RiseUP is a nonprofit founded in 2012 as a youth development and mentoring program. RiseUP’s mission is to empower communities to imagine new possibilities. One of the ways we do this is through our public art initiative, RiseUP for Arts, where we bring together community stakeholders across the state to create meaningful and purposeful Public Art that is community inclusive and accessible to everybody. RiseUP is leading an initiative in the Parkville neighborhood of Hartford to bring over 50,000 square feet of murals across the district. These murals will bring vibrancy, color and attraction to the Parkville neighborhood and really cement it as the innovative and creative capital of the state.
Local business owner, Carlos Mouta emphasized, "I've been in this neighborhood for a while, over 40 years, and I've seen the transformation. It's really important that not only the artists are working and making a good living, but for the people in the community. To Beautify Parkville and be known as the Arts District."
One of the primary missions of RiseUP is to cultivate a creative community of Connecticut-based artists and locally based artists. With this type of investment, we can help create living wage and livable working opportunities for artists in this community, and it can help transform their lives as much as they're helping to change other lives.
Parkville Paints Project has the opportunity to transform and redefine the Parkville neighborhood for decades to come, and it will happen with support from individuals like you. This type of project will bring the community together, bring artists together, and bring businesses together to really transform something in a GRASSROOTS way.
Murals will stretch along Park Street, Bartholomew Ave, and Hamilton Street to create a trail of beautiful artwork for residents and visitors to enjoy.
The murals will be a blend of artist inspiration and also highlight the history of the neighborhood. For example, one of the murals will be located on a highly visible wall on the corner of Park Street and New Park Ave. The mural will honor the historical figures of Parkville (Margaret Clapis Merriman and Joseph A. Langlais) while highlighting the innovation and creativity that is the future of Parkville. Blending history, today's reality and the community's future into beautiful pieces of art.
Another mural is slated for the Charter Oak Boxing Association and honoring Hartford's boxing champion Willie Pep.
The PPP will put hundreds of thousands of dollars into the local creative economy and Parkville neighborhood that will benefit for decades. This support for public art will transform the historic Parkville neighborhood into a world-class art and creative destination.
Benefits of this Public Art Project
Covering the neighborhood with professional street art will inject additional energy into Parkville that compliments the current developments happening to revitalize the neighborhood. Studies have shown that public art and murals strengthen a community's identity and have tremendous cultural and economic benefits.
In addition to the neighborhood benefits, localized public art also supports the local creative workforce by creating work opportunities that local artists would otherwise need to travel far distances or move out of the community to have. These mural projects will pay local artists living and competitive wages to complete the murals.
Estimated Timeline
Summer 2022: Project Launch & Start Murals
Fall 2022: Continue fundraising and more murals!
We will continue painting additional walls through the Fall of 2022 and Spring of 2023 with expected completion of the initial ~50,000 sq ft of projects by Summer of 2023.
Mural Honorees:
Margaret Clapis Merriman, aka Mayor of Parkville and Former Executive Director Parkville Senior Center
Joseph A. Langlais, Former President of Parville Community Association
Brief History of Parkville
The Parkville neighborhood of Hartford was once a manufacturing and innovation hub, home to several major factories, including Pope Manufacturing, Columbia Bicycle, the Underwood and Royal Typewriters, the Gray Telephone Pay Station, and more.
Today it is home to some of the most innovative businesses in Hartford, like Real Art Ways, Hog River Brewing, DesignSourceCT, reSET, RiseUP for Arts, Pine & Axe Axe Throwing, HARDENCO (local denim company), and Hartford Flavor Company. The neighborhood is a true community and has an authentic spirit of entrepreneurship and collaboration—definitely influenced by the rich history here.
About RiseUP
RiseUP for Arts supports artists, cities, other nonprofits, companies, and local community members in making their mural projects come to life. We help create the vision and manage the entire process of beautifying communities through public art. RiseUP is Connecticut’s source for public art and mural, having completed over 75 mural and placemaking projects throughout CT. More info at
www.theriseupgroup.org
About Parkville Market:
THE FIRST FOOD HALL IN CONNECTICUT. WE’RE HOUSED IN THE FORMER CAPITOL CITY LUMBER CO. BUILDING IN ONE OF HARTFORD'S MOST UP-AND-COMING NEIGHBORHOODS - PARKVILLE.
FOOD, EVENTS, AND EXPERIENCES CURATED TO CELEBRATE CONNECTICUT.
19 unique restaurants
Pop-up shops and weekly entertainment
Hub for communal dining and gathering
Private event spaces
Indoor and outdoor dining for 400+
Plenty of free parking
