HARTFORD ANNOUNCES NEW NEIGHBORHOOD ART INITIATIVE

Published on January 25, 2022

HARTFORD, CONN (January 25, 2022) – Today, Mayor Luke Bronin invited local artists to apply to a new neighborhood art initiative called ‘hARTford Love’, where artists will have a chance to have their artwork displayed on bus shelters and electrical boxes along Albany Avenue. Artists will then be selected by members of the community to develop a design that highlights and expresses pride in the Albany Avenue and Clay Arsenal neighborhoods. This project, which is part of the ‘Love Hartford’ initiative and is made possible through funding from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, aims to beautify and enrich the Albany Avenue and Clay Arsenal neighborhoods through local art. The City plans to bring the initiative to other business corridors in Hartford in the future.

To apply, artists must submit sample artwork, a brief biography, and an explanation of their connection to the neighborhoods to www.hartfordct.gov/artproject by February 15th. A minimum of 17 artists will be selected by an online vote from members of the neighborhoods, and a total of 9 bus shelters and 25 electrical boxes on Albany Avenue will be painted. Selected artists will receive $500 per design.

“The hARTford Love project is a great way for us to showcase our local talent and to make our Clay Arsenal and Upper Albany neighborhoods more beautiful and vibrant," said Mayor Bronin. “I want to thank our Office of Community Engagement and the Hartford Foundation for making this project possible, and I look forward to seeing some amazing art all along Albany Avenue.”

“With the help from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, we’re proud to announce this new initiative, which will be led by Andre Rochester, one of our most talented local artists,” said Janice Castle, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Engagement. “This is a creative way to jazz up our bus shelters and electrical boxes and a chance to work with some of our talent right here in the community, all while showcasing neighborhood pride!”

“This project will add to the amazing development and revitalization that is coming into this neighborhood,” said Luz Holmes, President and Chair of the Upper Albany NRZ. “This art project will really give our residents, merchants, social services, and creatives so much pride and energy to be a part of the advancement and beautification of this community.”

"It's great to see that City staff has come up with a creative way to highlight local artist's talents while erasing unsightly and unwanted graffiti from our neighborhoods," said the Clay Arsenal NRZ leadership team.

The project will be led by Andre Rochester, a local artist with deep ties to the community. He will work with the selected artists and the neighborhood to help them create meaningful designs that represent the community.

“It is important that we provide opportunities like this for artists to share in the city’s effort to highlight the beauty that exists within our community,” said Rochester. “Thousands of people will see the artists’ work on a daily basis. This project is an opportunity for our creative community to show people the talent that Greater Hartford really has.”

Artists must reside in Hartford or neighboring towns, and they must have a connection to the neighborhood. Selected artists will have three weeks to submit draft sketches and will have another three weeks before the final artwork is due. Selected artists will grant non-exclusive rights to reproduce the final design, but will retain original work and full copyright of the image.

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