About Us

FREE HART Closet is a 100% volunteer-run, free art supply trading post located in Hartford, CT. Founded in 2022, FREE HART was created to help adults reconnect with their inner child.

Our story

In 2015, I went to the Wadsworth Atheneum to listen to Mark Bradford in conversation with Ruben Ochoa. Both artists talked about how they found materials for their art. They used materials from hardware stores and in dumpsters. They didn’t choose these materials as “found objects” — it was what each of them could afford. There I was, listening to acclaimed artists call out the inaccessibility of making art. As someone who has always felt the need to create, but hasn’t always had the disposable income to do so, this resonated.

Five years later, I was reminded of this conversation. The world was experiencing a global pandemic 100 years in the making and we were all on lockdown. To make sense of the chaos, I made things. Some things were better than others, but I kept my hands busy. I took up painting, knitting, brush-lettering, paper making, and macrame weaving. The start-up costs of these new found hobbies were so expensive.

Then, I stumbled on a TikTok video posted by the Sacramento artist collective known as Broad Room. The founder, Claire, was showing us their free art supply closet. A lightbulb went off for me — we could do this in Connecticut!

– Gabbie Barnes, Founder (gabbiebarnes.com)

support local artists.

become a member.

Timeline

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2022 - opened our doors at our South End location

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2023 - moved to Arbor St. raised $7500 through crowd funding campaign, matched by Sustainable CT. Launched our artist-led workshop program.

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2024 - moved into Semilla Studio + Cafe

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84 artists served. No workshops. No volunteers.

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225 artists served. 20 workshops. 237 workshop attendees. 30 volunteers. 116 volunteer hours.

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we're excited to see what's to come!

How to Donate Art Supplies

Contact

(860) 263-9770

freehartcloset@gmail.com

visit us

1283 Main Street

Hartford, CT 06103

(inside Semilla Cafe + Studio)

Copyright © 2024 FREE HART. All Rights Reserved.