Hartford’s Free Center expanding

Facility opening in Middletown, coming soon to New Haven

Free Center, the Hartford incubator that offers space free of charge for community discussions, art events, professional development, classes and other events, has expanded into Middletown and plans to open in New Haven soon, the founder of Hartford Free Center said.

The centers are separate business entities with separate funding sources, but are united in their name, website and vision, as “a place where folks in the community can access some of the fundamental things, like the capacity to come together around ideas,” said Rich Hollant. Hollant founded the Hartford Free Center and is helping the Middletown and New Haven Free Centers get off the ground.

Hartford Free Center is at 460 New Britain Ave., in the space once occupied by the Goodwin branch of Hartford Public Library. Middletown Free Center is at 52 North Main St., next to Gorilla Graphics.

Hartford Free Center was started in January 2019, funded by CO:LAB, an advertising agency also founded by Hollant. Since it opened, the 4,500-square-feet nonprofit has transitioned into being funded fully by grants, donations and fundraising activities.

“It started in a response to closed libraries and community centers being pulled out of the South West neighborhood and Behind the Rocks. Since then, Free Center has taken on a life of its own,” Hollant said. “Overall in the past year and a half, we’ve held or facilitated well over 100 gatherings.”

Middletown Free Center, which opened in June, is funded by Telling Voices, an expressive arts consultation firm owned by Kerry Kincy, whoalso plans to transition the 2,500-square-feet nonprofit space to grants, donations and fundraising.

Patrick Foley, a New Haven entrepreneur, is in the planning stages to open a Free Center in that city. Foley said no location has been chosen yet, but he hopes to offer the center, among other purposes, as a community hub to facilitate distance learning.

“If you get on calls with the PTO in New Haven and hear about the resources that they have vs. the resources they need, it becomes clear these sorts of spaces are necessary,” Foley said. “People are coming forward with solutions. … but they are struggling to execute and get these spaces online.”

Kincy hesitated at first to start a new initiative during a pandemic, when other projects were tanking. But the community glommed onto the space right away.

“I thought, oh my god do I run now? But I didn’t run. Just in these few months I’ve been able to continue to pay the rent and build the space out,” Kincy said. “It took me a little bit to wrap my head around the idea of free meaning free, but it’s working.”

Leah Maille, who owns the Stage Left Dance Studio in Middletown, used Free Center Middletown in July for a youth program, Black Girl Magic, which she co-created with Ysanne Marshall.

“I love the center because with COVIDit’s nice to be able to have the doors open, natural light, open space,” Maille said.

Maille and two collaborators used the space again, to hold a yoga-healing-vegan event in September.

Wildaliz Bermudez, a member of Hartford City Council, has used the Hartford Free Center for community conversations on public safety, quality of life and other issues.

“For instance, when the earthquake hit Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rican community wanted to do something to help in the efforts, send money to organizations, or to help families arriving here,” Bermudez said. “The Free Center was a great place to hold these conversations.”

Bermudez said the city has fewer community gathering spaces than it used to.

“In the ‘80s and ‘90s and before that in Hartford, there were areas where there was a lot of robust community organizing. We’ve seen a dwindling of that, spaces that lend themselves to bring the community together,” she said.

Hollant said Free Center is looking at New London as the next city for expansion.