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A m e r i c a n M u r a l P r o j e c t
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August 2009
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Dear Friends,
July, like June, was wet and way busier than I anticipated.
Halfway through August, the AMP schedule is still very full.
This week I'm in Washington to meet with members of
the national administrative group of the General Federation of Women's Clubs.
The wonderful response we have had in Connecticut from the GFWC women has
prompted this meeting, and I am really looking forward to introducing the mural
project to the National President, Rose Ditto, and her staff. I will also be
meeting with Lisa Raymond, Head of the DC Department of Education, to start
planning a project involving some of the schools in the District of Columbia.
Many thanks to Congressman Chris Murphy and his staff for the introduction.
AMP's upcoming installation at the Hartford Public
Library is moving ahead, with projects for area school kids and community
events scheduled in collaboration with the Greater Hartford Arts Council and the
Hartford Stage. GFWC of CT is hosting a dinner at the Hartford Club following the artist reception at the library on November 13th. To become a sponsor or reserve tickets for this event, call Kim Hohlfeld (Event Chair) at 860-306-0371.
We will have a lot to report in the next AMP news!
Ellen
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 Donor Spotlight
Mary P. Hinsdale School in Winsted, CT and the McKinley School in Fairfield, CT have both held their own AMP fundraisers. Read more about how they raised money for AMP and had fun doing it!
Photo: Mary P. Hinsdale School Hat Day
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 Open Mill Dates
Wednesday September 9th, 11am - 3pm
Thursday October 8th, 11am - 3pm
AMP's future home is at 100 Whiting Street
in Winsted, CT.
To learn about scheduling group visits,
email shari@americanmuralproject.org
Photo: future home of the American Mural Project
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 AMP Volunteers
Without our newly recruited group of volunteers, we would have lost some
terrific opportunities to let people know about the project. In the past two
months, volunteers have designed booths and devoted several days of their free
time to running them at the Torrington CT Day and the Sharon Audubon Festival.
AMP is growing rapidly, and we could not keep up with the pace if we didn't
have that vital boost.
AMP Volunteers at the Audubon Festival:
Judy Albright, Kim Hohlfeld, Cynthia Conklin, Jaine Perotti, Kathleen Reddy, Linda Kirshner, Lil Helming, Helen Barakauka, Lisa Gafney, Joy Martorell, Anita Garnett, Beau Black, Betsy Pearson, Dory Gorton, Ralph Hohlfeld, and Tim Marks.
Photo: AMP volunteer Judy Albright, AMPed up at the Sharon Audubon Festival
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 State Projects
Several years ago, Ellen asked Bill Strickland, who is on our Advisory Board, if we could do our Pennsylvania State Project with the kids at the Manchester Craftsman's Guild and, this summer, we started with the students in the summer program.
In the project at MCG, we asked kids to tell us who they are and what they love about where they live. Ellen gave them the classic Quincy Jones quote "You have to know where you come from to know where you are going" as our overriding idea for the project.
As is true in most art projects, the kids had ideas going in all directions. On the week of July 13th, Ellen went to Pittsburgh to oversee and help as things got started.
The final art from most of the kids will be etched onto aluminum plates and will go into the blue beam area on the mural. Other pieces will also be included in their original form, most notably, some of the actual ceramic pieces will be fired and included with the plates in the overall section representing Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, and MCG.
As summer winds down, the AMP crew heads for Red Rocks,
Colorado to start our Links Project with Greg Mortenson and his Pennies for
Peace organization, a project that over the next few years will have
participants in over 100 locations across the United States. A week later, we will
visit the Andre Agassi Academy in Las Vegas to do our Nevada state project with
the charter school's students, faculty and families. Our crew is psyched for
these two events, which have been long in the making.
Photo: Manchester Craftmen's Guild, PA State Project
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 Recent Artwork
Ellen has finished the Boeing piece and started the new truckers piece, featuring "Eddie". We have more photos of the pieces going up and Ellen's progress on our website at www.americanmuralproject.org
Photo: Ellen painting the Boeing piece in the Sharon studio
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The
American Mural Project is a three-dimensional painting so large that
a
special building is being created for it. It is a celebration of
American ingenuity
and commitment to work. The Project seeks to
inspire, to invite collaboration,
and to reveal to people of all ages
the many contributions they can make to
American culture. It is
intended as a tribute and a challenge.
Board of Directors: Barbara Douglass, Frank Finch, Rosita Forte-Dobson,
Jim Garfield, Ellen Griesedieck, Joe Griesedieck, William Harding, Susan Lane,
Thad Meyerriecks, Gayle Moraski, Sam Posey, Laurie Roy,
JoAnn Ryan, Rosellen Schnurr, David Stack, John Whitman
Founding Board: Huyler Held, Ivan Kronenfeld, Paul Newman,
Mehmet Oz, Peter Philip, Ileene Smith Sobel, Frank Stella
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