City Lights recognizes 15 honorees at 15th anniversary

City Lights & Company has much to celebrate as they mark their 15th anniversary on April 12, 2019, with a high energy ‘Party with a Purpose’ featuring the Magic of Motown. This event will be produced, performed, and sponsored by Band Central, under the direction of Rob Fried.

City Lights staff and board of directors will recognize 15 honorees who have championed the mission and programs of City Lights over the years. Honorees include:

• Karen Brown, Fairfield County's Community Foundation, Vice President, Innovation and Strategic Learning
• Phil Kuchma, Kuchma Corp, founding board member and treasurer of City Lights & Company
• Thomas Errichetti, CPA Kuchma Corp, founding board member and treasurer of City Lights & Company
• Nat Plotkin, past president, 1st president of non-profit
• Kelly Brown, Visual Arts Teacher, Multicultural Magnet School
Alicia Robinson, Director of Performing & Visual Arts and Turnaround Arts: Bridgeport
Steve Di Costanzo, WPKN radio, General Manager
Carolyn Vermont, President of Bridgeport Rotary
• Mike Daly, CT Post
• Ricky Mestre, artist, founder, and chair of the Bridgeport PRIDE celebration (9 yrs)
• Jane Davila, artist, curator, support staff, copy editor for the Bridgeport Art Trail and other CL programs
• Ralph Buzzard, retired Director of Bridgeport public schools’ visual arts department
• Iyaba Ibo Mandingo, artist who has performed at multiple events, facilitated outreach programs for years

City Lights accomplishments include: maintaining a downtown art gallery space and a funky vintage shop as well as producing annual events like the Bridgeport Art Trail and the Bridgeport PRIDE celebration. Your generous support will ensure that programs like these, as well as outreach programs for youth, continue.

City Lights outreach programs for youth provide arts integration and enrichment programs for Bridgeport youth through ongoing support from Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, Bridgeport Rotary Foundation, and Pitney Bowes Foundation. This year, through the generous sponsorship and partnership with Rob Fried and Band Central, as well as SpreadMusicNow, a new series of music and cultural arts programs has been piloted. This momentum, combined with the generosity of Fairfield's PTA Council and the vision of Fairfield's Arts for Youth (FAY) coordinator, Carol Guernsey, enabled City Lights to produce a new educational music program called, “America’s Musical Melting Pot.” A local, Bridgeport-based ensemble of musicians, led by
accomplished musician Fuzz, James San Giovanni of the Caravan of Thieves, Deep Banana Blackout and the Tom-Tom Club, introduced Fairfield youth to the origins of popular American music, such as jazz, rock n’ roll, Afro-Caribbean rhythms and Latin rock. Messages conveyed to the youth included the diversity of artists and instrumentation as the strength of the ensemble collaboration. FAY funding enabled City Lights to pilot this project that will also be implemented in Bridgeport schools. We are grateful for the generosity and commitment to the arts that FAY fosters. Parents of Fairfield school children have supported this fund for cultural enrichment for
their children. This year’s City Lights/Band Central arts enrichment programs in music, movement, and visual art are a true community collaboration where like-minded creatives and philanthropic groups combined resources. The collaboration produced a series of rich cultural arts experiences that will serve over 5000 youth in Bridgeport and Fairfield CT schools during the academic year. Other partners included the Fairfield Theatre Company, providing sound equipment for educational music performances, the Greater Bridgeport Latino Network,
celebrating the Holidays with folkloric Paranda music, and a list of dedicated and talented musicians, dancers, and visual artists. A Bridgeport highlight of the cultural arts programs include: an arts residency at the Multicultural Magnet school where artists from diverse backgrounds facilitated programs, among these were: Native American, Afro-Caribbean, Latino and others. Please support our mission to continue to serve the community through art by making a contribution.

Tickets to this benefit concert are at two price levels and support CityLights Outreach programs for youth. 5000Bridgeport area youth will be served though a collaboration ofphilanthropic organizations, partners, and a host of teachingartists. $50 tickets include a pre-show VIP reception at City Lightsfrom 6:30-7:30 pm, followed by a BYOB charity concert at the DowntownCabaret Theatre, located downstairs from City Lights Gallery. For a$25 ticket purchase, enjoy a BYOB concert at the Cabaret. Doors openat 7 pm; The Magic of Motown begins at 7:30pm.

We look forward to celebrating with you on Friday, April 12, 2019. To purchase tickets:
https://www.citylightsgallery.org/