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On May 26th, in celebration of the opening of the Winsted mill for the summer months, AMP hosted the Chamber's Business After Hours with a record crowd of 250 people. With a 99% chance for thunderstorms predicted for exactly the same moment as the start of the party, the AMP and Chamber crew anticipated entertaining themselves by consuming 500 small sliders and mini hotdogs. But people in NW Connecticut are used to defying the odds and these business owners were undaunted by the forecast. The mill was so crowded it was hard to move around in a space where you can usually hear your own voice echo. In the end, no rain dampened the night; maybe somebody up there likes us. Click here to see more photos from this event.         

To top the May party at the mill, we got bigger burgers and hot dogs, and teamed Mark Waldron and Tim Marks on the grill. This time it was the heat, not rain, that threatened to wilt everyone's spirit, but these are AMP members. Check out Anita Garnet's fantastic album of pictures for both of these events.

A huge thanks to Kinson Perry and AT&T for their help on this one.

GRAB THE TORCH campers

One of the great bonuses for AMP is teaming up with other likeminded organizations and meeting people working with similar goals. Dave Aldrich and his Grab the Torch Foundation runs a series of weeklong summer camps in different parts of the country, with the mission of encouraging young people to start thinking of ways to give back to others in need. The students who visited the Sharon studio to learn about AMP made up one hugely impressive group of kids.

Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts 

Anita Balkun, art teacher at the GHAA, decided it was not enough to bring her students to the Hartford library in November 2009 to see our AMP exhibit there. As another one of the truly resourceful and energetic teachers AMP has come to know, she organized a day-long field trip to the Sharon studio for her students to see some of the new mural sections in progress, have lunch, and paint their own AMP T-shirts. Check out some of these T-shirts on our site.

Work on the mural

The goal for July and August was to get another section up and underway. In mid-July, we raised the 16 foot CL&P linemen piece, and Ellen has been working on it since then. To paraphrase the great high-wire walker, Karl Wallenda, 'Life is on the ladder; the rest is just waiting.'

AMP Membership is on the rise

A huge thanks to everyone who has responded to our 2011 AMP membership drive. Once again, our membership is growing, despite the lack of tangible benefits to members. If this sounds like something for you, click here to become a member.  

Habitat Youth Leadership Project

AMP is going to have a giant presence this year at the Habitat Youth Conference. Participants are bringing scrap wood from their previous Habitat projects for a structure we will be building in the main ballroom of the Marriott during the three-day event in Indianapolis. In 2008, Ellen participated in the Carter Work Project in Biloxi, kicking off the AMP tribute to Habitat by collecting signed building scraps from every house built during the week. Now, three years later, we have received pieces from Habitat volunteers on projects across the country and around the world. With help from all the students attending the November conference, we are going to make the template for Habitat's section in the mural.

GFWC Watches are piling up

The watches keep coming; we're starting to worry about the structural integrity of the studio floor. 

So many women have made a day of visiting the AMP mill to see our exhibits there, including a small version of the watch piece. Especially impressive was the group of women who came on August 4th, all the way from New Jersey. I hope everyone who attended the convention in June and saw the watch piece we sent to Milwaukee is convinced of how fabulous this whole thing is going to be.

We are headed for DC to work on a project with students in grades 4-12. This fall, one school from each of the eight wards - over 1000 kids - will work on a piece that honors everyone in government jobs, from postal workers and teachers to NASA employees, military personnel, and politicians.

As a finish for the project in May, the eight schools will gather on the DC Mall with teachers, families, and friends to celebrate the completion of the piece. In our next newsletter, we will have the date set for the final day. We would love to see any AMP supporters from close by - or the New Jersey area. This could be the biggest event we've had so far on the project.

Teachers' Day at the Winsted Mill in October

AMP will host its second Teachers' Day at the mill this fall. Last year we initiated this idea with a group of awesome teachers. Their ideas and suggestions have influenced much of our discussion about curriculums and program development these past nine months. Reply to this email if you and your colleagues are interested in joining us! 

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: Frank Finch, Jim Garfield, Ellen Griesedieck,
Joe Griesedieck, Susan Lane, Thad Meyerriecks, Gayle Moraski, Sam Posey,

Mark Ronaldes, JoAnn Ryan, Rosellen Schnurr, David Stack, John Whitman
Founding Board: Huyler Held, Ivan Kronenfeld, Paul Newman (1925-2008),  

Mehmet Oz, Peter Philip, Ileene Smith Sobel, Frank Stella

PO Box 538 · 100 Whiting Street · Winsted, CT 06098 · (860) 379-3006
www.americanmuralproject.org