Tonight you can check out the twelve storefronts on Main, Pratt, and Trumbull that have been commandeered for art displays (for the time being). Even better than the promise of live music, Shag Frenzy djs, Pratt Street being pedestrian only, and free cotton candy is how they are keeping the artwork super local. Hartford.com writes:

All artists are either residents of the City of Hartford or rent studio space in Hartford.  All carpenters, installers, and support personnel are Hartford residents and materials were purchased from merchants and vendors within the city of Hartford whenever possible.

This is supposed to start around 5:30.

The Wadsworth Atheneum will also be doing their usual first Thursday event. Mira Hartford has the details up over there. Go for the Digging Deeper exhibit if nothing else.

Down in Frog Hollow, four artists will have their studios open to visitors. This is located at Billings Forge on Broad Street, on the right side of Firebox. A few weeks ago I went there and had an interesting conversation with one of the artists. Though I have been to a number of art openings around Hartford, I’ve never felt like the atmosphere was especially conducive to talking about artwork. For those truly into knowing what people are working on and why, this is definitely worth the trip. The studios will be open from 6-9pm and it’s free.

It could be a side effect of the economy — people holding onto their wallets tighter — but CT Landmarks has some questionable types of fundraiser events planned. CT Museum Quest wrote a controversial post about the three upcoming talks to be about the “results” of a “paranormal investigation,” two of which are tonight. I’ll be skipping this. If they want to do a “haunted garden” for the kids (hey, there’s no corn maze downtown, so we’d have to make do) I’ll be the first one there.