How does one live with art?
It’s a good question, and this month six Fairfield County designers will provide their answers – from comfortable and classic to whimsical and way out – at the third annual Art + Design event at Metro Art Studios in Bridgeport.
The event pairs interior designers with artists working in the former corset-factory-turned-studio space. The challenge: Interior designers peruse a virtual lookbook of artists’ creations and then create liveable, 10'X11' spaces that reveal how to make the artwork part of one’s home, honoring both the work and everyday life.
“You don’t generally put it in a white room with nothing else in it, as you would see it in a gallery or museum,” says artist Jane Dávila, executive director of Metro Art Studios. “The idea is to showcase art in an interior design setting.”
The three-week event kicks off Saturday, October 5 with a gala fundraiser, this year benefitting LifeBridge Community Services, a Bridgeport-based organization providing mental and behavioral services and clothing and food for those in need. Metro Art Studios has a kinship with the nonprofit, which offers art programming to at-risk youth in the city through its Urban Scholars program, Dávila says.
Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 at the door. Westport Lifestyle is a proud media sponsor of this year’s festivities, which will also allow a peek at studios throughout the three-story building in the city’s South End from 5 to 8 p.m. The vignettes will be available for viewing in the building’s Crown Gallery through October 26.
Each year’s roster of designers includes both seasoned pros and inventive up-and-comers. This year’s six vignettes are by: Naïka Andre of NJA Interiors in Stamford; William Lyon of William Lyon Designs in Norwalk; Kaci McAllister of Sunflower Bee Interiors; Kristin Nick of Tides Change Design in Fairfield; Emma Paradis of Finch Baldwin Design; and Caitlin Swann of The Picket Fence Project in Fairfield.
Jennifer Lanna of Jennifer Lanna Design, who worked on the 2022 event, said Art + Design helps erase a common misconception that art is something that comes into design late in the process. “Choosing artwork at the beginning of the design process is a great thing to do because it sets the tone for the room and it sets the tone for how the client wants to feel in their space,” she says.
The designers can use the works shown in the lookbook, visit the particular artist’s studio to choose something else, or commission a new work, augmenting their space with wallpaper, furnishings, and decorative pieces. And the fine artists creating in the building include painters, printmakers, sculptors, photographers, weavers, and artists working in jewelry, illustration, fibers, and mixed media who appreciate the opportunity to showcase their work to visitors from across the state. The vignettes can be fantasy spaces or tailored to current trends. The best part, Dávila says, is they showcase both creators’ vision.
“Without artwork, I personally don’t think a space is fully designed,” says 2022 designer Mary Benz of The Affect. “Without art, you don’t have a full space.”
Art + Design is a great example of Metro Art Studios overall approach to its relationship with its artists and the community. While artists generally have their personal spaces to create, the members often gain inspiration chatting with fellow artists in the hall or visiting others’ studios. The site hosts a professional development event, Artist WorkLab, the first Wednesday of each month to help artists learn to showcase and market their work.
The Art + Design event provides inspiration for community members looking for ways to enliven their homes and find and personally connect with artists and designers in a “one-stop shopping” space.
Charlotte Smith of At Charlotte’s Place, who designed one of the past spaces, said the event also shows designers and artists how similar their work is.
“You’re bringing colors together, you’re bringing colors together,’’ she says. “You’re bringing balance.”
As Dávila sees it, it’s a win-win-win situation.
“It’s an ideal way to show the connection to interior design and fine art and how each complements the other and makes for more meaningful living and working spaces,” Davila says. “It shows you how to invigorate your space and your life,” she says.
Metro Art Studios, 345 Railroad Ave., Bridgeport is open from 12 to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and by appointment. For more information, visit metroartstudios.org