Reawakening Wonder
Michael Rice
📍 50 Morgan Street North, Hartford
A huge portrait and firefly scene that turns the side of a downtown tower into a canvas.
RiseUP source ↗
🎨 HARTFORD COUNTY FIELD GUIDE
Public Art & Mural Walks
Free self-guided walks through giant murals, sculptures, monuments and hidden public art across Hartford County, Connecticut.
Photo: RiseUP for Arts / CT Murals — “Just Grow” by Corey Pane
ROUTE 01
🏙️ Downtown Hartford Mural Walk
6 STOPS
60–90 MIN
WALKING
FREE
Hartford has quietly built an impressive collection of large-scale contemporary murals. This route keeps the stops close enough to turn into an easy downtown outing.
Concrete & Kindness
Michael Rice
📍 338 Trumbull Street, Hartford
A photorealistic downtown piece that rewards a closer look from across Trumbull Street.
Source ↗Asians Don’t Raisin
Fiyabomb
📍 126 Ann Uccello Street, Hartford
Color, portraiture and movement make this one of the most immediately eye-catching stops on the route.
Source ↗Rings of Growth
Corey Pane
📍 185 Ann Uccello Street, Hartford
A colorful family-centered mural from one of Connecticut’s most recognizable muralists.
Source ↗Just Grow
Corey Pane
📍 248 Pearl Street, Hartford
A young girl watering towering flowers makes this one of the easiest murals downtown to remember.
RiseUP source ↗Raise the Curtain
Michael Rice
📍 50 Church Street, Hartford
Created with Hartford Stage, this theater-themed mural makes a fitting final downtown stop.
RiseUP source ↗🐝 BUZZ TIP: Make a couple hours of it. Grab coffee or lunch downtown before
or after the walk.
ROUTE 02
🌳 Bushnell Park Art + History Walk
SCULPTURE
MONUMENTS
~30 MIN
WALKING
Bushnell Park is basically an outdoor sculpture museum hiding in plain sight. Public Art CT maintains a dedicated 30-minute tour here, making this one of the easiest routes to do on a whim.
Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch
📍 Trinity Street at Bushnell ParkThe brownstone arch was built in the 1880s to commemorate Hartford residents who died in the Civil War.
Learn more ↗Corning Fountain
📍 Bushnell ParkOne of the park’s most elaborate pieces, designed by sculptor John Massey Rhind.
Learn more ↗Dr. Horace Wells
📍 Bushnell ParkA monument to the Hartford dentist remembered for pioneering the use of anesthesia in dentistry.
Learn more ↗Spirit of Victory
📍 Near Elm and Trinity StreetsEvelyn Beatrice Longman’s allegorical bronze figure is one of the park’s standout sculptural works.
Learn more ↗Bonus: Stegosaurus
📍 Burr Mall, beside the Wadsworth AtheneumAlexander Calder’s bright-red abstract dinosaur has been a Hartford landmark since 1973.
Learn more ↗🐝 BUZZ TIP: This is the route to use when you’ve got visitors in town:
Capitol views, Bushnell Park and a ridiculous amount of Hartford history in a very small area.
ROUTE 03
🎨 West Hartford Center + Blue Back Art Walk
MURALS
SCULPTURE
45–60 MIN
FOOD-FRIENDLY
This is probably the easiest art walk on the list to turn into an afternoon. The Center and Blue Back Square mix public art with plenty of places to stop for coffee, lunch or a drink.
Welcome to West Hartford
Corey Pane
📍 977 Farmington Avenue
A large-scale welcome mural tucked right into the Center.
Source ↗Art Barrier Murals
Multiple Connecticut artists
📍 Farmington Avenue + LaSalle Road area
Concrete dining barriers became canvases when local artists were commissioned to turn them into individual works.
Source ↗Three Horses
Karen Petersen
📍 Memorial Road, Blue Back Square
The trio of bronze horses has been part of Blue Back’s public-art landscape since the late 2000s.
Source ↗Swing Into Blue Back
Julie Bergeron
📍 55 Isham Road
Part mural, part photo-op: the oversized floral piece incorporates a real swing.
