…And My Heart Beats For You
Hartford Public Library
Hartford
June 5, 2026
The week of celebrations for the grand re-opening of the Hartford Public Library’s downtown branch culminated Friday evening with the return of fine art to the building.
Several dozen people came together to witness the re-opening of ArtWalk, the library’s gallery exhibition space, located on the third floor. Local artist Traé Brooks is the first to exhibit his work in the re-opened space, premiering …And My Heart Beats For You earlier this month.
Brooks’ exhibit endured an interesting journey that mirrored the challenges the library has faced itself. He was scheduled to display his work just as a pipe burst that closed the library for more than three years. He said that time gave him an opportunity to “grow up a little bit," which allowed him to make more mature work that aligns more with his values. The fruits of that process were on display Friday night.
He says that his art is about the people he loves and the connections that shape who he is. In particular, the ArtWalk exhibit reflects on how loss transforms and reshapes people. His art has a grungy, lived-in aesthetic thanks to his use of oil and found materials. The combination of Brooks’ subject matter and the artistic tools he uses presents a unique take on the bonds that shape us.
Take the piece Bridge, an oil and pastel painting on a found mirror. The resemblance between the two women in the painting marks them as related, presumably to the artist as well. While the woman on the right has a more naturalistic skin tone, the left woman is colored with various greens that almost give her a cartoonishly sickly appearance.
Could this be a piece about the loss of a loved one? Is she green because she’s not well? It might seem like a strange choice for an artist to render someone that they care about this way, but art isn’t always about being pretty or capturing the best moments. It’s also about capturing moments of pain and grief, and Bridge seems to be doing just that.
Brooks is also an accomplished sculptor, using scrap metal and a blowtorch to weld together incredibly detailed busts. Delroy was my favorite piece of the exhibit. It has the look of an ancient warrior, someone who has dedicated themselves to the protection of others. Yet there’s a melancholy element to the bust as well, as if a lifetime of violence and aggression has caught up with the subject of the bust.
Of course, I’m reading all of this into the work, but that’s precisely what thought-provoking art should do. Brooks’ maturation has given the world some challenging art to enjoy now that the library has returned.
NEXT
…And My Heart Beats For You continues at ArtWalk through August 29.
Jamil goes to learn about the Great Migration and Hartford.
