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Crunch
time
for MLK
mural
Get your surveys in!
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
It’s all gotten very real for those involved locally with the MLK Mural project for northeastern Connecticut.
The Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center recently agreed to provide the “host wall” for the 12 foot by 48 foot Martin Luther King Jr. mural. Amanda Kelly, executive director for the Y, said the Hale YMCA will be hosting the mural for the first “three years, at the least.” The mural is designed in panels which can be moved.
With that nailed down, the next order of business is for the community to let the committee know what they believe King’s message means to this northeast corner. Each of the 39 planned murals in Connecticut will reflect the area it is installed in. Matt Conway, executive director for RiseUp for Arts, said the 39 murals represent the 39 years that King lived.
Emida Roller, who heads mural creation effort, asked that those answering the survey on what Martin Luther King Jr. means to this area please respond within the next seven to 10 days.
The link for the survey:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfs39Lh7V-P02fJtrGIFNFREmKGe9F1scYq2CUJm UYhxirr7w/viewform
Following that, she said, the creation/painting will begin. She said the panels are done on Polytab, a non-woven fabric that will be adhered to aluminum panels. Those will be screwed into the tallest section of the YMCA.
She said that the panels should last 20 to 30 years.
When it’s painting time, she’ll be looking for help from the community. She plans to have at least two “community paint days” at the Hale YMCA.
On the funding side, Dot Burnworth said large and small donations are being sought to match the $15,000 grant from RiseUp. She said almost $10,000 has been raised and Jewett City Savings Bank this week pledged up to $3,000 in matching funds. “Diversity is celebrated here. That’s what I love about where I live,” she said. “We celebrate diversity and equality.”
To make a contribution … the Go Fund Me link is:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/putnams-mlk39-diversity-and-equity-mural
Organizers are looking to have it completed in April.