Jay Misencik

Jay is working with Geralene Valentine on “The Bridgeport Portrait Project,” a cultural heritage photography/storytelling project in Bridgeport, CT. This ongoing project began in 2014. It evolved from earlier documentary-style photo projects.

The project is a little bit history . . . a little bit current events. Simple, straightforward, studio-type portraits help give a contemporary definition to the rich, culturally diverse community that Bridgeport has always been. The Bridgeport Portrait Project introduces you to the PEOPLE who make the City of Bridgeport much more than just a PLACE.

Here is a “conversation" Jay and Geralene had with Ann Nyberg on Channel 8 News: http://networkconnecticut.com/2019/07/capturing-the-city-of-bridgeport-one-portrait-at-a-time/

In 1989, Jay and Geralene began photographing people on Bridgeport’s Main Street. They used black and white film to do environmental portraits of people with different occupations. Among those photographed were a barber, a butcher, a bootblack, a bank president, and a newspaper “boy” who would soon celebrate his 80th birthday. They produced a 1993 calendar with the photographs and exhibited photos from the series at The Barnum Museum in Bridgeport and Agfa-Gevaert trade show exhibits in NYC. The Main Street photo series tells a story about the end of a generation, the end of an era in Bridgeport.

In 2017, Jay & Geralene published a book based on their "Poli's Palace & Majestic Theatre Memories Project”. It brings to life the two magnificent dormant theatres on Bridgeport’s Main Street that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The book describes the architecture and social history of the theatres, and people share memories of times spent in Bridgeport’s Downtown.

Jay has taught photography at a local university and has given private seminars to both professional photographers and photo enthusiasts. He has led “kids with cameras” walking tours in downtown Bridgeport. He gives presentations about his photo and storytelling projects at historical societies, libraries, and senior centers.

Cultural photo projects created by Jay & Geralene:

• The Bridgeport Portrait Project – An ongoing photo/storytelling project
• Poli’s Palace & Majestic Theatres Memories Project – A photo/history project
• Main Street, Bridgeport, CT – Portraits of people with different occupations
• Connecticut KKK . . . 1980s
• Thomas Merton Family Center – Portraits at a local “soup kitchen” . . . 1994, 1999, 2024