“Did you know Hartford has 17 distinct neighborhoods, 14 of which are residential?” Jason Farquharson asked me as soon as we sit down for coffee. What seems like an odd introduction quickly begins to make sense as I ask Farquharson (pronounced “Far-kuh-sen”) about his life.

Born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut, Farquharson learned the importance of education, family, and community at an early age. His parents, who both immigrated from Jamaica in the 1960s, met and married while living among the close-knit West Indian community in Hartford. They made their home in the city’s Upper Albany neighborhood, where Jason and his older sisters grew up. Upon graduation fromThomas Snell Weaver High School, Farquharson headed to Boston to attend Wentworth Institute of Technology. After two years he returned to complete his studies at the University of Hartford, surrounded by the family and community he loved.

Jason Farquharson, photo by Hector McIntosh, Linkz Media.

Farquharson got a position at JCJ Architecture in Hartford, where he worked on several projects around the State until the market crash in 2008. Laid off, he was forced to reevaluate his path in life. It was around this time he reconnected with an old classmate, La’Mora (Che’) Hardy, who was forming an artist collective called Pro+Cre8. While his practical background in design was a given, Farquharson was not confident enough in his talent to call himself an artist, and so it was with Pro+Cre8 that he learned to own that term, surrounded by other artists who encouraged his interest in photography and other media.

Though he felt a strong calling with art, Farquharson also had a burgeoning desire to give back to the community that had nurtured him. So, he volunteered with Hartford youth at Covenant Preparatory School and at the YMCA (Wilson-Gray Youth and Family Center), serving as a technology mentor for its Young Achievers program. He began to speak out on Facebook about the challenges Hartford faced in terms of government funding and education. He connected with a friend who worked at City Hall, who told him about Hartford Decides, an organization that promotes participatory budgeting by Hartford residents. Intrigued, Farquharson attended brainstorming meetings to come up with ideas for a public vote.

Marrying his two passions of art and community engagement, Farquharson advocated for a public art project that would create a mural in each of Hartford’s 14 residential neighborhoods. Using the huge paintings that are splashed across buildings in cities like Boston and Philadelphia as examples, he introduced Hartford Paint the City in 2015 for consideration. It beat out 200 other projects to become one of five finalists, and after a favorable public vote, Farquharson was awarded $122,800 to launch the project.

Mural by Damien Mitchell at Metzner Early Learning and Rec Center, Hartford Paint the City. Photo by Cody Burgess.

Hartford Decides provided resources and volunteers like Cynthia Bulaong—who coordinates Open Studio Hartford—to help Farquharson organize the initiative and meet with community members to ensure they would like the art. In his call for artists, Farquharson received over 100 submissions from as near as Hartford and as far away as Germany, Russia, Canada, Thailand, and the Dominican Republic. He decided that because the community voted to fund his project, he would also have it vote on the artists who would add vibrancy to their neighborhoods. He solicited the input of residents age 13 years and older to foster a spirit of civic engagement among youth.

Fast forward to this past November. The first mural—depicting mystical fey-like creatures—had just been completed on the Mckinney Shelter in the Charter Oak neighborhood that morning. The second mural, of a smiling child, has since been installed in the South End at the Metzner Early Learning & Rec Center. The remaining murals will be completed in 2018 when the weather warms up, perhaps paired with community painting days and other public events. Farquharson stresses that the driving force behind this project is a desire to keep the community engaged and give kids hope: “I want to change the way people think about Hartford by changing the way they see Hartford,” he says.

When I asked him what was next, he mentioned the $100 million renovation project currently underway at his alma mater, Weaver High School. Everyone in Hartford knows about the plan to return Weaver to a comprehensive facility that will serve all city students who are currently spread across the city in neighborhood schools—the idea being the reorganization will provide the city’s youth with the feeling of an inclusive community school. But what they might not know is that, ironically, a guy named Jason who loves to promote individual neighborhood identity is working with Hartford Public Schools to ensure that the new integrated educational structure will serve future students well. “My goal is to make Weaver High School 10,000 times better than when I went there,” he smiles.

Jason Farquharson – Artist, Youth Mentor, Community Advocate, Hartford Paint the City
Hartford, Connecticut
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Top image: Mural by Yu-baba at Mckinney Shelter in Hartford. Photo by Yu-baba.

The post Hartford’s Mural Man appeared first on Take Magazine.

Hartford to New Haven. New Haven to New York. New York to Boston. Boston to New Haven. New Haven to Hartford. What looks like a typical split-flap display in a train station is the actual working schedule of actress, comedienne, and dancer Carolyn Paine—whose oeuvre is a perfect storm of zany creativity, razor-sharp wit, and boundless energy.

What sets Paine apart is not that she has trained around the world with the likes of the Boston Ballet and the Academie de Danse Classique in Monaco. Nor is it that she is always on her toes, performing in huge productions like ABC’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. It’s not even that she has appeared on TV, on the pages of Vogue and Glamour, and in numerous showcases in Boston, Chicago, and New York City. What makes Paine unique is her love for Hartford and the fact she keeps the city as her home base, pouring her blood, sweat, and tears into the local tapestry of arts and culture.

A Boston native and graduate of the University of Hartford, Paine lives on the second floor of a charming turn-of-the-century Queen Anne in Hartford’s historic West End—a neighborhood that is equal parts quaint, bohemian, and gritty. Her apartment is a glorious hodge-podge of stunning flea market flips, cherished family heirlooms, and beloved relics from her career as a performer. The home serves as a stopover for Paine as she travels coast to coast, and all around New England and the tri-state area for stand-up gigs, filming and commercial shoots, and performances—including those with her dance company, CONNetic Dance.

Carolyn Paine, Photo by Bill Morgan

“Hartford’s Ballet Hipsters,” as CONNetic has been called, is an interesting medley of dancers who are classically-trained, street-trained, and self-taught. The company’s repertoire is unique, pairing traditional technique with athletic choreography. Paine and her troupe are involved in myriad projects, and even partner with Hartford’s public schools to offer enrichment programs to students. But this time of year Paine can be found producing and directing CONNetic’s signature (and biggest) production: The Nutcracker Suite & Spicy.

Carolyn Paine, Nutcracker Suite & Spicy. Photo by Bill Morgan.

Now in its eighth year, Suite & Spicy has struck a chord with the community. The diverse cast—many of whom have been with the production since its early days—truly represents the urban culture of Hartford. Says Paine, “I am proud to have created a show that not only reflects the amazing complexity of the city around me, it affords my neighbors the opportunity to see a dynamic, professional dance production in their own backyard rather than having to travel far from home, especially during the holidays.”

Carolyn Paine, Photo by Bill Morgan

Though Paine’s typical week involves no fewer than three trips out of Hartford, she does relish her chosen home, and there are some quiet moments. The market up the street has “the best falafel and gummy bears in the state.” The nearest coffee joint also serves as a favorite Happy Hour spot. And the vine-covered backyard patio Carolyn and her roommate and fellow dancer/model Alex Zarlengo have cultivated over the past few years is now a coveted spot for after-hours conversations and even outdoor film screenings for their friends.

I once asked Paine why she lived in Hartford, with all of the engagements she has in other cities. She looked at me as though I had three heads. “It’s home.”

Carolyn Paine–Actress, comedienne, dancer, founder of CONNecticdance
Hartford, Connecticut
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CONNecticdance
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Top image: Carolyn Paine. Photo by Bill Morgan

The post Suite & Spicy appeared first on Take Magazine.