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The relationship the theater shares with the city is an import- ant one. "TWH is a property owner and has long been commied to the neighborhood but also recognizes a broader obligation to the city at large," said Freddie McInerny, director of marketing and communications. "We're storytellers – a job that comes with awesome responsibility. It's said that 'we become the stories we tell.' If TheaterWorks does its job right – and that's something we need to work hard at every day – then we can tell and transcend the stories that best embody our potential. That's no small thing." Connecticut Office of the Arts The Connecticut Office of the Arts, or COA, has been hard at work build- ing programs to support artists with project grants, including the Artists Respond grant, which will be offered twice in 2021. In addition to working more closely with regional service organizations (including the Arts Council), the COA has also teamed with CT Humanities to create several innovative programs, the largest of which will be operating support for area arts and humanities organizations. Liz Shapiro, director of arts, preservation and museums for the COA, feels the arts need to be looked at in an entirely different way. "Let's compare the arts to the solar system," Shapiro said. "Usually, when we think about the arts and the way they affect our landscape, the arts are put way out towards Pluto. The arts should be at the center, the arts are the true sun. Because of the high density of creative individuals, we have a high density of arts organizations. Those organizations feed the restaurants, the communities, the tourists, the housing market and the need for other services. And although no one talks about it nearly enough, Hartford is beautiful. It's a river city, filled with parks and incredible architecture." HARTFORD LIVE WORK PLAY THE HILL-STEAD MUSEUM became an impromptu theater during the pandemic. 45 HBJ HARTFORD LIVE WORK PLAY