Longtime Resident Brings Arts And Culture To Branford

In 2014, the Branford Arts & Cultural Alliance (BACA) was formed to bring arts and cultural experiences into the Branford community and across the Connecticut shoreline. Frank Carrano, a longtime resident of Branford, was a founding member of the alliance and currently serves as its president.

Carrano’s devotion to the community doesn’t stop with BACA, however. He’s also received many awards for his involvement in community-based organizations, like the United Way, the Branford Education Hall of Fame and the Branford Board of Education — though, he adds, he “[doesn’t] dwell on those things.”

We spoke with Carrano about BACA’s founding and mission, the various community events he partakes in and what he loves most about living in Branford.

Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Patch: How long have you lived in Branford, and how did you get involved with BACA?

Carrano: [I’ve lived here for] 50 years. I think Branford is a wonderful place to live; it’s a hidden gem with wonderful resources —natural, historical and artistic.

I was one of the founding members of BACA, which was organized as a result of the recognition that Branford had no arts-based organization. It’s an arts-cultural organization whose mission is to promote and provide arts and cultural experiences for the community. In addition to the BACA Gallery on Main St., we host cultural events there, like concerts and poetry readings.

Patch: Can you tell us more about some of the community events you’ve been a part of?

Carrano: The various events that BACA has organized have been calculated to involve the community, such as the Painted Doors, in which over 80 doors were painted/decorated and displayed along Main St. for a fall weekend. Everyone loved it.

We also organized an event at the Armory that brought a thousand visitors into the building that had been unavailable for 10 years. I helped organize Midnight Run at St. Mary Church eight years ago, which brings in food and clothing to the homeless in New Haven monthly.

Our [ongoing] collaboration with the Branford Garden Club is designed to highlight the affinity between art and gardening.

Patch: Is there anything else you'd like readers to know about BACA?

Carrano: The BACA Gallery has become the centerpiece of downtown Branford, and has offered opportunities for several hundred artists to display and sell their work.

Patch: What do you like most about living in Branford?

Carrano: Branford is a great place to live and work. It has a growing diversity, which only adds to its appeal and interest. BACA has found a supportive audience among Branford and shoreline residents who recognize the importance of the arts to the quality of life.

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