Art, Culture and Community!
- Marlo Marrero Fernandez
- Oct 22
- 4 min read
Creative Jam Art Co.: Where Bristol’s Creativity Blossoms
When we embarked on the epic quest to find a location for our fabulous business, Creative Jam Art Co., we considered other cities. But I was like a stubborn kid in a candy store—Bristol was the only option! I envisioned this city as the place where art, culture, and community could grow together.
To be fair to the Bristol of my teen years, if art, culture, and community were partying in the ’80s, I must have been in the wrong club. And I definitely liked to party!
In my senior year, my wise and beautiful mother encouraged me to participate in The Miss Bristol Pageant. During my interview, the judges asked if I planned to move back to Bristol after college. My answer—thank goodness social media didn’t exist then—was an emphatic “Never!” The judges laughed, but I didn’t win. (My singing voice may have sealed that fate. Let’s just say my rendition of “Fame” didn’t make anyone feel immortal.)
At the time, I felt isolated. Bristol didn’t feel like a creative place. Like so many teens, I thought I had to leave town to find what I was looking for—art, culture, community, and expression. I chased those things in neighboring cities, never realizing how deeply I was longing for connection—that beautiful thing we now call community.
Even though Creative Jam Art Co. is a for-profit business, it was built from that longing. We want our people—our guests, our friends, our artists—to feel seen and connected through the creative experiences we offer. My middle school art teacher, Joe Johnson, understood that. His classroom was a sanctuary where we could make art, laugh, and belong. Those afternoons in his after-school Art Club fed my creative soul, and that experience became the foundation for everything I do today. Ironically, both of my parents—graduates of Bristol Central High—were voted “Class Artist,” yet I wasn’t encouraged to take art classes. On the college track, art wasn’t considered “practical.” But when I finally found my way back to art at UConn and graduated with a BFA in Photography, it was like coming home.
Now, in my fifties, as Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Creative Jam Art Co., I’ve come full circle. Our mission is to make Bristol the creative hub I longed for as a kid—to give artists, musicians, writers, and dreamers a “third place” to belong.
We’ve already become a home for the Open Mic crowd, where poets and musicians share their hearts, loves, and sorrows. And starting February 2026, we’re expanding that vision even further.
🌸 Introducing: The Artist Meet-Up
Beginning February 2026, Creative Jam Art Co. will host a monthly Artist Meet-Up—a gathering for local artists, makers, and creatives of all disciplines. It’s a space to connect, collaborate, and dream together. Whether you paint, sculpt, write, sing, or simply appreciate art, this meet-up is your invitation to join Bristol’s creative heartbeat.
Our goal is simple: to make Creative Jam Art Co. the center of Bristol’s art scene—a place where creativity blossoms, connections grow, and art thrives.
We’re also proud to collaborate with BAIMS (Bristol Arts and Innovation Magnet School), whose students have received funding to participate in our paint pouring and splatter art sessions.
Images below from BAIMS students during their "last days of school field trip" to our studio.
Open Mic, first 4 photographs are by Eric Hahn.
And our community involvement doesn’t stop there. Last spring, we completed a community mural project at BARC (Bristol Adult Resource Center)—a vibrant, joy-filled collaboration that truly captured the spirit of Bristol. The idea came from a BARC staff member who suggested turning it into a paint-by-number mural, making it easy for everyone to participate. The clients loved it! Together with BARC clients, staff, and community members, we created a colorful celebration of local pride featuring symbols of Bristol—a heart, a clock, a carousel horse, and a roller coaster. We kept the colors bright and bold, and included chrysanthemums and sunflowers, a favorite of one of the clients.
Mural at BARC.
While Creative Jam Art Co. is a for-profit business, projects like this reflect what we value most: creativity, connection, and community participation. Each brushstroke in that mural represents the collective heartbeat of Bristol—proof that art truly brings people together.
Partnerships like these strengthen the creative ecosystem we’re building—one splash of paint, one brushstroke, one collaboration at a time.
Come Create With Us
Bristol is ready for this. Its creative energy has always been here, waiting for a place to bloom. And that place is Creative Jam Art Co.
🖌️ Artist Meet-Up – 1st Wednesday of each month (starting February 2026)
🎤 Open Mic Nights – Ongoing, every month
🎨 Paint & Splatter Sessions – Always available for parties, teams, and fun nights out.
Together, we’re building the art community we always dreamed of—right here in Bristol.
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