For Haneef Nelson, Jazz Mondays at Black Eyed Sally’s in downtown Hartford are about much more than money.
“Everyone wants to get back to performing,” said Nelson, who plays the trumpet and flugelhorn in a jazz quartet. “For us, the musicians, this isn’t just how we make money, this is our life. A large part of our life has been missing.”
Nelson was among a group of Hartford arts leaders who gathered Wednesday to celebrate the city’s cultural scene — and plan for a windfall of federal pandemic aid designed to boost the arts.
Under the latest pandemic aid package, Connecticut is slated to get $6 million for arts spending, along with $900,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts. The state recently allocated $2.5 million for matching grants to encourage cities and towns to invest in local cultural venues, said Elizabeth Shapiro, arts chief at the Department of Economic and Community Development.
Speaking in front of the 100-foot mural recently painted at the corner of Ann Uccello and Pearl streets, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal promised more cash for the city and state as he helped shepherd President Biden’s spending plans through Congress.
“The arts, it’s an economic force multiplier,” Blumenthal said. “This ecosystem needs to be nurtured and sustained, not only because it is so important for who we are, our culture, our way of life, but also because It drives our economy and it creates jobs.”
Theater, music and museums are vital to bring life back to downtowns like Hartford’s, agreed Gov. Ned Lamont. “We want to get people back in touch. That’s what the arts are all about,” Lamont said.
“Taken together, all these arts and performing arts organizations are going to play a vital part in bringing people back downtown,” said Hartford Stage Executive Director Cynthia Rider.
Hartford Stage plans to debut its fall slate of plays in-person starting in October, Rider said, but summer theater programs for kids will resume this month.
Pandemic aid can help restart the arts in Hartford but also expand programs like the city’s jazz festival, Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz President Charles Christie said.
“Jazz Fest allows people to connect,” Christie said, proposing to bring homegrown jazz stars back to perform in the city. It’s all about the celebration of this great talent that we have.”
