Middletown Among 20 Connecticut Cities Awarded $500K ArtsPlace Grant

Middletown is among a group of 20 cities across Connecticut awarded the nation's second largest creative place-making grant from ArtPlace America in a first-of-its-kind state program that seeks to fill vacant storefronts with artist-owned businesses.

Connecticut's Department of Economic & Community Development was awarded $500,000 for its CreateHereNowCT project, based on Bridgeport's highly successful Arcade & Main Street Storefronts.

Middletown Arts Coordinator Stephan Allison applied for the grant on behalf of the city. He says each city must secure matching funds.

Towns are: Bridgeport, Brookfield, Fairfield, Hartford, Milford, Meriden, Middletown, New Haven, New Britain, New London, New Milford, Norwalk, Norwich, South Windsor.Torrington, Waterbury, West Haven, Winchester, Windham and Westport.

The idea, according to CreateHereNowCT, is to promote  the creation and growth of businesses and sustainable place-making initiatives by fostering cooperative partnerships among municipalities, artists, entrepreneurs and property owners. Eligible artist-entrepreneurs are given three months of free rent for applicants who were accepted, $500 in start-up funds, and small business workshops.

Bridgeport's Arcade & Main Street Storefronts recently opened downtown are home to the artist-owned businesses Made in Bridgeport, Marroquin Ruben Weaving Workshop, Paradox Ink, Park City Desktop and Magnacon 7.

The 18-month project will begin in July and run through 2014.

To apply for space, see www.createherenow.org.

ArtPlace America awarded a total of $15.2 million to 54 projects using the arts to transform 44 communities (and a statewide project in the state of Connecticut).

ArtPlace America is a collaboration of leading national and regional foundations, banks and federal agencies committed to accelerating creative place-making — using art to revitalize business communities. 

The grants support:

• Bringing new life to rural communities 
• Helping communities imagine new futures 
• Activating public space 
• Integrating art and design into creative city-making 
• Connecting and animating communities 
• Creating new anchor institutions 
• Sparking redevelopment 
• Providing artists housing and workspace 
• Strengthening business and the economy 
• Developing civic brand stories 
• Stretching established cultural institutions

The 54 organizations that received grants were selected from more than 1,200 applications. Grant amounts range from $750,000 to $33,000 with an average grant size of just over $280,000. 

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