Mission

The primary mission of ArtEcon Initiative is to support, develop, and produce ongoing, accessible community arts programming for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds in the Westville-West Rock neighborhood of New Haven, CT.

Vision

ArtEcon Initiative's arts and community programming: 1) builds community engagement and strengthens diversity and social cohesion by providing opportunities for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to connect within and across cultures; 2) significantly contributes to the economic stability and vitality of its mixed-use and mixed-income neighborhood.

History

Established in March 2016, ArtEcon Initiative was founded by a small group of neighborhood stakeholders as an outgrowth of ArLoW (ArtLoftsWest), New Haven's only affordable artist housing development, located in the Westville neighborhood.

The ArtEcon Initiative seeks to expand ArLoW's mission by supporting ArLoW residents, tenants, and their neighbors to create programming that enriches the lives of all of our neighbors by bringing art and creative culture into the community.

ArtEcon’s signature program – Westville-West Rock Community Arts Programming – launched in December 2016, and was supported with a Mayor's Neighborhood Cultural Vitality Grant, as well as by over 100 individual supporters.