Arts landscape praised, but leaders also call out lack of artist support
HARTFORD— Vowing to make arts “a critical part of our recovery as weemergefromthis pandemic,” Hartford MayorLukeBronin was joined by other politicians, artists and arts leaders in downtown Hartford on Wednesday, as they celebrated the vibrancy of arts in the city.
Standing beneath the newly painted tallest mural in the state, a 100-foot Corey Pane creation at Pearl and Ann Uccello streets, Bronin, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Gov. NedLamontandothers expressed pride that a national website ranked Hartford as the best city in the country for artists.
“We may be a small city, but we punch way above our weight,” Bronin said. “We’ve got a vibrant community of creators, of innovators, of artists, of musicians, of dancers, of authors. We also are a place where, if you are a creator of art, you can actually afford to live.
“In Hartford, you can live, you can create, you can become part of a community that values art, that makes art, that celebrates art,” he said.
Thewebsite rent.com, a millennial-focused website that monitors rental markets, recently put Hartford at the top of its list of artistfriendly cities. It cited the city’s many artistic institutions, adding that the city “boasts the cheapest prices for studio apartments,” averaging $1,121 a month.
The dignitaries and arts leaders stressed that more is needed to help the city’s cultural institutions recover from the pandemic and continue to employ artists who live here. Jazz musician Haneef
Nelson said “It’s not enough to say that we love the arts if we don’t love the artists that are creating it.”
Elizabeth Shapiro, director of arts, preservation and museums for the Department of Economic and Community Development, praised the state’s allocation of more than $6 million in the 2022 fiscal year to help arts and cultural organizations that suffered as a result of the pandemic. That funding is part of Connecticut’s allocation under the American Rescue Plan Act.
“Once that is set, we will be ready to go to help artists and arts organizations,” Shapiro said.
Bronin also pointed out Blumenthal’s leadership role in getting the Save Our Stages Act included as part the $900 billion federal pandemic relief funding.
Blumenthal emphasized that people who come to the city to experience art spend money elsewhere.
“The folks who come … are also going to probably buy a meal. They’re going to shop downtown. They’re going to maybe want to live here. This ecosystem needs to be nurtured and sustained, not only because it is so important for whowe are, our culture, our way of life, but also because it drives our economy and creates jobs,” he said.
Blumenthal said many members of Congress tell him they have done enough for the arts and would prefer to concentrate on infrastructure like roads and bridges. “Where are the roads and bridges going to take us if you don’t have culture, if we don’t have theaters and museums?” he said.