Marcella Kovac

Marcella Kovac '04 created a project for herself: to take one photograph every day of Seaside Park, "The Seasides," for one year in order to document the park's importance to the city and its "everyday beauty" throughout the four seasons. The result is a treasury of all that is beautiful, evocative, moody and surprising about the park, whose founding was spurred in the 1860s by a donation of land from entrepreneur P.T. Barnum and other city pillars. Primarily designed by noted architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Seaside Park was listed in 1982 on the National Register of Historic Places .

Now that the project is completed, Kovac said, she intends to create a coffee-table book, postcards and prints from the collection - all of which she wants ready for the annual Bridgeport Art Trail and "open studios" Nov. 12-15. (The collection will be on view at her Elm Street studio during a reception on Friday, Nov. 13, from 7 to 10 p.m., with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the nonprofit Friends of Seaside Park.)

Marcella is the founder, partner and creative director at The Bananaland , on the third floor of the old Schwerdle Stamp Factory at 162 Elm St. in downtown Bridgeport. Described as a "creative agency," the company specializes in graphic design, marketing, website development, social media and product branding.