About Us
Our Story
On a spring day in 2003, Eve Abreu and George Bradt were walking their dogs when George asked what Eve liked about living in Bridgton, and what she missed about life in Newburyport, MA. Eve said an important thing she missed was an art gallery. To that, George remarked: "Well, why can't we just start a visual arts gallery?" Eve thought that was an outrageous, yet intriguing, idea. Not having any idea how to start a gallery, they decided to put an announcement in the Bridgton News asking artists and art supporters to come to a meeting at the Community Center to discuss creating an art gallery in Bridgton.
On May 5th, 2003, a crowd of 40 interested folks showed up and were treated to pizza, made by George. Attendees were excited about the prospect of having an art gallery in town and agreed that it should be open by July, only two months away! There were those who thought it couldn't be done in such a short time, but the enthusiastic majority catapulted the group forward.
Gallery 302 opened temporarily in June 2003 with an art show hosted by the Lakes Environmental Association, which needed a new venue for its annual show. Shortly thereafter the exhibiting artists moved in, and the public was invited to share in a celebratory opening reception on July 25, 2003.
Those who attended the initial meeting - strangers for the most part - got to know each other quickly and became a team working to make a shared dream come true. While there were tough decisions to be made, accompanied by spiritual discussions, all of it was overshadowed by the outcome of a talented group of people working toward a common goal: the creation of a gallery in our sweet Bridgton village.
Our Charter
The Bridgton Art Guild (doing business as Gallery 302) is a nonprofit cooperative. That means the gallery is owned and operated by the more than 40 exhibiting artists. Our mission is two-fold:
1. Provide a venue for our artists / owners to exhibit original works of art in a variety of mediums, and
2. Encourage the appreciation of art in the Western Lakes Region community and surrounding area through offered classes, student scholarships, guest artists shows and open receptions.
