Artists on call to be part of Asylum Avenue project
‘hartford Love’ aims for beautification
HARTFORD — Hartford artists have a chance to show off their work on bus shelters and electrical switching boxes on Albany Avenue in a new initiative by the City of Hartford and Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.
The “hartford Love” project will be administered by local artist Andre Rochester.
“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.”
No fewer than 17 and no more than 34 artists will be chosen to decorate nine bus shelters and 25 electrical boxes in the Albany Avenue and Clay Arsenal neighborhoods, Rochester said.
Each artist will get $500 per design. Members of the Upper Albany and Clay Arsenal Neighborhood Revitalization Zones will spearhead the selection process.
The application period ends Feb. 15. Artists can apply at hartfordct.gov/artproject.
Artists must submit sample artwork and a brief biography and explain their connection to the neighborhoods.
Artists must live in Hartford
or neighboring towns. Selected artists will have three weeks to submit draft sketches and another three weeks to submit the final artwork.
Rochester said the chosen artworks will be submitted in computer files and printed on weather-proof wraps, which will be wrapped around the bus shelters and electrical boxes.
“They’ll be easier to repair if needed. They’ll be easily replaceable,” he said. “If someone directly paints on a bus shelter and someone comes and marks it up, the artists have to come back and fix it. That’s a headache. This way, we just have to go to the file and print out another one.”
Rochester said artists can create any imagery they want, but he hopes many of them choose to focus on the area and its residents.
“We’d like it if they would highlight the neighborhood and the culture of the neighborhood as much as possible,” he said. “Albany has a large West Indian population. Some people might want to highlight that. Maybe play off businesses in the area, or something that connects the work to the community.”
Rochester said when the weather gets warmer, he hopes to arrange a meet-and-greet event with the artists involved in the project.
The project, part of “Love Hartford, a Citywide Resiliency and Civic Pride Initiative,” will be expanded to other neighborhoods in the city, according to a Tuesday news release from Mayor Luke Bronin.