Bridging Communities Through Art: Inside the Connections Exhibit
In November, Suzanne Kachmar of City Lights Gallery in Bridgeport curated the second exhibit of the season, Connections, at UB’s newly reopened Schelfhaudt Gallery. This exhibit was co-produced by City Lights, the Bridgeport Art Trail, and the Westport Artists Collective, marking the debut of the Schelfhaudt Gallery on the Bridgeport Art Trail.
Debuting on November 8, Connections brought together artists from Westport and Bridgeport, as well as regional artists, to promote the local art scene. Large-scale artworks included fiber art by Carlos Biernnay, sculptures by Iyaba Ibo Mandingo and Carlos Davila, drawings by Rick Shaefer, and abstract and figurative paintings, including two large portraits on wooden board painted in different styles by artists Will Corprew and Francis Pressley.
A wall of photography, curated by artists Thomas Mezzanotte and Yolanda Vasquez-Petrocelli, showcased a range of techniques, including the oldest methods — such as pinhole cameras, tintypes, and darkroom photography —to modern, digitally manipulated work. To contextualize the concept, an antique wooden accordion-style camera reminded viewers that there was a time when a camera wasn’t also a phone.
Exploring the concept of process, the Connections exhibit also featured photographs, including those of sculptures by former UB professor Susan Rheinhardt, developed from color negatives altered by flooding from Hurricane Sandy.
In the connecting room, the Artists Collective of Westport installed a multimedia collection by some of their 150 members, many of whom are based in Bridgeport. The work encompassed a wide variety of styles and techniques, from large acrylic abstracts to small, delicate watercolors, digital photography, and beautifully rendered oil paintings.
“There’s no real boundary between the towns in southwest Connecticut,” said Suzanne Kachmar, the director of City Lights Gallery. “We all know each other, and we work together frequently. We were honored and thrilled to come together in this amazing facility at University of Bridgeport.”
The exhibit runs ran November 8 – January 15, 2026, with regular gallery hours Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.