Hartford Exposes Incredible Local Talent Once Again

A magnificent collection of 237 artworks were submitted for the Hartford, Connecticut 26th Annual National Arts Program® Exhibit. All forms of visual arts were represented; from paintings and photographs to sculptures, crafts and textiles.

The awards reception took place on January 28th and more than 350 people went to support the 130 local artists that took part in the exhibition. Five judges had the difficult job of choosing the winning artworks including; JoAnne Bauer, Carlos Hernandez Chavez, Ellis Echevarria, Angela Parker and Ed Johnetta Miller. The judges as well as Lena Rodriguez, the President and CEO of CRT, were on hand at the ceremony to honor the artists.

The awards ceremony was a performance in and of itself, with singers Aja Wilson and Orice Jenkins, pianist Warren Byrd, and live poetry readings by Ekphrastic Poets from The Free Poets Collective who once again created original poems about each of the first place entries.

Coordinator Nancy Shapiro does a terrific job coordinating this huge showcase and is the driving force for its’ ongoing success. Nancy, CRT and the entire Hartford community are no doubt proud of their NAP show as it is a shining example of the artistic talent and creativity that exists among them.