On Thursday, October 2, 2025, the Arnold Bernhard Center (ABC Building) unveiled a new opportunity for student creativity — relaunching The Schelfhaudt Gallery for its first exhibition since 2019.
UB leadership, trustees, and gallery namesake Peter Schelfhaudt took part in the official ribbon cutting at 5:00 p.m. “University of Bridgeport is undergoing a renaissance,” said President Danielle Wilken, Ed.D. “This opening fits in with everything that we’re doing to create community spaces and vibrant opportunities.”
Where art meets AI
The inaugural exhibition, AI: Co-Create, was curated and presented by Schelfhaudt himself. “Artificial intelligence is overhyped in many ways, and the art world has been especially critical of AI,” he described. “AI Co-Create seeks to explore the space where the artist and AI work with — or even push — each other to collectively create better art than either could do alone. AI Co-Create showcases how artists use AI to ideate, explore, create, and refine imagined realities.”
Wilken noted the topical relevance of merging art with AI — particularly at UB. “It’s especially important that the first exhibit is related to artificial intelligence given we have the first Artificial Intelligence master’s program in Connecticut.”
Paintings, sculptures, poems, and videos by artists like Yuliya Lanina, Horst Weber, Alison Pasquini, and Claudia Conroy. The pieces inside the gallery were complemented by the illumination of the famous dome on the exterior of the building, featuring the artwork of Bridgeport resident Phillip Baldwin.
Many artists incorporated AI in unexpected ways. For example, Alison Pasquini’s floral paintings are inspired by Dutch still lifes and contemporize the historical genre using new technology. After many years of painting in oil and acrylic, Paquini began digitally painting, altering pieces with AI, printing them, and then completing them by hand. “It’s a mixture of hand and technology where you have to look closely to see what parts are hand-detailed, and what parts were made on the computer,” said Pasquini. “I really like the idea of hybridity, which is reflected in the paintings. You’re not really sure if the plants are growing, or if they’re decaying.”
Other featured artists explore the murky boundaries between the physical and digital worlds. “My art brings awareness of how a culture interprets mental illness, and how it’s funneled through AI,” said Conroy, whose ten pieces in the show blur the line between artifice and reality.”
An inspired audience
As hundreds of patrons gathered on opening day, student volunteers and attendees shared their enthusiasm. “I’ve never seen AI art before. It’s different than the traditional art I’ve seen in galleries,” said Lynzie Lawton, Human Services major and student-athlete.
“I am kind of curious about how long the art took to make, especially considering AI’s involved in it,” added Nick McLaren, a Business student. “I also think it’s really cool that you can make a running theme with certain pieces.”
UB faculty and staff were also energized by the flagship exhibit. “We have many provocative pieces that make us ask much-needed questions,” said University Provost Kierstyn Hunter. “I also value being able to see members of our UB community display their interest in AI and skills and artistic talents.”
One of those community members is Amy Nawrocki, dean of the College of Science and Society. A prolific author and poet, her AI-assisted art and original poetry feature in the exhibit.
Nawrocki highlighted that the reopening of Schelfhaudt Gallery marks an exciting moment at UB. “The ribbon-cutting and opening reception for AI: Co-Create signals not only the relaunch of the gallery and Arnold Bernhard Center, but also the coming together of art, innovation, and community,” she said. “Seeing students, staff, faculty, and community artists engage in conversation, interact with exhibits, mingle, and celebrate was inspiring.”
The UB renaissance
The revitalization of the Schelfhaudt Gallery at UB has brought back an incredible resource for artists, community members, and students. “I’ve loved art all my life,” said Health Science major Genevieve Fayo. “Having a gallery that we can just visit on campus is amazing.”
The gallery is just one of the many innovations in technology, business, and the arts helping to define a new renaissance at UB. “Bridgeport is a city with a vibrant art community, and we are glad to provide opportunities to showcase local artists as well as rising national and international creators,” said Peter Schelfhaudt. “University of Bridgeport is reinforcing its decades-long support of the arts in this unique cultural center with gallery, theatres, and event halls under one roof on the shores of Long Island Sound.”
Learn more about the Schelfhaudt Art Gallery and see how University of Bridgeport continues to bring art, innovation, and community together.
Eric D. Lehman is the director of publications and associate professor of English at University of Bridgeport. He is the author or editor of 22 books, including “New England Nature, A History of Connecticut Food,” and “Bridgeport: Tales from the Park City.” His biography of Charles Stratton, “Becoming Tom Thumb,” won the Henry Russell Hitchcock Award from the Victorian Society of America and was chosen as one of the American Library Association’s outstanding university press books of the year. His novella “Shadows of Paris” and novel “9 Lupine Road” were finalists for the Connecticut Book Award. He has been consulted on diverse subjects and quoted by The Atlantic Monthly, USA Today, the BBC, the History Channel, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, and The Wall Street Journal.