Version Fest Organizers Turn To Kickstarter To Raise Funds For 12th Edition

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 30, 2012 7:20PM

Ed Marszewski has big plans for this year's edition of his Version Festival. For years, the Lumpen jefe, chief bottle washer at Maria's Packaged Goods and Community Bar and owner of gallery the Co-Prosperity Sphere has proclaimed Bridgeport as "the community of the future."

For Version 12, Marszewski and festival organizers are hoping to show just how much the neighborhood of mayors can be transformed with a little input. For a month, Version will transform a Lutheran church into a performance space, the social center Benton House will become a kitchen for underground dinners and supper clubs, pop-up shops such as vintage clothing and book stores will come to life, a home brewing clubhouse will connect local brewers with home brewing aficionados, a pop-up doughnut shop/art center will be open for business. Marszewski has very high hopes for the SMALL (Small Manufacturing Alliance) at the Co-Prosperity Sphere, exclusively featuring locally manufactured products, foodstuffs and other services.

But the costs to cover the production of Version has increased over the years. Marszewski, who spoke with me Tuesday night, explained that most of the costs have come from donations and fundraisers like art auctions. Version hasn't relied as much on grants as other festivals of its ilk— a wise course of action given the belt-tightening of endowments and public art funding in recent years.

Like many other people, Marszewski has turned to Kickstarter to cover the costs of producing this year's Version Fest. The $15,000 he's hoping to raise will cover the costs of rental fees for the spaces they're using, licensing and permit fees, equipment rental and marketing materials to promote the festival. With 10 days to go in the Kickstarter campaign, Marszewski has raised nearly a third of his goal.