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About the Arts Council
When arts thrive, the communities thrive.
The Greater Hartford Arts Council is the leading arts organization that provides critical financial, educational, and organizational resources to support the arts ecosystem in the Hartford Region. Our priority is to connect all people to art experiences in their community. The GHAC is passionate about building a stronger community through the arts and creating access to the arts no matter who you are or where you are from. None of this would be possible without the help of our donors, who believe that the power of the arts can change our community for the better.
Everything we do is driven by the belief that art should be created with freedom of expression that disrupts, inspires, heals, and transforms communities.
This belief guides the Greater Hartford Arts Council to partner with art makers and shapers within the Greater Hartford community to elevate access to the arts and create a community of belonging.
We’d like to thank the City of Hartford and the Connecticut Office of The Arts for their continued support.
Staff photography: Keith Claytor
This is what we stand for.
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OUR MISSION
We exist to be a catalyst for the arts and promote an equitable arts ecosystem in Greater Hartford.
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OUR VISION
The Greater Hartford region will be a thriving multi-cultural destination anchored by a diverse and innovative arts sector.
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OUR VALUES
Our organization will be guided by our strongly held values of community, equity, leadership, creativity, accessibility and advocacy.
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DEIAJ
GHAC is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive community that builds equity in the arts ecosystem.
Our Pillars
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Create
• To invest in artists to create
• Develop Co-creation opportunities
• Design collaborative experiences
• Invest in organizations to create access to artist
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Evolve
• Provide DEIJ training to look at self differently
• Expand the diversity of audiences
• Transform the image of the Hartford Region
• Redefine the perception of art
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Belong
• To be an invitation that is welcoming and inclusive
• Design a place of “I see myself”
• To be a vehicle for community vitality in the arts
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Board of Directors
President: Robert Braswell – Travelers
Vice President: Haneef Nelson – Professional Musician/Educator
Secretary: Eric Goldstein – Shipman & Goodwin, LLP
Treasurer: Mary Kay Curtiss – CLA
Immediate Past Chair: Brian Refici – MarshBerry
Robert Braswell, Travelers | Haneef Nelson, Professional Musician/Educator | Mary Kay Curtiss, CLA | Eric S. Goldstein, Shipman & Goodwin | June Archer, Eleven28 Entertainment Group | Richard Hill, KPMG | Stanley Harasimowitz Voya Enterprise Digital | Steve Jackson, CohnReznick | Rev. Miguelina Howell, Christ Church Cathedral | Ashanti Osbourne Martin, Global Atlantic Financial Company | Chip McCabe, Hartford Business Improvement District | Michael Pignatella, Prudential Retirement | Donald R. Seifel, Jr., Updike, Kelly & Spellacy | Michael Pignatella, Prudential Retirement Strategies | Melanie Tucker, Hartford Hospital | T’Challa N. Williams, Hartford’s L.I.T. |
Strategic Partners
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GHAC Arts Fellows
Our History
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In the late 60’s, the Cultural Affairs Committee of the Greater Hartford Chamber of Commerce took a look at the local creative sector and thought about how to support the City’s anchor institutions as a collective.
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The Greater Hartford Arts Council was officially incorporated in June 1971 as a tool for cultural philanthropy. The organization was supported by a partnership of some of Hartford’s largest corporations and individual investors.
Our first orders of business were “to raise funds from the business sector for distribution to the arts organizations; to increase financial and non-financial support for the arts community from government, individuals and foundations; and to improve the level of professional business management of arts organizations.”
Leadership: Jesse Rees Jr. (1971-1973), Philip Mallet (1973-1976), W. Grant Brownrigg (1976-1979)
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After moving to our first office space at 224 Farmington Avenue and continuing to award grants, we started to formalize how we worked with local companies to fundraise for the arts. We started running workplace giving campaigns to engage thousands of employees and grow support for the arts.
Leadership: Ilene Chalmers (1980-1986), Beverly Morgan-Welch (1987-1993), Robb Hankins (1994-1998), Ken Kahn (1999-2009)
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As the world shifted into the new millennium, we made big changes as well - we secured office space in downtown Hartford and became the Welcome Center at 45 Pratt Street. We created the “Let’s Go Arts” program to offer discounts to restaurants, retail, and cultural events. We formed long-lasting grant programs. We supported generations of students by providing paid summer apprenticeships at local arts organizations. We invested thousands of dollars in public art around the city, including a partnership with Lincoln Financial Group to install the Riverfront Sculpture Park. This major investment in public art served as a significant turning point for the organization, because in 2008 we partnered with The Bushnell to help initiate The iQuilt Plan.
Leadership: Ken Kahn (1999-2009), Kate Bolduc (2009-2011)
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Over the next 10 years from our new home at 100 Pearl Street, we would continue building our portfolio of grant programs, gather arts organizations together for collaborative learning and resource-sharing, congregate our downtown friends and neighbors for afternoon art breaks, bring tens of thousands of people from around the region (and the world) for a summer jam-packed with cultural festivals, provide professional development and networking for arts leaders, and earn national recognition for participatory, free music events.
Leadership: Kate Bolduc (2009-2011), Cathy Malloy (2011-2020)
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In March 2020, the world changed. Our beloved arts institutions, restaurants, and other local businesses shut down - some to never re-open, others pivoting drastically to keep business running. The creative sector – like many other sectors of our economy—was rocked by the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the growing impact and sector-wide loss of staff and revenue, we started gathering local arts leaders together for regular calls to discuss, experiment, and collaborate in this new and uncertain reality. By the end of the summer, we had started awarding funds for our first Emergency Relief Grants. We distributed two rounds of free personal protective equipment to arts organizations who wanted to create work in a safe environment for themselves and their audiences. Following a year of listening to the needs of individual artists, we delved further into arts advocacy at both the local and national levels.
Leadership: Cathy Malloy (2011-2020), Kate McOmber (Interim 2020-2022)
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As the sector continues to evolve and the needs of our community continue to change, we too are evolving. After a strategic planning process including a community input survey and focus groups with arts leaders, we embarked on our next chapter with a new Mission, Vision, and Values.
Leadership: Rev. Dr. Shelley D. Best (2022-present)