Program Directors: Maryland Grier, ICR; Allen Hoffman, Connecticut Commission on the Arts
Funders: Connecticut Commission on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, Waterbury Foundation
Project Dates: 1992-ongoing
Partners: Connecticut Commission on the Arts (CCA)

Program Details
The Urban Artists Initiative uses a number of strategies to accomplish its goals. Site coordinators conduct fieldwork in target cities to seek out local emerging artists and organizations. This includes talking with community members, visiting churches, service agencies, housing projects, social clubs, schools and local cultural organizations, as well as less-public locations to learn about working artists unrecognized by the larger community. The program targets artists and organizations who often do not have access to traditional arts-related resources, and encourages them to apply to the program. A panel of artists, administrators and social scientists screens applications and selects participants. The program begins with an intensive 16-week, college-level training course in marketing, budgeting, fundraising, contract negotiation, grantsmanship, time management and administration, planning, community collaborations, and advocacy. This training is aimed at providing participants with the business skills necessary to work as professional artists or to manage an arts organization. Following the training, participants are given continuing education opportunities, such as quarterly convenings with other participants and arts leaders, residencies and school-based teaching opportunities, and access to local, regional and national conferences. Modest grants provide participants with the resources to implement some of the marketing and business skills learned in the training, or to purchase equipment and supplies.

An important goal of the program is to embed the work of artists within the communities in which they reside and to enhance the cultural vitality of life in Connecticut. To this end, program staff work with community-based organizations, schools and other institutions to provide residencies for artists to share their talent and skills with other community members. A biennial UAI conference also fosters cross-city networking, providing artists and organizations with presentation opportunities to new audiences from around the state, and to hear from nationally-recognized artists and arts leaders.

Additionally, the program seeks to expand education and networking opportunities for emerging artists. The mentorship component of the program matches participants with other professional artists or arts administrators who help them in their professional development, and organizational capacity-building. These experienced artists and administrators provide advice, feedback, support and contacts.