The City of Bridgeport has released the 2024 Citywide Public Art request for expressions of interest (RFEI). The Citywide Public Art RFEI is accessible from the City of Bridgeport’s website here. All interested artists are required to complete the RFEI form to participate in the 2024 Citywide Public Art projects.

Expressions of interest will be accepted through March 15, 2024. The City will simultaneously be conducting outreach with neighborhood groups and working with property owners to confirm sites for the 2024 season. The selection process will begin after the deadline, and all selected artists will be notified of next steps. Reach out to John O’Grodnick with any questions or concerns.