The Artists Collective, Inc. is an interdisciplinary cultural institution in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, that promotes the art and culture of the

African diaspora The African diaspora is the worldwide collection of communities descended from native Africans or people from Africa, predominantly in the Americas. The term most commonly refers to the descendants of the West and Central Africans who were e ...

. It was founded in 1970 by alto saxophonist, composer, educator and community activist Jackie McLean, his wife, actress and dancer

Dollie McLean Clarice "Dollie" McLean (born 1936) is founding executive director of the Artists Collective, Inc. of Hartford, Connecticut. McLean, born Clarice Helene Simmons in Antigua, West Indies, was raised in Manhattan, New York. She studied dance under Kath ...

, and co-founders bassist Paul Brown, dancer Cheryl Smith, and visual artist Ionis Martin. The Artists Collective provides year-round professional training classes in dance, theater, music, and visual arts to more than 1,000 students annually. The McLeans' vision was to create a safe haven for at-risk youth as an alternative to the violence of the streets, teen pregnancy, gang and criminal activity. The Artists Collective has been cited by Harvard University as one of six exemplary community arts centers in the nation and has received numerous awards on the state and national level for its work with youth and their families, including the 2010 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award presented by former First Lady, Michelle Obama."First Lady Michelle Obama Honors The Artists Collective", Upper Albany Main Street, 29 October 2011.
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Notable alumni

Famous alumni include: actors Eriq La Salle,

Tony Todd Tony Todd (born December 4, 1954) is an American actor who made his debut as Sgt. Warren in the film ''Platoon'' (1986), and portrayed Kurn in the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1990–1991) and '' Star Trek: Deep Space Ni ...

and Anika Noni Rose; drummer

Cindy Blackman Cindy Blackman Santana (born November 18, 1959), sometimes known as Cindy Blackman, is an American jazz and rock drummer. Blackman has recorded several jazz albums as a bandleader and has performed with Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Simmons, Ron Carter ...

and tenor saxophonist Jimmy Greene, to name a few.

References

Website

Artists Collective Inc.
American artist groups and collectives Organizations based in Hartford, Connecticut Arts organizations established in 1970 1970 establishments in Connecticut {{US-arts-org-stub