iQUILT ON NBC CONNECTICUT

View more videos at: http://nbcconnecticut.com.

This short video says that The iQuilt Plan "may make a big difference without the big price tag."

OP-ED IN THE HARTFORD COURANT

Doug Suisman of Suisman Urban Design, the design firm leading the iQuilt Plan effort, has written an Op Ed piece for this Sunday's Hartford Courant.  "Hartford Revival: It’s iQuilt, Not I-Quit” presents the Plan as an opportunity for Hartford to complete the transformation it started 12 years ago with Riverfront Recapture.

“Thriving cities are in a constant process of transformation. If they don't grow and change, they wither. From the opening of Riverfront in 1999, Hartford is 12 years into a 35-year transformation. By the time of its 400th birthday in 2035, I believe it will be one the most culturally vibrant small cities in the country. Why not? With the public behind it, the iQuilt plan can help write the next chapter that we all would love to see.”

Read more here. 

THE HARTFORD NEWS COVERS THE iQUILT

Can iQuilt Turn Hartford Around?  Andy Hart asks this question in his latest article on The Hartford News.  Take a look at the article here.

THE COURANT'S RICK GREEN ON THE iQUILT

"Bite-size, affordable pieces that add up to a changed city" is at the heart of the iQuilt and  Rick Green's latest article on courant.com entitled "Hartford's iQuilt - A Big Idea Where Somebody Needs To Step Up."  Take a look.

COURANT EDITORIAL COVERS iQUILT AND BUILDINGS

The Courant editorial board encourages everyone to think about filling empty buildings downtown as a key goal of the iQuilt Plan. Buildings Are Major Piece of Hartford Revival

HARTFORD BUSINESS JOURNAL ON iQUILT

The Hartford Business Journal says that the iQuilt Plan is moving from planning towards implementation:  iQuilt Moves Beyond Planning

THE iQUILT ON ONLINE NEWS.TV

Adam Chiara, a reporter for the CT LocalOnlineNews.TV has put together a great news piece on the iQuilt project titled "The iQuilt Plan To Redesign Downtown Hartford"  which includes some clips from the recent public forum.  Take a look at the video here.

You can follow Adam Chiara's work at:

Facebook  www.facebook.com/AdamChiara 

Twitter  www.twitter.com/AdamChiara 

PUBLIC FORUM SEPTEMBER 27TH AND 28TH AT THE LIBRARY

Please join us at the Public Library to have a look at the iQuilt Plan’s progress as the design concepts are being refined and prepared for completion by the end of the year.  Two dates have been made available for your convenience where the design team will be presenting the plan to the community (Tuesday, September 27th from 3:30-5:00pm and Wednesday, September 28th from 5:30-7:30pm).  The team would like to invite you to comment on the final design concepts for the various project areas including the Bushnell Park Renovation Plan and the GreenWalk Master Plan.  Please download the invite here.  We look forward to seeing you there!

NEA AWARDS 150K TO iQUILT PHASE 3

The National endowment for the Arts awards the iQuilt Plan with $150,000 to support the third phase of the iQuilt project, an arts-based economic development plan designed to capitalize on Hartford's unique heritage and cultural assets. Phase Three includes the design of Bushnell Park North and the inauguration of the Hartford Innovations Festival, an event honoring the wealth of cultural and technological innovations that have origins in Hartford.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced the inaugural round of "Our Town" funding, totaling $6.575 million in grants to 51 communities in 34 states that have created public-private partnerships to strengthen the arts while shaping the social, physical, and economic characters of their neighborhoods, towns, cities, and regions. NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman made the announcement during an online press conference. 

NEA - Our Town Page

iQUILT ON FACE THE STATE

iQuilt on WFSB Dennis House's Face the State (Part 1 of 2)

iQuilt on WFSB Dennis House's Face the State (Part 2 of 2)

EXTENSIVE MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE iQUILT PLAN UPDATE

During the week of the June public forum on the latest update of the iQuilt Plan, interest in the media was strong. Here are links to some of the interviews and articles that appeared in the Hartford media during or after the forum.

CHANNEL 3's DENNIS HOUSE AND FACE THE STATE: Inquiring About iQuilt

COURANT'S KEN GOSSELIN: Downtown Hartford'd iQuilt Plan: A Park From State Capitol To The River

COURANT'S RICK GREEN: iQuilt, GreenWalk Signs of Life In Hartford

FOX CT: iQuilt Plan for Downtown Hartford

FOX'S STAN SIMPSON SHOW: The iQuilt Plan

COURANT'S DAN HAAR: Downtown Hartford's New Vision Faces Old Challenges

COURANT PHOTO GALLERY

HARTFORD BUSINESS JOURNAL: "Bringing Hartford Together" 

Fox Connecticut's Television Coverage:

Fox's The Stan Simpson Show:

iQUILT DESIGN OPTIONS PRESENTED AT PUBLIC FORUM

As the year-long process of the iQuilt's second phase reached the mid-way point, the iQuilt design team presented a series of options for various pieces of the project in a public forum held at the Public Library this past Tuesday, June 14. As at the previous forum and workshops in March, attendance by the community was strong, with more than 200 people in the audience. Some of the options presented to the public focused on variations to the Bushnell Park Restoration Plan and Bushnell Gate and Gardens.

HARTFORD FOUNDATION GRANTS $400k TO THE iQUILT

From the Hartford Courant:  

iQuilt just got a megaboost.

The  arts-based development plan to link Hartford's cultural institutions with pedestrian and bicycling routes running from Bushnell Park to the Connecticut River received a $400,000 grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

The grant will be awarded over three years to complete the design and to provide start-up support.

The iQuilt area would consist of a half-mile square area bounded by Buckingham/Charter Oak Avenue, I-84, the Connecticut River and the Capitol. Almost all the key cultural destinations within the quilt, including the Capitol, Bushnell Park, The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford Stage Company, the Old State House, and the new Connecticut Science Center, are within a 15-minute walk of each other.

"The pathways would make it enjoyable to walk from one cultural site to another with offerings such as public art, education and entertainment activities, vendors and small parks," according to a press release.

Partners in the iQuilt project are the Greater Hartford Arts Council, City of Hartford, MetroHartford Alliance, Metropolitan District Commission, Greater Hartford Business Improvement District, Bushnell Park Foundation, State of Connecticut; and Bushnell Memorial Hall Corporation, which serves as fiscal agent.

Hartford Courant article

Hartford Foundation press release

THE iQUILT GOES WALL-TO-WALL IN TEXAS

Doug Suisman, who is leading the design team for Hartford's iQuilt Plan, will present the city's culture-based urban design plan to an audience of museum administrators from around the country when the American Association of Museums (AAM) convenes for its annual conference on May 23-26 in Houston. Suisman has organized a panel called "Wall-to-Wall: Connecting Cultural Assets in Hartford, Houston and Pittsburgh." He explained, "museums across the country are breaking out of their walls to connect with their urban environments and other cultural institutions - the panel is designed for museum leaders and staff of urban museums who are looking for both inspiration and practical steps for going 'wall-to-wall': moving beyond their traditional boundaries to connect physically with the surrounding environment and with other cultural institutions." The session will showcase three innovative cultural districts where museums have been leaders in forging the physical and institution links: host city Houston's Museum District, Pittsburghʼs Charm Bracelet, and Hartfordʼs iQuilt. The three case studies offer a range of scales, strategies, and lessons for success.