Public Program Partnerships

Partner with us and host your performance or event at Hill-Stead!

Using its beautiful grounds, historic home, and incomparable collections, Hill-Stead Museum operates as a center of excellence for the benefit, education, and cultural enrichment of all. Rotating exhibitions, artistic performances, festivals, workshops, lectures, and special events provide our visitors with positive experiences in the arts and nature, encouraging their appreciation, developing creativity and community, and enhancing overall wellbeing.

To start our conversation, please complete the public programs contact form or contact Megan Olver, Senior Manager of Administration (olverm@hillstead.org or 860.677.4787 x181).

Learn more

Testimonials

30-12-102-25! At Hill-Stead, these are not numbers shouted out before one hikes the football; they are shorthand for the 2020 pandemic initiative called From the Porch that consisted of 30 events, 12 collaborators, 102 performers, and 25 hundred (2,500!) visitors. When so many of our fellow arts organizations were shuttered or operating mostly online, our live and in-person programs were nothing short of a smashing success, with 65% of those visitors as first-timers at Hill-Stead! We are eager to follow this up with even more successful public programming in 2021, as the world begins to emerge and in force seek cultural experiences again.Dr. Anna Swinbourne, Executive Director and CEO, Hill-Stead Museum
Throughout the summer and fall, Hill-Stead became a beacon of what the arts can do. It has served as a place of refuge and inspiration for much of the community. Hartford Stage was not alone in benefitting from Hill-Stead’s vision and generosity: The Hartford Symphony Orchestra, local dance companies, smaller theatre troupes, Opera Connecticut were among the beneficiaries of Hill-Stead’s belief in the transformative powers of art. That they kept their grounds open when everything around us seemed to close down gave us all in the region a sense of faith that there were options and possibilities ahead. Thanks to Hill-Stead’s work over the past year, many patrons and arts leaders have a new vision of what collaboration across institutions can look like. Hill-Stead will continue to inspire us to work together to keep arts and culture at the forefront of our community’s consciousness even as our ways of delivering our programming changed.Melia Bensussen, Artistic Director, Hartford Stage
Real Art Ways’ collaboration with Hill-Stead was the first in-person event we presented coming out of the coronavirus shutdown. The staff at Hill-Stead was outstanding, and the setting was sublime. The film presentation (Raul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro, a profound, thought-provoking work based on James Baldwin’s unpublished writing), and musical presentation featuring Erica T. Bryan and Tom Sullivan, came off without a hitch. It was so good to see people after months of being closed. Hill-Stead reached out to area organizations and made the space available. This outreach is such a welcome development–precisely the thing to do during a pandemic that impacts us all.Will K. Wilkins, Executive Director, Real Art Ways
Many thanks for everything that you and all Hill-Stead staff have done to deliver the beauty, landscape, and Hill-Stead experience to a broad community of constituencies. In these challenging and creative times, you have all been exemplars – among the finest of the ‘Go-Getters’ and ‘Can-Doers’ that I know. We have enjoyed gardens, walks, picnics, From the Porch performances, and an Outstanding Dinner event. Each event was extraordinary in its own way, thanks to a great exertion of Effort, Planning, and Magic.Filomena and Tom Soyster, Hill-Stead patrons

Our Spaces

Outdoor Venues

West Lawn & Veranda
With vistas of the Litchfield Hills and nearby views of the estate’s farm buildings, meadows and pond, this area can accommodate large gatherings.* A Mount Vernon-style veranda at the front façade serves as a picturesque backdrop and stage. Alternatively, performances may be staged on the western end of the West Lawn using the rolling hills of the Farmington Valley as your backdrop.

 

Sunken Garden
Surrounded by rustic stone walls, this historic perennial garden’s ever-changing colors reflect the palette of the estate’s Impressionist paintings.  A summer house at the center is a focal point, accented by brick paths radiating out among the many flower beds. This venue can welcome hundreds of attendees for an open-air event.* There is no dedicated stage in this space, but one may be rented.

Indoor Venues

Makeshift Theater
This airy Arts and Crafts-style wood-paneled room in the Carriage Barn provides a rustic setting for events for up to 120.*  The room is climate controlled for year-round use.

Exhibition & Lecture Hall
Coming Soon! Under Construction.

*NOTE: Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the State of Connecticut mandates allowable levels of occupancy and maximum attendee numbers for public spaces. Please contact Hill-Stead with any questions about current capacity levels.

What We Offer

In addition to one of the loveliest venues in the Greater Hartford area:
  • A host for your event to assist with curating, coordination of set-up, take-down, and other hosting duties
  • Sound system with 12-channel mixing board, microphones (wired and wireless) and an A/V technician
  • Indoor Seating (outdoor events require attendees to bring their own)
  • Wi-fi for use during events
  • Ticket Sales (if needed)
  • Ushers and Ticket Takers for day of performance (if your volunteers are unavailable) 

To Apply

Please complete the public programs contact form to begin our conversation, preferably at least 90 days in advance of your proposed event date. If we mutually agree to move forward, an Event Proposal will be forwarded to you. A complete application will include the Event Proposal Form, program description and sample images (maximum three images including your logo, 300 dpi). Your proposal will be reviewed and we will contact you within three or four weeks of receipt with a disposition. Should your application be accepted, you will contract with Hill-Stead Museum formally to present the proposed event at Hill-Stead. This will mean that you agree to comply with all procedures and policies regarding venue usage.