Connecticut just jumped to the top of an annual arts index that measures not only funding, but public support for the arts at the community level. The Arts Vibrancy Index takes into consideration programming and independent artists in each region, amongst other unique measurements.
The state rose to the third most culturally vibrant in 2025, up from 21st the year before, according to the list by Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
“While changes from year to year in the index can be hard to isolate to one single factor, this rise is likely due to a mix of increased data availability from several sources and growth within aspects of arts ecosystem itself,” said the report.
New York and New Jersey edged out the nutmeg state for the top two spots, but Connecticut rose above Massachusetts and Minnesota in the top five. Six Connecticut communities are represented on the 100 cities list as well: New Haven, Bridgeport, Torrington, Hartford, Waterbury and Norwich.
“We measure vibrancy through indicators of arts supply, demand, and public support, while adjusting for cost of living and population size,” the report said. “Most states moved only a few positions from 2024, reinforcing patterns observed in previous years: states with high arts vibrancy often feature dense urban populations and lower poverty rates, though notable exceptions persist.”
The greater Norwich area, including Willimantic and New London, was ranked No. 77 most vibrant arts community in the country. That benefits places like Expressiones Cultural Center in New London, a non-profit that provides bilingual programming for underserved Latino families and introduces the non-Latino community to Latin American arts and culture.
“To have the recognition that New London area is part of this vibrant community and everybody in this community is trying to help to do the same,” said José Garaycochea, Expressiones’ executive director. “We have too many places around, too many artists around, and everybody is putting a little bit of their help, and that is the reason why we are getting that.”
The rankings report comes as federal funding cuts affect arts institutions in Connecticut and beyond. The report says it hopes to help policymakers strengthen cultural infrastructure, arts groups advocate for resources, communities measure their progress, and researchers and funders track trends.
Highlighting cultural connections
Garaycochea’s group focuses both on local creatives and bringing artists to Connecticut from Latin America for its residency program. Right now, the artists in residence are Cuban print-making artist Aliosky García and Oaxaca native Esteban Urbieta, who shares his Zapotec culture through his art.
Garaycochea said Expressiones has faced some issues recently with visas for visiting artists, particularly from Honduras where the current visa wait time is at minimum one year. But he said the center has also gotten more community support than ever right now.
“I can say New London area’s very inclusive because we are connecting each other, and we are getting, hopefully, a better understanding of each other,” he said.
The center has recently expanded what immersive art can mean, as it hosts thematic dinners featuring music, food and visual arts all on the same subject.
“For example, we say, ‘Okay, let's talk about the onion.’ Then, we have a poet from Latin America who wrote about the onion. We have music about onions, and we develop a menu about the onion,” Garaycochea explained.
The next community meals — and art classes with visiting artists — can all be found on Expressiones’ events calendar.
“The main goal is to invite you to be in my shoes and myself [to] be used in order to understand … each other and build a better society,” Garaycochea said.
Learn more
Find our past coverage of Expressiones events and artists in stories like:
