Eastern Art Gallery presents: 'Tom Gargiulo: The Art Father and Connecticut Modernist'

Student/granddaughter-curated exhibition runs May 28-June 20

by Ed Osborn

Willimantic, CT (05/28/2025) — The late Tom Gargiulo is the featured artist on display at Eastern Connecticut State University's Art Gallery. The exhibit runs from May 28 to June 20, with a public reception on June 1 from 2-4 p.m. "Tom Gargiulo: The Art Father and Connecticut Modernist" showcases 41 mixed media and oil paintings created by Gargiulo, a dynamic artist with Connecticut ties.

Gargiulo was an abstract painter who also worked with other media, making prints and collage pieces. He was prolific through the years 1960 to 2022, with more than 200 pieces in his collection. Before his art found its way into public parks and galleries, Gargiulo began creating art in his Connecticut basement and a garage that he turned into a studio in Florida.

"It has been an honor to carry on Tom Gargiulo's legacy as an artist," said exhibition curator Kate Moss, Gargiulo's granddaughter and an art student at Eastern. "His creative vision has brought public art to life, transforming spaces into living galleries that inspire locals, visitors, and other artists."

His collection includes deeply personal pieces, including a series of boat prints and scenes of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, paintings, prints of humanity in masks during COVID-19, and pieces reflecting the late 1970s teacher protest in the Bridgeport school system.

Gargiulo (1938-2022) was a native of Bridgeport, a graduate of the University of Bridgeport, a teacher, and a frequent exhibited artist. His works were a part of more than 150 art shows that took place around New England, as well as New York City, Florida, and Europe.

"When Kate Moss first mentioned that her grandfather was a painter, I had no idea I was about to discover of Connecticut's most innovative and generous modernist painters," said Julia Wintner, Art Gallery director.

Moss added, "Curating this exhibition of his work has been both a professional privilege and a deeply personal journey. ... In studying his paintings and creative process, I have come to understand the depth of his artistic inquiry, the integrity of his craftsmanship, and the quiet persistence with which he brought to my family and his community."

Beyond life as an artist, Gargiulo taught in the Bridgeport public school system, and also taught adult night classes at Fairfield and Sacred Heart universities. After retiring from teaching in 1994, Gargiulo and his wife, Arlene Volpe, moved to Palm Coast, FL, and started their own art foundation, Gargiulo Art Foundation (GAF). The foundation supported local artists to display and sell their work, creating a space where artists could be recognized.

One of Gargiulo's biggest installations was the Palm Coast Sculpture Garden, located in Central Park. He sought grants from the city and used them, along with donations and his personal funding, to buy the commissioned sculptures with grants known as Art in Public Spaces, so these pieces could be displayed around the city for all to enjoy. One of the biggest awarded grants was $100,000 to begin the Sculpture Garden installation. Unveiling the first sculpture in 2019, this collaboration of the Gargiulo Art Foundation and the City of Palm Coast allowed the garden to grow, housing five sculptures to date.

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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving upwards of 4,000 students annually on its Willimantic campus. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 68 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal arts foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 25 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2024-25 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 15 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.