RiseUP source ↗🐝 BUZZ TIP: Do this one around lunch. Art hunt first, patio afterward.
ROUTE 04
🐝 New Britain Beehive + Monument Walk
PUBLIC DESIGN
HISTORY
~60 MIN
WALKING
New Britain’s public-art route mixes civic design, monuments and parks. And yes, the giant beehive theme gives this one some extra HartCo Buzz points.
Beehive Bridge
Svigals + Partners
📍 Main Street over Route 72, New Britain
Honeycomb forms and amber lighting turn a piece of transportation infrastructure into one of the city’s signature landmarks.
Source ↗Soldiers and Sailors Monument
Ernest Flagg
📍 Central Park, New Britain
A 44-foot limestone Civil War memorial anchoring the city’s downtown green.
Source ↗World War I Monument
Civic memorial
📍 Walnut Hill Park, New Britain
Continue toward Walnut Hill Park for another major civic artwork in one of New Britain’s best-known public spaces.
Source ↗🐝 BUZZ TIP: If you can time it near dusk, the Beehive Bridge’s lighting is
part of the fun.
ROUTE 05
🚗 East Hartford Murals With Meaning
MURALS
SHORT DRIVE
COMMUNITY STORIES
These pieces are more spread out, so think of this as a short mural drive with walkable stops rather than one continuous walk. RiseUP and East Hartford have used public art to tell local stories across town.
Dream Like a King
Michael Rice, Joshua Morgan + Tiyah Thompson
📍 Main Street, East Hartford
A tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King created with East Hartford artists.
RiseUP source ↗Founders Bridge Women’s Mural
Community public-art project
📍 Beneath Founders Bridge, East Hartford side
A long mural honoring women whose work and lives are tied to East Hartford.
RiseUP source ↗Family is Everything
Joey Batts + Andrea Sanchez
📍 Forbes Street, East Hartford
An active bus stop became a portrait of an actual East Hartford family and a reminder that everyday spaces can be canvases too.
RiseUP source ↗McAuliffe Park Floral Mural
Michaela Levesque
📍 McAuliffe Park, 30 Remington Road
A bright floral-focused piece painted by an East Hartford native.
RiseUP source ↗KEEP EXPLORING
👀 More Hartford County Art Worth Finding
Not every great piece fits neatly into a walking loop. These are worth keeping on your radar when you’re already nearby.
Wings of Refuge
Ben Keller
📍 Purnell Place, Manchester
A sprawling winged figure and one of downtown Manchester’s most recognizable pieces of public art.
RiseUP source ↗Photo: RiseUP for Arts / CT Murals
Hartford Postcard
Deka Henry
📍 566 Farmington Avenue, Hartford
A Hartford-themed wall piece that feels tailor-made for a quick photo stop.
RiseUP source ↗Photo: RiseUP for Arts / CT Murals
Instagram CapAve
Chris Gann
📍 385 Capitol Avenue, Hartford
A colorful Frog Hollow stop with another mural almost next door.
RiseUP source ↗Photo: RiseUP for Arts / CT Murals
Your Kind of Place
Jillian Goeler
📍 381 Capitol Avenue, Hartford
Pair it with Instagram CapAve for an easy two-for-one mural stop.
RiseUP source ↗Photo: RiseUP for Arts / CT Murals
Instagram Evergreen
Heather Herindeen / Lights & Darks
📍 The Shops at Evergreen Walk, South Windsor
A RiseUP public-art stop if you’re already shopping or eating around Evergreen Walk.
RiseUP source ↗CT Trolley Museum Mural
Heather Herindeen / Lights & Darks
📍 Connecticut Trolley Museum, East Windsor
A public-art detour that pairs nicely with a visit to one of Hartford County’s most unusual museums.
RiseUP source ↗HELP US BUILD THE GUIDE
📸 Found One We Missed?
Hartford County’s public-art scene keeps changing. If there’s a mural, sculpture, strange roadside installation or hidden piece of art that belongs here, send us the name, location and a photo if you have one.
