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The Workshops @ Billings Forge is an exciting new initiative, launched in May 2009, that provides working studio space for five artists in a residency program comprised of three month sessions that rotate four times annually. The five adjacent artist’s studios are situated between Firebox Restaurant and The Farmer’s Market green of Billings Forge, and are accessible from Firebox restaurant and Broad Street.
The Workshops @ Billings Forge provide a unique opportunity for both established local artists, and young artists transitioning from art school into the community, by fostering engagement with the neighborhood and an environment through which to share their artistic vision. The artists of The Workshops program teach art classes through the classes offered at The Studio @ Billings Forge, in exchange for free working studio space. They also participate in programs that include artist’s talks and weekly open studios –all free and open to the public.
Artists serve as catalysts for neighborhood revitalization and economic stimulation. The presence of the artist’s studios and the related programming offered by The Workshops at Billings Forge provide enrichment opportunities for an otherwise disinvested neighborhood community. The mission of The Workshops at Billings Forge serves to retain artists in the city of Hartford; to provide jobs; mentoring opportunities; exhibition space and revenue-generating opportunities to emerging artists; to integrate artists into the Frog Hollow neighborhood and to encouraging an artist’s haven in Hartford.
Billings Forge Community Works (BFCW), located in the Frog Hollow neighborhood of Hartford, is a non-profit organization committed to revitalization in the community. BFCW is repsonsible for the development and management of programs that improve the conditions of poverty, offer a healthy quality of life and provide economic redevelopment opportunities. BFCW programs include The Farmers’ Market @ Billings Forge, The Studio @ Billings Forge, the Residencies @ Billings Forge and the Kitchen @ Billings Forge. At the forefront of the project is the award winning Firebox Restaurant.