HPL Blogs

Christmas was Richard Welling’s favorite time of the year, and just in time for the holiday, the Hartford History Center at Hartford Public Library has received a generous gift from the late Hartford artist’s family.

Welling, who died in 2009, chronicled Hartford’s changing skyline for decades in well-known pen-and-ink line drawings and became the city’s unofficial artist-historian. In some instances, he was hired by developers to sketch buildings under construction.

His daughters Debrah Welling and Lisa Welling Riss recently donated dozens of his works including line drawings, lino block prints and previously unpublished writings that chronicle his schooling in West Hartford, his military service as a teenager during World War II and his career as an artist. The items will be catalogued and added to the Hartford History Center’s existing online Richard Welling Collection.

“Richard Welling brought to all of us a line that was uniquely graceful and clear, innovative and evocative,” said Brenda Miller, executive director of culture and communication and head of the Hartford History Center. “He did more than just preserve the image of a place, he captured the essence of that place and then he shared it with all who viewed his work. To make his art available for public research here in the Library’s Hartford History Center helps us to further document a period of great change in this city’s-built environment, and we find that invaluable.”

Debrah Welling said the family went to some length to sort through thousands of works their father left behind when he died, spending hours in his studio/apartment in Hartford sorting through boxes and portfolios.

“We felt it was our obligation to protect the legacy of his work, and it’s quite a record of a time period,” she said of the family’s efforts to preserve his drawings by donating them to institutions like the Hartford Public Library where they can be digitized and made available for public viewing. “He wasn’t a painter, he made drawings, they were of buildings and cities and they have historical value.”

She said her father’s interest in drawing buildings stemmed from his love of mechanical things and understanding how the world around him worked.

“I’ve always been a sucker for construction work,” he told The Hartford Courant in 1985. “I can look at it for hours. This way, I get paid for it.”

Black-and-white line drawings also made sense for the artist, since he was born colorblind, Debrah Welling said.

Welling’s work also included scenes of demolition of historic buildings to make way for the new construction, and he told reporters that he was forced to relocate his Hartford studio four times as the buildings he worked out of were faced with the wrecking ball.

“He joked that when Welling moves in they know the building is going to come down,” Debrah Welling said.

While the majority of his drawings were in Hartford, he also traveled to New York City, where he had studied at the world-renowned Parsons School of Design, and drew scenes there. After 9/11, he donated drawings of the construction of the twin towers at the World Trade Center to the New York Historical Society.

But Debrah Welling said her father never strayed too far from Hartford. He loved the city where he had spent his life, and a fear of flying meant he never traveled overseas, except as a soldier in World War II, where he was transported there and back on a troop ship.

In addition to his drawings, Welling wrote several books on artistic techniques and taught drawing classes to youths in Greater Hartford, some of whom went on to have careers in art or architecture.

His love of Christmas, his daughter said, was just one of his eccentricities. He would decorate his apartment/studio with an abundance of holiday lights that remained there yearround and spent all year long ordering gifts to distribute around the holiday. An artificial Christmas tree remained up all year too.

“He was an individual and he had a definite artistic sensibility and a playfulness too,” Debrah Welling said.

See below for a sampling of some of the works that were recently donated to the Hartford History Center.

Last year was particularly disorienting for youth in Greater Hartford as COVID-19 forced them to abandon their classrooms for online learning and important milestones like proms, birthday parties and graduations had to be postponed.

And the summer brought social justice protests that put a spotlight on racial inequality in Connecticut and across the country.

With those themes as the backdrop, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving last year asked students throughout the region to submit works that captured their thoughts and emotions in the time of pandemic and protest. That call culminated in the Art in Action: Young Artists’ Vision of 2020 touring exhibition which made its last stop at Hartford Public Library’s Downtown Library, with a closing reception held Thursday, Dec. 14.

Here is a sampling of the artists’ work, as well as statements they submitted to accompany them:

For more information about the artists, or to get a closer look at their work, click here.

By Tricia Haggerty Wenz

Ana Alfaro is a local television host, a coordinator of volunteers for Eversource Energy and gives back to her Hartford community in so many ways, including serving on the Hartford Public Library Board of Directors.

