Dream Murals at UHART
March 3 – April 12, 2025
Silpe Gallery
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. –Working in public art, muralists often bend to the wishes of their clients.
At the same time, murals can be collaborative projects in the best of ways—an opportunity to tap into a community and give it visual expression on a large scale. In a community-centered exhibition, the University of Hartford’s Silpe Gallery will be given over to six alumni of the Hartford Art School to paint their dream murals.
The exhibition, Dream Murals: Public Art with Hartford Art School Alumni, creates an opportunity for artists to share the transformative power of public art with the next generation of artists at the Hartford Art School. Featured artists include Peter Albano, Lindaluz Carrillo, Vaughn Fender, Sophie Groenstein, Chris Piascik, and Sophy Tuttle. Each artist will be paired with a current student mentee, who will learn how to scale artwork to the size of a wall.
The artists, who hail from diverse artistic and social backgrounds, will explore a variety of topics in their murals. From autobiography to social justice issues and spray paint to three-dimensional installations, the imagery, style, and scope of each work promises to be unique, offering a broad view of contemporary approaches to mural art. The murals will be painted on panels, and at the end of the exhibition, the artists will be able to take their work with them for potential reinstallation at other venues.
The University will also use this exhibition as an opportunity to honor the legacy of beloved Hartford muralist and former student of the Hartford Art School, Tao LaBossiere (1968-2024). In the gallery, visitors will find a slideshow of LaBossiere’s contributions to public art in the Greater Hartford area.
The entire mural painting process is open to the public beginning March 3, and visitors are encouraged to come by often to track the artists’ progress. Artist talks and a reception sponsored by the University of Hartford’s Alumni Advisory Council will be held on Friday, April 4 from 4–6 p.m. All programs are free and open to the public.
The exhibition and associated programming are made possible with funds held by Hartford Art School Endowment, Inc. and the Alumni Advisory Council at the University of Hartford.
The Silpe Gallery is located in the Hartford Art School’s Taub Hall at the University of Hartford. It is free and open to the public Monday–Thursday, noon–6 p.m.; and Friday–Saturday, 1–5 p.m. For more information, visit www.hartford.edu/gallery.
