AMERICA250
Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of a Living
In 2026, American Mural Project observes the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This multi-part program explores how work has shaped our national consciousness and Connecticut communities across history through personal storytelling workshops, live performance, film screenings, exhibits, and lectures. Together, these programs engage participants in remembering pivotal events, amplifying personal stories, and sparking dialogue about how labor continues to shape American culture and civic life today.
History After Hours
Inundated: Connecticut’s Great Flood of 1955
Friday, August 7 | 5-7 pm
FILM, TALK, and EXHIBIT
Learn about the devastating 1955 flood and its profound impact on workers, industries, and communities in the northwest corner of Connecticut. The program features a documentary film screening and talk by historian Hamish Lutris. Additionally, a month-long exhibit of photographs and artifacts on display from area historical societies and libraries invites audiences to consider how environmental events shape the nature of work and resilience.
Part of American Mural Project’s America250 programming, supported by CT Humanities and America250 | Connecticut Affiliate.
You are invited to the opening reception of “Making his Mark in Connecticut: The Creative Process of F. Luis Mora.” To commemorate the U.S. Semiquincentennial, the HMA presents this exhibition, which explores the themes of the America 250 | CT Commission through the lens of an Uruguayan-born artist who settled in Gaylordsville, CT. Featuring never-before-seen preparatory drawings alongside finished paintings, this exhibition tells the origin story of the first Hispanic member of the National Academy of Design and his legacy in his adopted state.
This exhibition is curated by Dr. Cynthia Roznoy with key loans from the collection of Benjamin Ortiz and Victor P. Torchia, Jr. and George Wall. The exhibition also includes loans from major museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Yale University Art Gallery, the Mattatuck Museum, the Florence Griswold Museum, the Georgia Museum of Art, and the Rockwell Museum.
Free and open to the public; light refreshments served.
This project is supported by funding through CT Humanities, the Wyeth Foundation for American Art, and America 250 | CT. Special thanks to lead donor, Elizabeth Fray.
Held the fourth Friday of the month from 5pm to 7pm, AMP’s Happy Hour Piano Series features a captivating pianist performing in a variety of styles including jazz, blues, pop, classical, and more. It can be a relaxed hang with friends or an intimate evening out.
Reserve your $8 tickets in advance or $12 at the door.
AMP’s regular Friday exhibit hours are extended for the Happy Hour Piano Series, 5–7pm. The doors and bar open at 5pm. Live music begins at 5:30pm.
Paula Bradley
Friday, August 28 | 5-7pm
Doors/Bar: 5pm | Music: 5:30pm
A West Virginia-born multi-instrumentalist residing in the Berkshires, Paula has been involved in roots music for decades. Known for her strong, spirited vocals, she has toured (on banjo) with old-time darlings “Uncle Earl”; with old-time powerhouse Bruce Molsky (on guitar and banjo uke); and recorded and toured with Tony Trischka (piano, guitar) and Bruce as part of the acoustic roots trio “Jawbone”. She was also a founding member of the popular New England honkytonk combo (on piano) “Girl Howdy,” and with her late husband, Bill Dillof, “Moonshine Holler.” Currently, she also leads her own popular juke joint swing combo “Miss Paula & The Twangbusters” which features her ivory ticklin’, mixing blues, boogie and swing into the band’s potent honky tonk musical cocktail.
The Happy Hour Piano Series is supported in part by the Greenberg family.
Come ready to make art, try new things, and connect with a community of teen creatives.
PROGRAM 1
For Ages 13 – 18:
Teen Art Workshop: Oil Painting 1
Saturday, October 17
10:30am–1:30 pm
Building on the success of last year’s popular oil painting workshop, this program introduces participants to the history and continuing relevance of oil painting as both an art form and a profession. Participants will explore how oil painting evolved from a skilled trade learned through apprenticeship into a diverse modern industry, from fine art to commercial works created for homes, hotels, and businesses. The program also highlights contemporary opportunities for artists, including innovative collaborations like the fully oil-painted film Loving Vincent, demonstrating how traditional artistic techniques continue to find new applications today.
Suggested donation is $20, but all teens are welcome regardless of ability to pay. TAW is open to all skill levels.
PROGRAM 2
For Ages 10-13:
Tween Art Workshop: Portrait Collage
Saturday, October 17
2–5pm
Let your tween’s creativity take center stage. In this hands-on workshop, young artists will create a unique mixed-media portrait collage using photos, colorful papers, patterns, textures, and creative embellishments. We’ll explore portrait-making in a fun way while encouraging each artist to experiment, express their personality, and make the project truly their own. No prior art experience is needed — just bring your imagination!
Suggested donation is $20, but all tweens are welcome regardless of ability to pay.
