I-Park holds ribbon cutting for its new comfort station

Ribbon cutting from left to right: Mike Robidoux, East Haddam economic development commissioner, Bob Casner, Chairman of East Haddam economic development commission, Gretchen Teran, I-Park board of director, Ralph Crispino, Jr. I-Park board president and co-founder, Tamara Dimitri, Connecticut Office of the Arts. Photo by Frank DiNardi.

Submitted by I-Park

The nearly completed “Comfort Station” was unveiled during the Friends & Supporters Gathering and ribbon cutting ceremony at I-Park on May 28. The celebration kicked off I-Park’s milestone 25th anniversary season.

Festivities included a prosecco toast and a playful naming activity, in which guests in attendance could submit their favorite name for the new facility. Creative submissions included: “A Loo with a View,” “Creekside Relief,” and “Go‑To Station.”

The Comfort Station Project began in early 2025 with a concept design by Caryn Paradis of Studio Paradis. The design was further developed and converted into construction drawings by Pietro Pagliaro, an architect and I‑Park fellow. 

I‑Park expresses deep gratitude to State Senator Norm Needleman and State Representative Irene Haines, whose advocacy at the Capitol secured American Rescue Plan Act funds that partially financed the project.

The new facility provides adjacent restroom amenities and a shower for artists working in Studios A and B and expands restroom access for visitors attending I‑Park’s public programs.

ARPA funding also supported a series of Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades, including new handrails leading to the artists‑in‑residence housing facility. These improvements allow I‑Park to better accommodate artists with ambulatory challenges. 

I‑Park extends appreciation to Caryn Paradis, architect Pietro Pagliaro, and the Connecticut Office of the Arts for their essential roles in bringing this important project to life.

Heading into their 25th anniversary season, I‑Park is so grateful to have received new funding from the Dominion Foundation (supporting community engagement programs) and from The Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation and Elizabeth Raymond Ambler Trust (supporting the Composers + Musicians Collaborative Residency and Concerts this summer).

There are still many important ADA upgrades that I-Park is actively seeking funding to complete. Additionally, I-Park seeks support for our ongoing programs: our artists residencies, which are fully funded for the artists, granting participants the unconditional gifts of time, space and fellowship during their time at I-Park, and our community programs, offered for free to the public so that visitors of all ages may immerse themselves in art, nature and community.

Any community members who wish to support I-Park are asked to contact the office at 860-873-2468 or email Development Director, Sarah Weatherley, at sarah@i-park.org.

I‑Park welcomes the public to its first Open Studios of the season on June 27 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free; though contributions are appreciated. Registration is available at www.i‑park.org.

Soon to follow, the public is invited to the next I-Park Open Trails + Music Day on July 11 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This free, family friendly event invites visitors to explore I-Park’s 20+ trails, encounter art throughout, create crafts, enjoy live music and more. Save the date!

I-Park’s mission: To nurture artists of exceptional talent, celebrate the creative process and inspire the greater culture. I-Park fulfills these aspirations through its international artists-in-residence program and the stewardship and aesthetic engagement of its natural and imagined environments.

I-Park is both an open-air and a private-studio laboratory for individual creative pursuits in the fields of music composition, the visual arts, architecture, moving image, creative writing, interdisciplinary practice and landscape/garden design.

I-Park shares the fruits of these discoveries with engaging community spirited programming, including Open Studios, Open Trails Days, on-site exhibitions, performances and collegial exchanges. For more information, visit www.i-park.org.