Larson Announces $150,000 Federal Grant for iQuilt Project

HARTFORD – Congressman John Larson (CT-01) announced today that a recent National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant of $150,000 has been awarded to the city of Hartford for use in the construction of the iQuilt project.

"The iQuilt project has the potential to revitalize downtown Hartford, returning it to the dominant center of culture that the city once was," Congressman Larson said. "This grant by the NEA will go a long way in helping the state and city finance this ambitious project. I am very happy to have helped the city of Hartford receive this funding and my office will continue to do its part to obtain any grants and federal aid available for this project."

The NEA grants were allocated through the new Our Town program, which fund projects that support the arts as a means to aid communities. After receiving 447 statements of interest during the course of the grant season, the NEA has awarded 51 Our Town grants valued at over $6.5 million.

Mayor Pedro E. Segarra says, "Our City is truly honored to receive this Our Town award. This support continues the positive momentum that iQuilt has established as part of Hartford's One, City, One Plan for conservation and development. This award underscores all the hard work of our partnerships with staff and community leaders, including HartBeat Ensemble. This effort utilizes Arts, Heritage, and Culture as a way to drive the economy, create jobs, knit together our cultural and open space assets, and improve the quality of life for residents and visitors alike."

The iQuilt project is a proposed project that looks to connect Hartford's historical and arts centers by way of a greenway that will stretch from Bushnell Park to the Connecticut River.

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