Arts-Integrated Education

Each year, The Bushnell Education team supports and cultivation of young performing artists and engages thousands of students through an array of creative classroom activities and digital learning applications. 

Access for All

Established in 1979, The Bushnell’s Passport to the Arts Fund ensures all individuals—especially those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by socioeconomic factors, physical or other disabilities—can participate in richly diverse and personally relevant arts experiences and programs. Through donor generosity, the fund allows The Bushnell to distribute free or deeply reduced tickets to key community groups and cultural organizations.

Community Engagement

On and off stage, The Bushnell is fully committed to making the arts a vital part of the community and the daily lives of the people we serve. We foster communal engagement through arts-based free events like Family Fun Day, block parties, and in-school activities—bridging generations, languages, and economic backgrounds to unite Connecticut’s diverse communities. 

A Vibrant Neighborhood

The Bushnell believes in the role of arts organizations as placemakers, and works with partners from public, private, non-profit, and community sectors to reshape the physical and social character of Hartford, developing a plan that animates public and private spaces, rejuvenates streetscapes, and improves local business viability and public safety. Our vision imagines a green, vibrant, and walkable neighborhood replete with hundreds of new residences, cafés, restaurants, art venues and a variety of arts-related businesses.