Wynn begins work at American Mural Project

Former director of arts council now leads Winsted group

WINSTED — Artistic accomplishment and social awareness are blended together in the nearly completed American Mural Project.

“We are all taking the same approach to learning. We are not directing students; we are helping them imagine what they would like to create,” said Amy Wynn, the organization’s first executive director.

She is weeks into her new job, which was created specifically for someone with Wynn’s leadership skills in art administration. The project’s executives recruited her for the position, she said.

For 15 years, Wynn led the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council in the same role. She said the two positions have some similarities, but the mural project is planning far into the future.

“We want to create a good foundation for the institution that lasts long after we are gone,” Wynn said. “I’m weaving together a team, as the administrator.”

“We are thrilled to have Amy join us at this pivotal moment in our growth,” Ellen Griesedieck, the founder of the project, wrote in a statement. “With construction wrapping up in a few weeks, Amy will be overseeing all aspects of the organization as we begin to install the mural and prepare to open to the public.”

She launched the project in 2002 with the aim of “creating the largest indoor collaborative artwork in the world — a mural 120 feet long, 48 feet high, and up to 10 feet deep,” the website states.

As she began to plan the project, Griesedieck decided to invite students to help create the mural, according to the organization. To that end, more than 10,000 students from 17 states have participated in building the mammoth structure.

From Connecticut to Colorado and Maine to Minnesota, students have contributed to the mural, the website notes.

With the completion of the decadeslong project in sight, supporters are invited to gather from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday for the “Art of Work Gala.” The event will be held in the former factory building at 100 Whiting St. in Winsted, where the mural is being constructed.

“Help us celebrate the moment we have anticipated for almost two decades ... in the giant new space that will be home to the American Mural Project,” the invitation reads.

The mural will be “installed so it can be viewed from any level or angle,” Wynn said. “You can literally walk through the mural.”

“Nothing describes what it looks like unless you go inside,” said board member Joann Ryan, President & CEO Northwest CT Chamber of Commerce. “It’s extraordinary.”

Ryan noted that Griesedieck is a “phenomenal artist. She did all of the labels for (Paul) Newman’s products.”

To learn more, visit american murual project.org.

Contributed photos The American Mural Project will celebrate the nearly completed mammoth mural with its annual “Art of Work Gala” on Saturday in its newly renovated mill building in Winsted. Wynn, left, will be among the guests at the event.

Amy Wynn has the same job title but a different job as the executive director of the American Mural Project in Winsted.