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

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, that promotes the art and culture of the

African diaspora The African diaspora is the worldwide collection of communities descended from List of ethnic groups of Africa, people from Africa. The term most commonly refers to the descendants of the native West Africa, West and Central Africans who were ...

. It was founded in 1970 by alto saxophonist, composer, educator and community activist

Jackie McLean John Lenwood McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator. He is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their death. Bio ...

, 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 Kat ...

, and co-founders bassist

Paul Brown Paul Eugene Brown (September 7, 1908 – August 5, 1991) was an American American football, football coach and executive in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), the National Football League (NFL), and the American Football League (AFL). ...

, 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 Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

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 Erik Ki La Salle (born July 23, 1962), professionally known as Eriq La Salle, is an American actor, director, writer and producer. La Salle is known for his performance as Dr. Peter Benton in the NBC medical drama '' ER'' (1994–2002; 2008 ...

Tony Todd Anthony Tiran Todd (December 4, 1954 – November 6, 2024) was an American actor known for his distinctly deep and gravelly voice. He amassed several credits on screen and in video games since the 1980s, including the Candyman (character), titl ...

and

Anika Noni Rose Anika Noni Rose (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress. She is best known for voicing Tiana (The Princess and the Frog), Tiana in ''The Princess and the Frog'' (2009). She was named a Disney Legends, Disney Legend in 2011. Rose starred ...

; drummer

Cindy Blackman Cindy Blackman (born November 18, 1959), known as Cindy Blackman Santana since she married guitarist Carlos Santana in 2010, is an American jazz and Rock music, rock drummer performing since the 80s. Blackman has recorded several jazz albums as ...

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