She was recently selected as a “Frog Hollow Hero” and was featured on a mural in her neighborhood as part of a project by the Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (SINA).

Congratulations on your mural!

It is the ultimate honor for me and I still can’t believe it! Driving by and seeing my face? Oh my gosh!  The volunteers and artists did a fantastic job.  I am so grateful to SINA  and I hope this project continues and we can honor more unsung heroes in our community doing important work in Frog Hollow.

Tell me about your path to Hartford.

I was born in Honduras and then came to the Bronx with my family when I was 13. Many years ago, Hartford began a campaign to recruit Latino police officers. A number of my family members applied and became police officers. We moved up here for that opportunity and I never looked back.

How did you adjust to your new world in Hartford?

When I moved to Hartford, I discovered NBC Channel 30 — Adelante Spanish TV show.   It was through that station and television show  that I learned about all that was happening within the Latino community. It was not only a source for opportunities and resources for me, it was also a source of ways to give back to the community.  The station opened my eyes to volunteerism and I began getting involved with more and more groups. Eventually I realized that hosting a TV show is something I can do as well. And so, I began my own TV show. And now “El Show de Analeh” is in its 15th year.

I am not sure there is a bigger champion of giving back to the community than you. You have volunteered for countless organizations in Hartford.

For me it is like an addiction – a good addiction! And in some ways and extension of my family.  It is humbling to see the difference you can make sometime with just giving a few hours to an organization and the community. Our most recent toy drive distributed 500 toys to community agencies serving children and teens.  The mission of the Analeh Annual Holiday Toy Drive is to bring Christmas joy to children and it was accomplished thanks to the generosity of so many donors, toy recipient agencies, all the volunteers and the community.

You played such a big role in making the new Park Street Library @ the Lyric happen.

This was a project of more than 30 years in the making.  A group of us have been wanting to see that happen for so long. It is a transformative project for the Library, Park Street and the entire community. I am so happy to see that dream come to life.

Part of your volunteer works include being a board member to the Hartford Public Library. How do you see the Library serving the Latino community?

“The Library is so much more than books and can be life-changing for people in our Latino community – especially when it comes to our health and preventive topics around health. I am especially proud of the work the library does around immigration and supporting immigrants through classes like ESL and many other resources. The Library is a one-stop shop and has helped so many people move forward. “

“A place like no other. That is so true.”

Please join us tonight to watch Beyond Words, the Hartford Public Library’s annual fundraising event, live from the Hartford Marriott Downtown.

The event is being broadcast in partnership with HPATV and the stream will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a 30-minute prerecorded program. The live program from the Marriott will begin around 7 p.m.

Beyond Words can be viewed on the following platforms:

Hartford Public Library Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/HartfordPublicLibrary
Please join us here if you’d like to follow along and comment from home

Hartford Public Access Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/hartfordpublicaccess/

HPATV.org:
www.hpatv.org/educational-channel-95

The featured speaker will be Christopher T. Brown, HPL Albany Branch and Community Hub Manager, who will show a behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of his upcoming film “Thoughts are Things,” a story about the power of libraries.

The program will also be carried live on television on HPATV’s Comcast Xfinity Cable TV EDU Channel 95 and Frontier Cable TV EDU Channel 6031. HPATV is also available on the Roku TV, Apple TV and Amazon TV apps.

For those who miss the live presentation, the program will be available for repeat viewing on the Hartford Public Library Facebook and YouTube channels, and will also be rebroadcast on HPATV’s Educational Channel.

To support Beyond Words and all the work the Hartford Public Library does each day, click here.

Hartford Public Library is partnerning with the Hartford Land Bank on a new program to train city residents to redevelop blighted homes in their neighborhoods.

The first cohort of 20 would-be developers will begin an intensive, two-week training program on Saturday, Dec. 4, at the new Park Street Library @ the Lyric. Free child care and food will be provided. The goal is to give residents the skills they need — as well as special financing — to rehab homes across that city that have fallen into disrepair and have been acquired by the Hartford Land Bank.

