American Mural Project Invites All Ages to Enjoy Creative Fun Together at Family Days

Press release

Winsted, CT...American Mural Project (AMP) welcomes all ages to enjoy creative and interactive Family Days on the second Saturday afternoon of the month. These educational and fun programs feature a variety of opportunities for families to learn, play, create and explore at the home of the world's largest indoor collaborative work of art! Adults and kids can work alongside one another on art projects while teens and tweens can freestyle on their own projects in the simultaneous Teen Art Studio. AMP is located at 90 Whiting Street in Winsted, CT.

The next three Family Days include opportunities to try 3D storytelling, fun with lasers, and rib-tickling comedy improv. Each Family Day program is free for children and their accompanying parents or caregivers. Free admission includes all Family Day materials and a chance to explore AMP's five-story mural celebrating the role of work in our lives from three viewing levels. Advance reservations are recommended, but not required. To find more information and make reservations, please visit AmericanMuralProject.org/family-days.

Family Days are concurrent with AMP’s popular Teen Art Studio (ages 13 to 18). In this creative artspace, teens explore artistic mediums together and individually, led by a teaching artist. Teen Art Studio has a materials fee of $5. Materials are included with an AMP Annual Student Pass for $25. Teen Art Studio runs from 10:30am to 1:30pm. Due to its popularity, advance reservations are recommended. AmericanMuralProject.org/teen-art-studio.

Each Family Day runs from 10:30am to 5pm. Participants are welcome to drop in at a time that works best for their schedule, with an invitation to stay and explore everything AMP has to offer until close. Doors open at 10am. Teen Art Studio begins at 10:30am and runs through 1:30pm. There is a story time and craft activity for younger children at 11am. Families can enjoy Art & Explore time from 12pm to 1:30pm with a scavenger hunt, “Spot the Object,” a guided tour of the mural, art activities and a book nook. At 1:30pm, there is an interactive, all-ages activity led by a special guest as detailed below.

Tell a Story in 3D!
Saturday October 11 at 1:30-2:30pm

Three reasons why AMP’s mural is awesome: 1) the artwork was created collaboratively, 2) it tells a story, and 3) it’s told in three dimensions! Now you and your gang can make awesome art together that tells a story in 3D - no special glasses necessary! Participants will build colorful 3D creations together and then bring their artwork to life through stories. Let your imagination run wild by mashing up your original art with others to make whole worlds, characters, and fantastic plot twists! This original and popular hands-on program was developed by multimedia artist and educator Gerald Moore, who will lead this program at AMP.


OH ZAP! Fun with Lasers
Saturday, November 8 – 1:30-2:30pm

As anyone who has ever seen Star Wars knows, lasers can be a blast! But did you know that lasers can be used in a variety of ways to make cool things? Steve Longpre from the Northwest Community Housing and Innovation Center will talk about how lasers are used for engraving, cutting, printing and scanning. Activities will include engraving a keychain of your very own and creating Thanksgiving-themed fridge magnets made with colored markers and laser-cut parts. This Family Day is an educational way for families to get laser-focused on how technology and manufacturing can be fun and creative!

Funny Business: Improv Comedy
Saturday, December 13 at 1:30-2:30pm

A visit to AMP is always a great opportunity to get creative and collaborate...and it can also be FUNNY! This interactive, all-ages program led by Music Theatre of Connecticut's Deb Holleran will teach you the basics of improvisational comedy via interactive games and activities that make it easy for everyone to join in at their own pace. Improv comedy sharpens great skills: listening, teamwork, and saying “yes” to new ideas. Best of all, we can always use a good laugh!

AMP’s Family Days are supported by the generosity of the Comis Foundation and Torrington Savings Bank. The Teen Art Studio is made possible in part by the Torrington Savings Bank Foundation.

About the American Mural Project

The American Mural Project (AMP) seeks to inspire, to invite collaboration, and to reveal to people of all ages the many contributions they can make to American culture. A celebration of American ingenuity, productivity, and commitment to work, the project is intended as a tribute and a challenge.

Founded in 2001, AMP is a nonprofit organization focused on honoring work by giving dignity to the American worker and initiative to kids. At its center is the creation of the largest indoor collaborative artwork in the world—a three-dimensional mural 120 feet long and five stories high. Nothing like it exists in the world. AMP offers a wide variety of performances, lectures, education programs, tours, and more. For more information, visit AmericanMuralProject.org.

AMP’s Principal Sponsors include the Comis Foundation, The Diebold Foundation, William H. Pitt Foundation, Northwest CT Community Foundation, Northwest Community Bank, Scope Construction, Hartford Healthcare; and The Connecticut Office of the Arts, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).