Clarinetist Chadwick Thomas and pianist Yujin Lee present a concert inspired by the Friends and Enemies of Modern Music, a society founded by celebrated Wadsworth Director Arthur Everett “Chick” Austin, Jr. (1900–1957) that sponsored performances by pioneering modern composers in Hartford in the 1930s. Before the performance, drop by the galleries to view Staging Modernism: How the Wadsworth Made America Modern.
Free with museum admission.
Supported by the Saunders Foundation Endowment for Music and the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation Fund at The Wadsworth.
The celebration continues along the riverfront with the City of Hartford, East Hartford, and West Hartford. Enjoy live performances, local vendors, family activities, and a vibrant public celebration of freedom and unity.
Free admission | Mortensen Riverfront Plaza (Hartford and East Hartford).
Courtesy of The Hartford, and The Amistad Center for Art & Culture.
Persona poems are written from the perspective of someone or something else—a historical figure, an animal, a personified object, a fictional character, someone in a photo—using “I” to give voice and understanding to a different being and inspire exploration into emotions, ideas, possibilities and experiences beyond the poet’s own.
Using AMP’s extraordinary mural as muse, participants are invited to stretch their imaginations and explore the potential of others. We’ll warm-up with a viewing/discussion of three incredible examples of persona poetry to help inspire our writing and our pens, and then dive into writing our own pieces. There will be time at the end for sharing out loud.
Registration fee includes the workshop and admission to AMP. Participants are invited to tour the exhibit before or after the workshop. Coffee, tea, and snacks will be provided, and participants are free to bring their own beverage and food if desired. Please bring a pen/pencil and notebook.
Elizabeth Thomas is a published writer, performer and educator who designs and teaches creative writing programs for all ages. The author of two poetry collections and a book on writing, she has been an outstanding advocate of youth in the arts, she is a Master Teaching Artist for The Bushnell and has presented workshops for Capitol Region Educational Council, New England Association of Teachers of English, Florida and Georgia Teacher’s Council, Florida Literacy Coalition and taught Poetry as Theater in United Arab Emirates. For many years, Elizabeth served as coach and organizer with Brave New Voices: International Youth Poetry Slam and Festival.
The Center for Contemporary Printmaking invites you to celebrate the opening of the 10th Biennial FOOTPRINT International Competition on Sunday, June 7, 2026, from 2–4 PM. Join us for an afternoon of drinks, lite bites, and conversation with several of the artists featured in this dynamic international exhibition. Juried by Dr. Amé Bell, the exhibition highlights contemporary innovation in printmaking from artists around the world.
The Biennial FOOTPRINT International Competition showcases current trends in contemporary printmaking within the unique constraint of the one square foot (12” x 12”) format. Though now embraced by contemporary artists, the square composition was historically uncommon in art and presents distinct creative challenges in balance, structure, and visual expression. Within these precise dimensions, artists are challenged to create compelling and original works that push the boundaries of printmaking.
All fine-art printmaking mediums are represented in the exhibition, including woodcut, intaglio, lithography, screenprint, monotype, and original digital media. For the 2026 competition, Dr. Bell reviewed 360 submissions from artists across the globe and selected 90 prints for inclusion in the exhibition.
Join us on Saturday, June 13, from 1–3 PM for a FREE Screenprinting Summer Sampler Session at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking! Perfect for beginners, families, and curious creatives, this hands-on workshop offers a fun introduction to the art of screenprinting. Open to all ages and experience levels, participants under 14 must attend with an adult.
We will be printing pre-designed images on paper, but if you would like to bring your own t-shirt, bandana, tote bag, or other fabric item, we will help you print our design onto that as well!
All materials are provided, and you’ll leave with a unique handmade print in just minutes!
LIVE @AMP
Our LIVE @AMP series offers intimate musical performances against a huge, colorful backdrop. With its five-story mural and multiple viewing platforms, Connecticut’s most unique art space is also the Nutmeg State’s coolest concert space. Whether it’s an evening of jazz, rock, folk or R&B, Live @AMP is a stellar night opportunity to vibe out with fellow music-lovers, award-winning musicians and vocalists in an unparalleled setting.
Women Take the Lead
This year’s LIVE @AMP lineup puts the spotlight on women artists who bring a diverse array of styles and artistry to vibrant life.
Riley Cotton and the Tin Men
Saturday, June 6
Doors: 7pm | Show: 8pm
Riley Cotton is a Texas-born, Connecticut-based singer-songwriter known for her Americana and folk-infused music that often blends classic country storytelling with themes of identity, love, loss, and longing. She is praised for her old-school songwriting and has released music including the full-length album A House With Blue Siding (2022) and the EP Falling of the Fervor (2024).
The Venue
AMP offers a one-of-a-kind experience for concertgoers, providing tickets with access to all levels to mingle, dance, and take in the entire sweep of the grand art of work mural—plus balcony seating. The venue’s innovative approach bridges music and visual art, making it a standout destination in Northwestern Connecticut.