SCG Partners with Local Bridgeport Arts Organization to Create Community Mural on Former Operations Center

Bridgeport residents invited to provide insights and ideas on mural design, which RiseUP will install on façade of former SCG building at Pine Street & Wordin Avenue


 

BRIDGEPORT, CT — August 30, 2023 — Today, Southern Connecticut Gas, a subsidiary of Avangrid (NYSE: AGR), announced that it is parternering with acclaimed arists and creative experts from RiseUP for Arts, a Connecticut-based nonprofit arts organization, to install a mural on the façade of its former building at 39 Pine Street. SCG and RiseUP are soliciting community input on the mural design through September 15, and Bridgeport residents are encouraged to complete a survey to express their preferences at this link.

“The collaborative efforts of SCG, RiseUP, and city officials are a testament to what we can do when we come together with the community: turning the walls of an obsolete building into a beautiful embodiment of the strength, togetherness, and diversity that Bridgeport represents,” said Frank Reynolds, President & CEO of Southern Connecticut Gas. “Twenty-nine years ago, I launched my career at SCG, and I am proud that the creativity, innovation, and problem-solving that I have long associated with this company are today on even fuller display in the largest city we serve.”

SCG has owned 39 Pine Street for approximately 45 years and formerly used the building as an operations center and fleet garage before moving operations to Orange and West Haven approximately two decades ago. While SCG and parent company Avangrid are exploring future plans for the building, organizational leadership and the City of Bridgeport recognized the need to improve the aesthetics of the building façade in the interim. SCG partnered with RiseUP, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to community development through art, to lead the community outreach, design, and installation of the mural. Installation will kick off with a “Volunteer Paint Day” during the first week in October, when local artists, community members, and the SCG team will come together to lay the foundation of the artwork, and the project is expected to culminate with an unveiling in mid-October.

“I’m pleased to know that SCG and RiseUp have made collaborative efforts to add to the quality of life of our City by adding artwork to the building located at 39 Pine Street,” said Mayor Joseph Ganim of Bridgeport. “I’m grateful that there has been an increased interest in beautifying City spaces, and it brings me joy to know that residents who live in the area will be able to see this part of their neighborhood transformed through the mural and the community effort it will encompass.”

After the community survey closes on September 15, acclaimed Bridgeport-based artists Jahmane and Aisha Nailah, together with the creative talents of Alicia Cobb and Lori Bloom, will design the mural. The artists’ intention is to reflect Bridgeport's rich history, diversity, and collective spirit with an installation that resonates deeply with every resident and community in the city. Because of its central location, residents, visitors, and motorists traveling on Interstate 95, from which 39 Pine Street is visible, will see the mural.

"The beauty of this mural won’t just be in its visuals; it will be in the stories and the voices it represents," said Matt Conway, Executive Director of RiseUP. "We are immensely grateful to Southern Connecticut Gas for joining hands with us to transform this space into a canvas of unity and inspiration." 

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