“We are happy to be able to host this program in collaboration with the Hartford Land Bank and support their efforts to boost home ownership in the City of Hartford,” said Hartford Public Library President and CEO Bridget E. Quinn. “When we embarked on plans for an expanded library on Park Street it is exactly programs like this that we hoped to offer to the community.”

Registrations for the first cohort have closed but the goal is to host additional training sessions in the future. There are no formal requirements to participate, and past criminal convictions are not a barrier to apply, but the land bank is looking for residents with construction skills or those with business aptitude and plans to partner the two types of individuals to form small development groups. The organization has received a $1 million commitment from the Hartford Community Loan Fund to provide low-interest loans to the cohort graduates to help them finance the renovations.

“This is a real opportunity to build wealth among our city’s residents while redeveloping blighted properties,” said Hartford Land Bank Chief Executive Officer Arunan Arulampalam, who is also a member of the Hartford Public Library Board of Directors. “We have faith that those who live in Hartford are our best asset in rebuilding our neighborhoods.”

The Hartford Land Bank is a nonprofit and the first organization of its kind in Connecticut. Its goal is to acquire blighted and tax-delinquent properties and prepare them for restoration by a community-based developer in an effort to create new affordable housing and boost home ownership in Hartford. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, fewer than 25% of homes in Hartford are owner occupied.

About 300 Hartford residents submitted applications for the first round of training, said Yahaira Escribano, the finance and programs officer for the Hartford Land Bank. Selecting the 20 finalists for the cohort was “pretty tough,” she said. “All the applications were amazing.”

Escribano said the training program hopes to build generational wealth among Hartford families by offering them opportunities to own a home that will grow in value.

“It’s Hartford residents revitalizing the community for Hartford residents,” she said. “We want to create a pipeline for Hartford developers.”

For more information visit www.hartfordlandbank.org and register for emails to learn when the next session will be offered.

Hartford Public Library will expand hours of operation across its branches in January, including opening the Downtown Library on Main Street on Sunday afternoons.

Branches that were previously open two days a week will open an additional weekday, and the Sunday hours Downtown coincide with the return of the popular Baby Grand Jazz concert series, which will have a limited in-person audience in addition to being available for online viewing. In total, the changes will add 34 hours of service each week across the library system.

“We are pleased to be able to once again expand our hours of operation and to open our branch libraries an additional day each week,” said Hartford Public Library President and CEO Bridget E. Quin. “We know our customers like the convenience of their neighborhood branches and we hope the extra hours make it easier for them to find time to visit.”

The new schedule, effective Jan. 2, 2022, is as follows:

Albany Library
1250 Albany Ave., Hartford, CT 06112
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Fridays: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Barbour Library
261 Barbour St., Hartford, CT 06120
Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Connecticut Foodshare distributions will be held the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Camp Field Library
30 Campfield Ave., Hartford, CT 06114
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Fridays: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Downtown Library
500 Main St., Hartford, CT 06103
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Fridays: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturdays: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sundays: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Dwight Library
7 New Park Ave., Hartford, CT 06106
Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Park Street Library @ the Lyric
603 Park St., Hartford, CT 06106
Mondays and Wednesdays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Fridays: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Ropkins Library and the Boundless Library @ Rawson will remain closed to the public.

Hartford Public Library’s Downtown location reopened to in-person visits in July 2020 after a four-month closure due to COVID-19. Branches reopened in May and July of this year. Masks are required in all Hartford Public Library locations.

By Tricia Haggerty Wenz

“A public library is the most enduring of memorials, the trustiest monument for the preservation of an event or a name or an affection; for it, and it only, is respected by wars and revolutions, and survives them.” — Mark Twain

In 1977, when I was in the 2nd grade, I spent an extended period of time at home recovering from surgery. I remember feeling bored and sad until one day my mom handed me an abridged version of Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. It was in that moment and that book that I began my lifelong love of reading and discovered the unique voice of Mark Twain. It led me down the road of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

But I left Twain right there, in my childhood for many, many years.

Until about five years ago. Looking for a thin and light book to pack for a vacation I grabbed Twain’s The Diaries of Adam & Eve.

