Catalog ID:
OH-0083
Archives Field 21:
Scope & Content:
Artist Wendy Bridgeforth discusses her job as an instructor at the Bridgeport Cultural Arts Center, a community learning center dedicated to offering children and adults instruction in a variety of artistic media such as painting and drawing, photography, music, dance, sculpture, writing and much more. A.B.C.D (Action for Bridgeport Community Development) spearheaded the formation of the Center and procured funding for its programs.
Wendy taught painting, crafts, and other media during parts of the 1970s and 1980s, starting at the BCAC's first location in downtown Bridgeport. She discusses her own arts education, the instruction provided to BCAC students, her growth as an artist, and the important social services provided by the Center to the Arts Center students. According to Bridgeforth, the combination of classes offered, the dedication and creativity of the instructors and students, and an organic outgrowth of social support created a unique atmosphere that could not be duplicated and remains the reason that BCAC participants had such a positive experience.
The Arts Center served as an important vehicle for self- expression and learning in the Bridgeport community and mirrored trends in the Black Arts movement taking place on a national level.
Wendy taught painting, crafts, and other media during parts of the 1970s and 1980s, starting at the BCAC's first location in downtown Bridgeport. She discusses her own arts education, the instruction provided to BCAC students, her growth as an artist, and the important social services provided by the Center to the Arts Center students. According to Bridgeforth, the combination of classes offered, the dedication and creativity of the instructors and students, and an organic outgrowth of social support created a unique atmosphere that could not be duplicated and remains the reason that BCAC participants had such a positive experience.
The Arts Center served as an important vehicle for self- expression and learning in the Bridgeport community and mirrored trends in the Black Arts movement taking place on a national level.
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Bridgeforth, Wendy
Bridgeforth, Wendy