We’re Blooming on Capitol Avenue!
Our new “Bloomin’ Strawberries” Mural enhances our church's community space and fosters a welcoming environment that celebrates unity and spirituality through vibrant public art.
More About Our Mural
In May 2024 we began fundraising to create a custom mural to BLOOM on the exterior of the office wing of our building, and our community generously chose to support that campaign.
Hartford Artist Tao LaBossiere and his wife Amy began painting the Bloomin’ Strawberries design in June 2024 — right at the start of our annual Strawberry Celebration — despite the unseasonable heat and humidity.
Vibrant strawberries and blossoms play on the theme of the church’s longtime Strawberry Celebration community event and fundraiser, and represent spiritual growth.
Pollinators such as honeybees and Blessing moths symbolize how we grow our community.
Medallions on street-facing church doors feature welcoming symbols of peace and inclusivity per FPCH’s values.
They worked on the mural weekly, weather permitting, and were always happy to share their process and answer questions. And then in August 2024, work came to a halt when, tragically, Tao suffered a stroke and died. Together with Amy, we mourned the loss of this gifted and giving artist. Tao was truly a Hartford treasure, a talented muralist, artist, and sculptor who championed other artists, cared deeply about our Capital city, and gave so much of himself to his community and his creations.
After a winter hiatus, with guidance from Amy, the Mural Committee engaged another local muralist, Chris Gann, to finish the project, honoring Tao and his original design. Shown here are Chris and his assistant, Dwight Teal, Jr., working on the mural in March and April, 2025. Amy will complete the new medallions for the three doors facing Capitol Avenue. The mural should be complete by May 31, 2025, and will be officially unveiled and celebrated at a Ribbon Cutting the first week in June — fittingly, on one of our Strawberry Celebration days!
“Dead he is not, but departed, for the artist never dies.”
The FPCH community was heartbroken to learn of the unexpected death of artist Tao LaBossiere in the early morning hours of Wednesday, August 28, 2024. Tao died peacefully following a massive stroke. Tao was truly a Hartford treasure, a talented muralist, artist, and sculptor who championed other artists, cared deeply about Hartford, and gave so much of himself to his community and his creations. He had a gift for mixing deep meaning and whimsy in his art. The city is dotted with his work, but the piece that means the most to us is, of course, the Blooming Strawberries mural he and his wife Amy designed and began painting on our Administrative building this summer. Even in its current unfinished state, you can see his skill with trompe l'oeil and envision how he would make the two buildings look like one. We can imagine, too, his vision for signs of flourishing and interdependence in the vision of the strawberry plant in every stage of its life cycle.
Tao especially captured the hearts of our Mural Team, who spent a good deal of time with him imagining, planning, and dreaming together. Tao spent time around our church to learn about our congregants and who we are, with an innate understanding that any art that represents us needs to reflect the life and values of the church.
We also came to know and love Tao's bereaved wife, Amy, a phenomenal artist in her own right, and Tao's lifelong love. We grieve with Amy, and all who knew and loved Tao, and humbly acknowledge that we have lost a treasured soul. May we each learn to see the world's beauty through his eyes, even as we brave the sorrows of being human. In our tradition, we affirm that we are never separated from our Creator, our life source, our Higher Power. And so while we grieve Tao's death, we hold another truth: that he is at one with all that is, and indeed, as Longfellow said: "Dead he is not, but departed, for the artist never dies."
Please join me in extending prayers of consolation, comfort, and love to Amy LaBossiere, and prayers that Tao LaBossiere rest in God's eternal love and embrace.
In grief and faith, and in thanksgiving for a life well lived,
Pastor Nancy
Thank you to our Mural Donors! •
Thank you to our Mural Donors! •
Julius Aboagye • Shirley Aboagye • Nicole Aronson Champagne • Stephen Bach • Dana Barcellos-Allen • Alber Baseel • Nancy Baseel • Dan Bender • Carolyn Blick • George Blick • Heather Boldt • Joe & Ginger Boldt • Victoire Boldt • Irene Bracero • Grace Buabeng • Gregory Ciparelli • Susan Corrigan • Enoch Darko • Shirley S. Dudley • David Fay • Amanda & Jon Finman • Mary Hanson • Jan Hawkins • Thomas Hawkins • Dana Jaikissoon • Edward Johnson • Melissa Kissi • Susan Labins • Charlotte Lohrenz • Michele Long • Anita Marchant • Andrew McKirdy • John Merz • Liz Miller • Sarah Morgan • Jane Murray • Dianne and Jon Ney • Cai Pandolfino • Carolyn Perkins • Alicia Purdy • Keith Rhoden • Sandra Riggins • Nathaniel Ryan • Annelieke Schauer • Willem Schauer • Winsome Schauer • Alexis Schutz • Aaron Stapleton • Corinna Tamburini • Sonya Thiel • Natalie Tine • Shannon White • Denise Wolferman • Amy Young • Robin Zaleski •
Julius Aboagye • Shirley Aboagye • Nicole Aronson Champagne • Stephen Bach • Dana Barcellos-Allen • Alber Baseel • Nancy Baseel • Dan Bender • Carolyn Blick • George Blick • Heather Boldt • Joe & Ginger Boldt • Victoire Boldt • Irene Bracero • Grace Buabeng • Gregory Ciparelli • Susan Corrigan • Enoch Darko • Shirley S. Dudley • David Fay • Amanda & Jon Finman • Mary Hanson • Jan Hawkins • Thomas Hawkins • Dana Jaikissoon • Edward Johnson • Melissa Kissi • Susan Labins • Charlotte Lohrenz • Michele Long • Anita Marchant • Andrew McKirdy • John Merz • Liz Miller • Sarah Morgan • Jane Murray • Dianne and Jon Ney • Cai Pandolfino • Carolyn Perkins • Alicia Purdy • Keith Rhoden • Sandra Riggins • Nathaniel Ryan • Annelieke Schauer • Willem Schauer • Winsome Schauer • Alexis Schutz • Aaron Stapleton • Corinna Tamburini • Sonya Thiel • Natalie Tine • Shannon White • Denise Wolferman • Amy Young • Robin Zaleski •
Adjacent to our beautiful 1870 Vermont granite and Portland brownstone Gothic and Romanesque church is a plain brick 1930 office wing. Using a trompe l’oeil technique to create architectural unity, the artists have expanded the facade of our church and brought a vibrant, colorful symbol of community and spiritual growth to a high-visibility area of Hartford.
Capitol Avenue is a major gateway into the capital city. Thousands of vehicles travel this road daily to and from downtown, highways, courthouses, local businesses, and government and private office buildings. Our mural project:
Honors the church’s historic façade while bringing it into the future with a cultural enhancement
Increases visibility of our church campus
Beautifies this stretch of Capitol Avenue
Generates goodwill
Uplifts the community
And enhances the neighborhood.