What can I say, he had me from the first page. He combined his familiar humor with a thoughtfulness that said so much about the state of marriage and gender roles. Somehow this book that was written in 1904 about the first man and woman transcends time and can speak to us today about companionship and gender equality.

If you are like me and it has been a while since you spent time with Mark Twain, I encourage you to go back and discover his books and his wisdom once again. It would be a great way to celebrate his birthday and the vital role he plays in our history.

P.S. Want to read The Diaries of Adam & Eve? You can find it HERE.

Through a partnership with CVS Health and Bank of America, Hartford Public Library is offering no-cost flu shot vouchers this winter at all of its library locations.

The effort comes as public health officials have warned against a “twindemic” of COVID-19 and influenza and have encouraged residents not to delay in getting their flu shots. Last flu season was uncharacteristically mild in terms of total reported cases, but officials warn that those numbers could rebound this year as coronavirus restrictions including mask requirements and social distancing have been lifted and businesses and schools have reopened.

“We are pleased to partner with CVS Health and Bank of America to provide the community with vouchers for free flu shots this winter,” Hartford Public Library President and CEO Bridget E. Quinn said. “As we resume in-person programming we want to see all of our customers happy and healthy at the library.”

The vouchers can be redeemed at any CVS Pharmacy or MinuteClinic location. Children under 3 must schedule an appointment for their vaccine by calling 1-866-389-2727.

“Supporting flu prevention in underserved communities is so important,” said CVS Health Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy Eileen Howard Boone. “Through our work with Bank of America, we are focusing on expanding our reach to individuals who may not otherwise have access to flu vaccines.”

By Tricia Haggerty Wenz

New Britain artist Wladyslaw Prosol will be the first featured artist of ArtWalk’s 2021-22 season and his exhibition, “Portrait of a Picture,” opens Friday, Nov. 5, with a reception from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Below is an interview with Prosol ahead of the show where he discusses his background and how he approaches his art.

You are an architect and an artist. Where did it all begin? And what came first?

I was born in Poland to very caring parents. From the time I was a young boy I knew I was an artist in my soul. My parents were worried about my ability to make a living as an artist and encouraged me to go to architectural school. However, the wonderful thing about going to school to be an architect is you spend a lot of time learning to draw and using watercolors.

I came to America in 1989 and began my studies of American abstract expressionism art.

How did studying the work of American expressionism influence your own practice?

It was through my study, really my obsession, that I found my voice as a painter. I do not see myself as a European artist, rather through my studies I see my art as being strongly influenced by American expressionist artists.

What did you learn?

Once you begin studying the art you realize that American post-war art is so unique and so powerful you cannot resist it. The power of the communication with this art is so overwhelming that I became swept up in it.

Tell me about your art practice.

You know I did not paint for 20 years? I was so immersed in my work as an architect that I did not even pick up a paintbrush for my own art. Then one day I ran into a friend of mine and he asked me about my art and wanted to know when he could see it. I told him next year, then next year became the following year, and that became 10 years … then more. Finally three years ago, I dropped everything else and began painting. I started painted larger and larger and painted more and more, ’till I created a body of work I now feel comfortable exhibiting and sharing with an audience.

What is next for you?

I will continue to find my authentic voice in my paintings. Process and composition details don’t matter to me. What matters is taking what I conceive deep within my imagination and finding a way to getting that on to the canvas. There is a sacred connection between the imagination and the end of a paintbrush.

I like to keep my work childish. Through pure curiosity, focus, and concentration I can make what I dream come alive on the canvas.

Read more about this season’s ArtWalk artists by clicking here.

Hartford Public Library is pleased to announce that Julia Conversano of Tarzana, California, is the 2021 recipient of the Caroline M. Hewins Scholarship, given to promising library school students who intend to become children’s librarians.

Julia, who has volunteered and interned with the Los Angeles Public Library, is pursuing her Master of Library and Information Science degree at the University of California, Los Angeles, and expects to graduate in 2022. She was enrolled in medical school and planning to become a neurosurgeon before switching her career focus to libraries.

“I am impressed by Julia’s commitment to her community and particularly her work with children with disabilities and her goal to create more inclusive library programming for that population,” said HPL president and CEO Bridget E. Quinn. “As a former children’s librarian I know how rewarding the work can be and wish her well as she embarks on her new career.”

