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caption:
Ri' Niyah Couillard, 10, of Danielson was one of the volunteer painters at the Hale YMCA --- and she was one of the models depicted in the mural. More photos on page 6. Linda Lemmon photo.
captions, page 6:
clockwise from top left:
Elaine Turner
Judy Hansen
Emida Roller
Emida Roller, Amanda Kelly and (front) Ri' Niyah Couillard
Tools of the trade
The Prudence Crandall panel
bottom caption:
Mural Design
This is what the Quiet Corner's MLK39 mural will look like. On the left are two local heroes of days past: Prudence Crandall and Sarah Harris. The children with the book beneath them are local children but in the 1800s, learning. The multicolored ghosts going across the whole mural represent the Underground Railroad that went through Putnam. On the right are modern local children. Eight local kids are part of the mural. Of course, Martin Luther King Jr. is in the center and local flora and butterflies also grace the mural.
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
Many hands make light work — and they also make beautiful meaningful artwork.
Case in point: Last week dozens of volunteer painters came to the Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center to help paint the MLK39 Racial Equity Mural that will grace the side of the Hale YMCA this summer.
Renowned local muralist Emida Roller, using the huge response from a survey of the residents of northeastern Connecticut, drew up this design for the MLK39 Racial Equity Mural. Roller sketched the design on 15 large Polytab sections and the artists got to work at the Hale Y.
Using the survey results, Roller’s design includes Prudence Crandall, Sarah Harris, local children, the Underground Railroad (which went through Putnam), local flora, MLK and more. It is a completely local representation of what Martin Luther King Jr. and his dream meant to the Quiet Corner.
After the second volunteer paint day, which is set for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 6 at QVCC in the entry space next to the art gallery, Roller said she will bring the completed panels back to her studio to “finesse it to unite the work of a 100 people and give it its final look. The 15 Polytab panels will be adhered to the aluminum panels. The 12x40 ft. mural will be finished with a few layers of topcoat and installed in time for the unveiling - June 19.” (Juneteenth). The panels are removable.
Amanda Kelly, executive director of the Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center, said the Y “was thrilled” to host the first community paint day. “We had approximately 50 children and adults from the community join us throughout the day to be a part of the process. Emida made the things so simple that everyone was able to participate. Our youngest painter that day was 2 years old! The mural is beautiful and such a powerful message of Dr. King’s vision. It celebrates our local civil rights history with Prudence Crandall and Sarah Harris being featured. And I love how Emida incorporated the faces of the local children from the YMCA programs and community in the mural. We are honored to be a part of the project and the chosen location to feature this beautiful mural.”
The YMCA has committed to displaying the mural for a minimum of two years.
Elaine Turner, Art Guild community liaison, said the project started last year when Putnam agreed to be a potential site for Rise Up for the Arts MLK mural project.
Turner recommended Roller to the steering committee (which is under the chairmanship of Dot Burnworth of Sawmill Pottery) and Roller was accepted for the Putnam mural as well as two other MLK murals in Connecticut, she said. She added that the community raised all the funds needed as the state ran out of matching funds.
Turner added: “Emida bears the brunt of the work, designing, preparing the Polytab, outlining the artwork, mixing the paint, and giving out the tasks. People from all area towns showed up, some professional artists, adventurers, students, parents, nurses and teachers. The idea of living in unity is fully expressed in a creative project such as this where people of all cultures work side by side.”
Roller added: “I’m so excited to have had this opportunity to meet and paint with the community of Putnam. Some stayed for 5 hours and other were there for 30 mins.
Both young and old participants enjoyed painting parts of the mural. When I asked how people were doing, they often said they were enjoying the process of applying the paint. ‘It’s so calming’. ‘I’m enjoying myself’. ‘I needed a break from studying for a test’. ‘I can do this forever’. ‘This is going to be amazing’.
Yes it is.
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