Ten Greater Hartford artists will receive professional development and financial support thanks to grant from Greater Hartford Gives Foundation
Assets for Artists (A4A) has announced the first of two cohorts of Greater Hartford artists selected for a new pilot Capacity-Building Program + Project Grant initiative, supported by a grant from the Fundación Greater Hartford Gives. The cohort, which was selected by a panel of local artists who are themselves alumni of A4A programs, includes ten artists working across film, music, ceramics, painting, photography, performance, interdisciplinary art, and traditional craft. Over ten months, these artists will receive individualized support and project resources designed to strengthen their creative practices and advance new work.
Initially announced in September 2025 as a part of Greater Hartford Gives’ $6 million investment in the region’s arts and culture sector, this program is a comprehensive professional development and grant program that empowers artists with financial literacy, business development, coaching, peer networking, and project funding to promote long-term career sustainability. A4A works regularly with community foundations and other funders to support artists from across New England through its Capacity-Building Program.
Direct financial support is a key component of the program, including a $5,000 project grant and an unrestricted grant of $10,000 for each artist. Participants will also receive a combination of self-directed and group professional development as well as priority access to A4A’s talleres de desarrollo profesional. A4A staff and artist partners will provide individualized support in service of each artist’s creative professional goals. Each member of the cohort will engage in peer learning opportunities through working groups, peer-led skillshares, and opportunities for sharing their creative work with each other.
The selected artists represent communities across Greater Hartford and bring a wide range of lived experiences, cultural traditions and artistic disciplines to the cohort. Their projects explore themes including identity, memory, belonging, grief, learning, community, resistance, heritage and public engagement.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation to continue deepening our work in Connecticut,” said Elizabeth Moy, A4A’s Senior Manager of Strategic Initiatives. “Informed by community partners across the region, we’ve designed this two-year initiative as a space anchored in shared knowledge, reciprocity and abundance. Spanning multiple disciplines, lived experiences and perspectives, this inaugural cohort represents a beautiful cross section of Hartford’s diverse and robust creative landscape. It is an absolute honor to support these artists at this stage in their journey as they explore new ideas, expand their creative community and discover what a long term, sustainable artistic practice can look like.”
The 2026 Greater Hartford cohort includes:
Alam marquez / sopa (Manchester), cinematographer and filmmaker
Aleichia Celestina Williams (Hartford), writer, director, and historian
Cuee (Hartford), recording artist, advocate, and influencer
Gleidymar Rivera (Wethersfield), ceramics artist
Jasleni Brito (Ellington), painter
Joseph Abad (West Hartford), documentary photographer
Laugh (Hartford), creative writer and performance artist
Mahsa Attaran (Windsor), visual artist, photographer, and educator
Peter Albano / Paco Winebox (West Hartford), artist, curator, and educator
Philitha Stemplys-Cowdrey (Granby), Lithuanian folk artist
For more information and photos of the artists, please visit Assets 4 Artists’ blog post.
Along with the A4A program, two other initiatives that were part of last year’s Centennial arts and culture investment announcement focus on advancing a more inclusive and resilient arts and culture ecosystem in Greater Hartford. The Artists of Color Accelerate program supports a dual-benefit residency model to create and expand opportunities for local creatives by connecting them as fellows with host arts organizations. The CT Culture Lab, a partnership with Humanidades de CT, offers a grant and capacity building program for arts, humanities, and cultural nonprofits throughout Greater Hartford as they sustain existing efforts and take new steps toward having their leadership, programming, and audiences reflect the communities around them.
“Greater Hartford Gives is grateful to partner with Assets for Artists, whose proven model helps artists strengthen their creative practices and build more sustainable careers,” said Elysa Gordon, Vice President, Community Impact, at Greater Hartford Gives. “Artists are central to the vitality of our region, and investing in them, particularly artists of color and others who have faced barriers to opportunity, reflects our commitment to expanding access to the resources, relationships, and networks they need to thrive and continue shaping Greater Hartford’s cultural life.”
La Fundación Greater Hartford Gives es una fundación comunitaria, un centro para el cambio impulsado por la comunidad. Impulsamos el impacto en todo el Gran Hartford y sus alrededores, creando conexiones, proporcionando financiación y compartiendo conocimientos. Nuestro objetivo es crear una región inclusiva donde todos prosperen. Juntos, con una sólida red de agentes de cambio, identificamos las necesidades más urgentes de nuestros vecinos e invertimos recursos en iniciativas que eliminan las barreras raciales y económicas y mejoran la calidad de vida. En nuestros 100 años de historia, hemos invertido más de 1000 millones de dólares en toda la región. Únase a nosotros para construir un Gran Hartford lleno de oportunidades. Obtenga más información en greathartfordgives.org.