At UCLA, Julia is vice chair of the Young Adult & Children Services organization for MLIS students. She is also a member of both the American Library Association, the California Library Association and a longtime volunteer at The Painted Turtle camp for children and teens with chronic lifelong disabilities.

“I really look forward to working in a public library and being part of a positive, altruistic, inquisitive community eager to improve knowledge accessibility,” Julia said. “It truly takes a team and a village to be able to serve all your patrons equitably regardless of socioeconomic status.”

An interview with Julia Conversano

You were in medical school before enrolling in the MLIS program at UCLA. What made you decide to switch careers?

My career trajectory did not align with my personality, how I really wanted to interact with the people I’m helping. And so I realized that about three weeks into medical school, but I kept pushing through, and did very well. But it was a life lesson that you can be very good at something and not enjoy doing it in the way you can fully give it a piece of your heart, your soul, to truly connect with the people you are helping.

So what drew you to librarianship?

It really was a children’s librarian who brought it all full circle. After medical school I had my first child and have been very open about my postpartum anxiety. The library really was a safe haven for me breaking out of that isolation. I went to every storytime, it gave me something to look forward to, not just for me, but it was beneficial for my relationship with my child. People are very open and honest in a library setting. I felt like part of a community.

I spoke to a children’s librarian about how I was thinking about getting my MLIS degree, thinking about being a librarian, I felt very at home and it seemed like a niche for me. I was concerned about going back to school for a third time, with a very young child. It was the children’s librarian who convinced me that I could do it, convinced me that it was doable, that I was capable enough and that it wouldn’t be a wrong move for me.

What goals do you have for your career as a librarian?

I’m very interested in trying to expand the public library’s role in serving the disability community. In medical school I did clinical research with teens and young adults with autism spectrum disorder. I feel libraries have a lot of room to grow in terms of programming that is accessible for those with physical and cognitive disabilities.

I’d also like to incorporate music into my library career. Music can be a very therapeutic way to break barriers between different populations and is accessible for children of all abilities. They might be shy or feel reserved, but maybe they are willing to sing a song with you. Music can be a great icebreaker and a great way of forming a bridge between you and your patrons.

Have any book suggestions for us?

I’m a full-time master’s student and a full-time mom, so I read a lot of children’s books to my kids. I love reading children’s books, I think that we all have something that we can learn from children’s books. Here are a few of my favorites:

The Friend Ship by Kat Yeh
I really love this book, and my children absolutely love this book. It’s a book about making friends, and how if you’re looking for a friend, there’s probably a friend out there looking for you.

The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson
This book is wonderful for all kids, it’s about how this tiny snail who’s being told you’re just supposed to stay put accomplishes big things and saves the life of a big humpback whale. So I think it’s a wonderful book for kids showing them that they are not limited by how others view them.

Not so Different by Shane Burcaw
This is a wonderful book for children who do not have disabilities but have a lot of questions they are curious about of those who do. It features photography of the author (Burcaw has spinal muscular atrophy and has been in a wheelchair since age 2)  and teaches kids to use humor, kindness and respect to connect with others who are different.

About the Caroline M. Hewins Scholarship

The Caroline M. Hewins Scholarship Fund was established in 1926 as a tribute to one of the great pioneers in American librarianship in special recognition of her creative work for children throughout the country.

The fund originated by the Hartford Librarian’s Club as a personal gift to Miss Hewins on the occasion of her fiftieth anniversary as Librarian of the Hartford Public Library.  When Miss Hewins chose to use this gift as a basis for a scholarship award, generous contributions were received from family and friends and professional associates throughout Connecticut and the United States, thus assuring to the Scholarship a national character in keeping with the memory of the Librarian it honors.

The fund is administered by the Hartford Public Library as trustee, and current income permits an annual scholarship award of $4,000.

The scholarship is open to those who plan to specialize in library work with children: who have received, or are about to receive a four year undergraduate degree; and who have applied for admission to a library school or are already attending a library school accredited by the American Library Association.  Preference will be given to applicants who plan to pursue a career in public library service.