Arts
City of Hartford wins $250,000 award from National Endowment Of The Arts
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Jul 18, 2010 - 8:58 AM

Calling it “a home run for the City of Hartford,” Mayor Pedro Segarra recently announced that the city has won a national grant worth $250,000 thanks to a culture-based downtown design plan considered one of the finest in America. The $250,000 award, given by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), was received by only four cities nationally out of more than 600 applicants who applied, Mayor Segarra said.

“This national award reconfirms Hartford’s leadership role as a center for the arts,” Mayor Pedro Segarra said today at a press conference at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in historic Bushnell Park in Hartford. “I am so proud of our city and of the effort of all of our partners to shine the spotlight on Hartford’s incredible Arts and Heritage community. With this $250,000 grant, the city will be able to do an even better job of connecting all of its downtown cultural assets.”

A total of 21 cities were chosen for these NEA grants out of the 600-plus applicants, with only Hartford and three others receiving the top award of $250,000. (SEE ATTACHED FOR FULL LIST OF CITIES) The grant was announced today by NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman and was awarded through the NEA Mayors’ Institute on City Design 25th Anniversary Initiative (MICD 25) to the City of Hartford and The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts.

“This is an investment that will help us immeasurably in our ongoing efforts to make downtown Hartford more walkable, bikable, and enjoyable,” Mayor Segarra added. He extended his thanks to Congressman John Larson (D-1st District) for his leadership in helping to make this grant possible for the City of Hartford.

“This award is a testament to the great partnership that exists between the federal government, the City of Hartford, the state, and community partners such as the Bushnell,” said Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01). “Hartford is an unpolished gem, home to numerous cultural assets that can stimulate growth and development throughout the city. By leveraging our resources, we will create a more sustainable, vibrant city and economically strengthen our region for the better.”

The main impetus for Hartford being chosen for this award is the exceptional iQuilt Project, a plan to connect all of downtown Hartford’s cultural assets together.

“The NEA has recognized the hard work of our Arts and Heritage community to formulate a comprehensive strategy and solutions for urban revitalization. The iQuilt is a central component and proof of the value of the ‘One City, One Plan for Conservation and Development as Hartford grows, develops and prospers over the next decade,” Hartford COO and Development Director David Panagore said.

“From the Connecticut Science Center to the Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe Houses, from Bushnell Park to Hartford Stage, from the Old State House to The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, Hartford’s arts community is as vibrant as ever, and this award shows just how valuable it is,” The Bushnell’s President and CEO David Fay said. “It will greatly aid us in our effort to tie all of the city’s great cultural assets together and leverage them to increase regional economic growth and sustainable development.”

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