A new mosaic mural is coming to downtown Hartford. It will be located on the side of a LAZ Parking garage on Pearl Street.
Ellis Echevarria, a Hartford native, was selected by the Greater Hartford Art Council to design the mural.
“From the moment we looked at different artist in our region, Ellis came to the top,” said Greater Hartford Art Council Chief Creative Officer Pablo Pita. “Not only for his passions, for his craft and his artistic talent, but his passion for Hartford.”
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The mural will be made up of approximately 20,000 photographs submitted by people from the Hartford community. Unlike a traditional mural made of paint, this one will be made of metal plates with the photographs printed on them.
“The heart sitting on water and the rings represent the ripple effect of love, but it also symbolically says Hartford,” said Echevarria. “And then the hands represent the diversity of the city and the idea that we love our city, and we support our city.”
He says that art changed his life, and he hopes to inspire the next generation of emerging artists.
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“Particularly kids in the inner city that are experiencing a tough time,” he said. “That art will you know, pull them out of it somehow. It did for me.”
The mural is crowd-funded through people who submit their photos and donations to the Greater Hartford Art Council. The installation and unveil is scheduled for late March 2025. The Greater Hartford Art Council is still taking photo submissions.
“It’s not just one image,” said Echevarria. “It’s a bunch of images that make one and that’s basically what Hartford is. We have diversity here.”
