‘FISH TALES’ MURAL NEARLY FINISHED

Mailer’s colorful project will overlook Naugatuck River

TORRINGTON >> “Fish Tales,” a new mural by Danielle Mailer that has been taking shape along the banks of the Naugatuck River, will be officially unveiled to the public on Friday, Oct. 7.

A celebration of the completion of the artwork will be held at 6:45 p.m. on Franklin Street, across the river from the mural.

“Finishing touches on this 186 foot by 22 foot mural are being put in place, now that the work has been installed on the wall of the Staples building in Torrington Plaza directly above the Naugatuck River,” said Amy Wynn, executive director of the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council in a written statement announcing the Oct. 7 event. “The mural’s trout theme is a metaphor for the revitalization of a once polluted river that now, due to the Clean Water Act, is home to many fish species including trout.”

The work represents the culmination of a multi-year effort, according to Mailer.

Fundraising for the project, she said last month, began in 2013 — and has ultimately led to the entirety of the project being funded through grants, including those put forward by the Northwest Connecticut Council of the Arts and the Community Foundation

of Torrington, and private donations.

Other sources of funding, according to Wynn, included the Still Point Fund, the Connecticut Office of the Arts, and the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

A series of aluminumcoated plastic sheets were fabricated by Giordano Signs during the creation process and painted by hundreds of volunteers who ranged in age from 10 into their 80s.

Giordano Signs has since worked to install the artwork on the building wall. The project is made up of 350 to 400 individual pieces, according to Paul Gibson of Giordano Signs.

Once completed, the mural will overlook the starting point of the Naugatuck River Greenway, a trail which is eventually planned to connect downtown Torrington and Derby. Eventually, the goal will have artwork alongside the entirety of the trail, Wynn said.

City officials broke ground on construction of a portion of the greenway, set to run from Franklin Street to Bogue Road in Harwinton, in late June.

The city received a $278,000 grant from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection earlier this year for the project.

BEN LAMBERT - THE REGISTER CITIZEN The “Fish Tales” mural, created by artist Danielle Mailer, will be officially unveiled to the public next Friday, Oct. 7.

BEN LAMBERT - THE REGISTER CITIZEN The “Fish Tales” mural, created by artist Danielle Mailer, is nearing completion and will be officially unveiled next Friday, Oct. 7.