Our Culture Blueprint: A Working Salon on Our Creative Future

Pull up a chair with Hartford makers, venue heads, and cultural workers to define resource needs and build our creative future together. Our Culture Blueprint: A Working Salon on Our Creative Future Hosted by the City of Hartford’s Office of Arts, Culture & Entertainment Facilitated by Kristianna Smith Hartford’s cultural scene doesn’t just live in lines—it thrives through everyone making, staging, feeding, curating, or funding culture across every corner of this city. To build an ecosystem where creative and cultural work is truly sustainable, City initiatives must reflect the real day-to-day realities of the people doing the work. Our Culture Blueprint is not a lecture or a standard panel. It is an active, roll-up-your-sleeves working salon designed to bring grassroots makers, cultural non-profit leaders, and creative entrepreneurs into the same room with civic decision-makers. Together, we’ll map our immediate resource gaps, dig into infrastructure needs, and shape practical priorities for the City and its partners. Bring your perspective, your pain points, and your vision. We’ll bring lunch and cold drinks. Who Should Be in the Room? If you have a hand in making Hartford vibrant, pull up a chair: Makers & Performers: Visual artists, musicians, actors, dancers, poets, writers, and multidisciplinary creatives. Cultural Organizers & Non-Profits: Executive directors, curators, grassroots organizers, venue managers, and festival producers. Creative Founders & Retailers: Independent culinary creators, coffeehouse hosts, boutique owners, and record/vintage shop curators. Behind-the-Scenes Pros: Stage crew, sound/lighting engineers, creative directors, and event producers. Funders, Allies & Civic Champions: Philanthropists, foundation leaders, and business partners committed to investing in the creative economy. Presented with generous support from Greater Hartford Gives. Flow of the Day 11:30 AM-12:00 PM: Doors Open, Check-In & Coffee 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM: Part 1: The Landscape: Mix, mingle, and free-association mapping around challenges, opportunities, bold dreams, and partnership potential. 12:45 PM – 2:00 PM: Part 2: The Deep Dive: Small breakout huddles organized around core themes to dig into specific structural gaps and actionable solutions. (Lunch served during breakout sessions) 2:00PM – 2:45 PM: Part 3: Synthesis & Action Steps: Led by Kristianna, we bring findings together to build a functional blueprint of to-dos—spanning immediate quick wins, mid-sized initiatives, and long-term civic goals. 2:45 PM – 3:00 PM: Wrap-Up, Break & Travel Time 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM: "The Let Out" Happy Hour: Casual drinks and continued conversation. (Venue TBD) Tickets & Registration Cost: Free admission. RSVP Requirement: Advance registration is required so we can ensure accurate catering and materials counts. If your plans change, please release your ticket so someone on the waitlist can join.