How Hartford plans to spend more than $1 million annually to fund public art events throughout the city

The City of Hartford will spend more than $1 million a year for the next three years funding public art events — performing arts and visual arts — in a collaboration with the Greater Hartford Arts Council, Mayor Luke Bronin said on Friday.

In a news conference at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park, Bronin and Arts Council CEO Shelley D. Best announced a partnership to spend the money, which is part of the city’s allocation from the American Rescue Plan, on the Hartford Creates initiative.

Bronin called Hartford Creates a “broader initiative to celebrate the arts in Hartford.”

“This is about physical art installations around our city that will beautify our public spaces and create opportunities for Hartford artist to display their work. This is about doing the thoughtful planning that makes effective arts activation possible,” he said.

The city previously announced that Hartford’s total ARP allocation was $112 million, and that $5.85 million would be spent on arts and culture initiatives. City spokesman Akash Kaza said Hartford Creates represents about 60% of that $5.85 million. The plans for spending the remaining amount would be announced soon, Kaza said.

The first event financed through Hartford Creates will be the addition of one performer, merengue star Raul Acosta, to the Greater Hartford Latino Festival, said Amanda Roy of Greater Hartford Arts Council. The festival is one of the events in the Summer in the City Series. The Greater Hartford Latino Festival is Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. at Dunkin Donuts Park.

Roy said the Latino Festival, and the other eight events in the Summer in the City series, all will get high-profile performers with Hartford Creates funding.

“These artists will draw more audiences and inspire other musicians and artists to be part of the festivals,” she said. She did not reveal the names of the other high-profile performers who will perform at the other festivals.

Other branches of Hartford Creates initiative are:

• Public Art, focusing on outdoor visual art.

• Neighborhood Arts Activation, focusing on outdoor performing arts.

• All-Season Event Grants, focusing on year-round arts events both indoors and outdoors.

Artists, artist collaboratives, nonprofit organizations and small creative businesses can apply for grants — which Roy said would range from $1,000 to $10,000 — to participate in the initiative.

The application portal for All-Season Event Grants is open at letsgoarts.org/creates. Roy said those grants are for nonprofit organizations or small businesses only.

Public Art and Neighborhood Arts Activation, which are also available to individual artists and artist collaboratives, will open after the Arts Council assembles a community panel to advise on “how to put together a cohesive plan for public art,” Roy said.

Bronin said the development of public art events and projects is a mandatory ingredient in the city’s recovery from the economic downturn of the pandemic.

“We are a city that punches way above our weight when it comes to arts and culture,” Bronin said. “We have so many creators who are making art on a daily basis: art, music, dance. This city is so culturally rich, and we want to make sure that everybody knows it and everybody shares it.”

Best said Hartford Creates is about uplifting the creative economy.

“Our whole focus is to really elevate the work of artists and create innovative art experiences here,” she said. “Our job is to create possibilities of transformative programs that are going to heal and transform.”

For updates on Hartford Creates, visit letsgoarts.org/creates. For a list of Summer in the City events, visit summerinhartford.com/events.

Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.