America 250 | Connecticut
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.
Get to Work: Telling Your Story
March 21, 2026
This daylong workshop, led by master storyteller Terry Wolfisch Cole, founder and producer of Tell Me Another events, introduces participants to the art of personal storytelling. Through lecture, writing exercises, and small-group feedback, participants learn how to choose, structure, and share their own stories of work. The day concludes with an open-mic session where participants present their stories before a supportive audience.
So What Do You Do?: Work Stories Live
May 1, 2026
Oftentimes when meeting someone new, one of the first questions asked is, "So what do you do?" Of course, the question really means "What do you do for work?" The Moth GRANDSlam champion and founder/producer of Tell Me Another storytelling events, Terry Wolfisch Cole curates an evening of live storytelling inspired by our mural: tales of the work we do, the work we've done, and what our work reveals about us. Experienced storytellers and newbies drawn from our community will create a moving, funny and unique evening certain to make us reflect on the role of work in our lives.
Films, Lectures, and Exhibits:
American Women of the American Revolution
Sunday, April 26, 2026
Sponsored and arranged by the Brooks-Green Woods DAR
Historian Hamish Lutris presents a fascinating illustrated talk on some of the women who played significant and often-hidden roles in the American Revolution. Sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution, the largest all-female volunteer organization in US.
Inundated: Connecticut's Great Flood of 1955
August 7–8, 2026
This two-day program includes a lecture and documentary film screening about the devastating 1955 flood and its profound impact on workers, industries, and communities in the northwest corner of Connecticut, and a Family Day of activities exploring flood science and engineering solutions. Additionally, a month-long exhibit of photographs and oral histories, invites audiences to consider how environmental events shape the nature of work and resilience.
Who Were The Wobblies?: Hidden Labor History
September 18, 2026
This program highlights the story of the Industrial Workers of the World (the “Wobblies”) and their seismic role in labor history. The Wobblies solicited new members among the most discriminated-against groups of the workforce: unskilled workers, non-whites, immigrants, women, and migrant workers. These working people were barred from the unions that formed the American Federation of Labor, which tended to support white, male, skilled workers. The I.W.W. hoped to to create "one big union" through which workers would own the means of production and distribution. Historian Hamish Lutris will present a lecture, along with a performance of labor songs, followed by a screening of the documentary The Wobblies.
The Civilian Conservation Corps: Putting Depression-Era Men to Work
October 17, 2026
This daylong program explores the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps, which operated twenty-one camps across Connecticut towns, state parks, and forests during the Great Depression. Historian Hamish Lutris and author Marty Podskoch will lead a lecture, film screening, and Q&A, followed by a family-friendly hike in People’s State Forest to view nearby examples of CCC workmanship firsthand. This program highlights how government initiatives transformed both the landscape and the livelihoods of workers.
