HARTFORD, Conn. — For the first time, the Rise Up Group – a Hartford-based nonprofit that promotes public art projects across the state – held the Downtown Hartford Mural Tour.
Despite the high temperatures, dozens of art enthusiasts came to Downtown Hartford to join the tour.
Matt Conway, the executive director of Rise Up, served as the tour guide and led the group to see 13 different murals across about a mile and a half walk through the streets of Downtown Hartford.
Conway said, “we are doing this because we want to bring visibility into Hartford and we want to show people that Hartford has it.”
He then added, “This is our very first one and we can’t even believe the turnout and the excitement for it.”
Along the tour route, a few of the mural artists greeted the group, including on Asylum Street where the work known as “The Oneness of Being in Still Waters” is showcased on the brick façade of a building.
Tao LaBossiere, the artist of "Still Waters," spoke with the tour group along with his wife, Amy, who is a collaborator on the project.
Tao said, “This city is growing and the art culture is growing.”
He added, “I want to inspire other people to be creative.”
Block after block, Conway led the tour group to see different murals and, towards the end of the event, he said, “this is about bringing people together, it’s about making them laugh and making them smile and bringing joy.”
There is no date set for another Mural Tour in Hartford, but Conway thinks they will plan another one sometime in September. To learn more about the Rise Up Group, click here.
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Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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