Our History

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)