Sen. Bye Announces Arts Grants

State Sen. Beth Bye (D-West Hartford) announced today that the state has awarded over $14,000 in grants to four area nonprofit organizations that support history and the arts in West Hartford and Farmington: $7,139 for the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, $5,000 for a historic preservation survey and planning at the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford, $1,198 for the National Theatre for the Deaf and $929 for the West Hartford Art League.

“Arts and cultural activities are a focus for many families in central Connecticut, so I’m glad to see this level of support from the state and federal governments for local arts organizations,” Sen. Bye said. “The arts help define who we are, and what we value, as a community.  I think they’re just as important as libraries and parks and schools.”

Monday’s awards come on the heels of nearly $27,000 in state grants that the state Department of Economic and Community Development -- through its Office of the Arts and State Historic Preservation Office -- handed out to West Hartford and Farmington nonprofit organizations in December and January.

Then, the DECD made more than $3 million in grants, including several to organizations in Sen. Bye’s Senate district. They included $16,940 for the Hill-Stead Museum, $4,944 for the West Hartford Art League, $3,252 for the Ballet Theatre Company and $1,830 for the Farmington Valley Symphony Orchestra.

The grants, made possible through a combination of state and federal funding, are generally awarded under the following categories:

• Basic Operational Support Grants for Historic Preservation to enhance and strengthen local historic preservation leadership.
• Survey and Planning Grants for Historic Preservation to be used by Connecticut non-profit organizations and municipalities for a wide range of historic preservation planning activities.
• Connecticut Arts Endowment Fund - to stimulate the development of private sector funding and help stabilize arts institutions.
• Arts Project Support – to fund established programs aimed at providing access through the creation of artistic works and/or targeted outreach.
• Creative Placemaking Pilot Program - to support new cross-sector collaborative initiatives between municipalities, arts and culture organizations, and artists.

Submitted by Senate Democrats.