American Mural Project to Present Storytelling, Mother's Day & Air Force Events in May
MOTH Grand Slam winner Terry Wolfisch Cole and U.S. Air Force Colonel Alton Whitley will appear at the Winsted, CT venue during Memorial Day Weekend.
American Mural Project has revealed its lineup of May 2026 events including a storytelling event hosted by MOTH Grand Slam winner Terry Wolfisch Cole, a Mother's Day Weekend program for families, and Memorial Day Weekend special events with decorated U.S. Air Force Veteran Colonel Alton Whitley, the first operational stealth pilot. May 2026 continues AMP's WORKS FOR ME! program spotlighting various fields of work with retail and service workers receiving free entry for the month.
Friday, May 1, 8, 15, 22 & 2:30pm-4:30pm
AFTER-SCHOOL TEEN ART CLUB
After a week of classes, homework and studying, who couldn't use an opportunity hang with friends and get creative? At our new After-School Teen Art Club, young artists join us to explore different media, expand skills, and be among supportive friends. Each session will highlight a different media or technique to flex your repertoire. Bring something you want to develop further or start something entirely new as you engage in critique, conversation and collaboration. A great opportunity for both the serious art student wanting to up their art game and teens wanting to try something new. Reservations not required; just drop in!
$10 materials fee; $5 with AMP student membership.
Friday, May 1 at 7pm
AMERICAN250 LIVE PERFORMANCE
SO WHAT DO YOU DO? Work Stories Live
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?" Terry Wolfisch Cole, Moth GRANDSlam champion and founder/producer of Tell Me Another storytelling events, 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.
Tickets: $25/$15 Students
Saturday, May 9
FAMILY DAY: Hey, Bud - Mom's the Word!
11am: Story Time & Craft Activity
With beloved Beardsley Children's Librarian Carol Parent
12pm: Explore AMP
Includes scavenger hunts and kid-friendly tours.
1:30pm: Interactive Program
Our May Family Day celebrates two things we love: motherhood and flowers. Our featured art activities include a crepe flower-making station, a Georgia O'Keefe-inspired tissue paper collage, and flower weaving. These make-and-take projects are all great Mother's Day gifts for mom, aunts, grandmothers, or anyone you love! Budding gardeners can also work with members of local garden clubs to get AMP's planter boxers ready for the summer.
FREE admission for families! Teen Art Studio (see below) happens concurrently with Family Day so families with children of various ages can enjoy AMP together. AMP's Family Days are supported by the generosity of the Comis Foundation and Torrington Savings Bank.
Saturday, May 9 from 10:30am to 1:30pm
TEEN ART STUDIO
A welcoming, drop-in teen art studio—where you can explore new materials, make friends, and grow as an artist. Creative exploration and community go hand in hand at Teen Art Studio for ages 13 to 18 on the second Saturday of every month. Guided by a teaching artist, you can try new materials, develop your own ideas, and connect with others in a relaxed, supportive environment.
$5 Materials Fee. Advance registration is recommended and can be made at americanmuralproject.org/teen-art-studio. Teen Art Studio is made possible in part by Torrington Savings Bank Foundation.
Friday, May 22 from 5pm to 7pm
HAPPY HOUR PIANO SERIES with Jeffrey John Boratko
Who doesn't need to unwind after the grind? AMP's popular Happy Hour Piano Series on the fourth Friday of the month eases you into the weekend with live piano music and libations in Connecticut's most unique art space.
If you're a fan of the song stylings of Elton John and Billy Joel, Jeffrey John Boratko, award winning composer, singer/songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist is gonna knock your socks off! He is the principal songwriter, lead singer, and frontman of the Jeffrey John Band. Previously his music was released under the name Streetlight Shakers (voted Connecticut's Best New Band of 2019 by CTNOW). Jeff's music has been featured and performed throughout the United States, and has reached international audiences through radio, streaming services, and live streamed performances.
Tickets are $8 and can be reserved in advance at americanmuralproject.org/piano-series. The Happy Hour Piano Series is supported in part by the Greenberg family.
Saturday, May 23
Memorial Day Weekend Special Events with U.S. Air Force Stealth Figher Colonel Alton Whitley
Colonel Alton Whitley, the first operational pilot to fly the legendary Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk a.k.a. the first combat aircraft to feature stealth technology. AMP guests will have an opportunity to meet and ask questions of a decorated combat U.S. Air Force veteran who has flown missions in Vietnam, Thailand, and Kuwait. This program is presented in collaboration with the New England Air Museum.
FAMILY FLIGHT LAB
10am-3pm
Break the fun barrier with a pilot helmet exhibit, photo ops, tours of the mural, and more. A highlight certain to accelerate the afternoon is a paper airplane contest where guests design and decorate their own paper airplanes. At 1pm, we'll let them fly with prizes in various categories. Take your pilot training up a notch with a virtual reality flight simulator from New England Air Museum for a modest additional charge.
12pm - Meet the Pilot! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for kids to meet a real-life Air Force fighter pilot! Colonel Alton Whitley (please call him “Al”) is a decorated veteran who served during the Vietnam War, took command of the 37th Fighter Wing, and deployed for Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He will tell you about his training, career, and answer your questions! If you use your eagle eyes, you might even see where AMP's Ellen Griesedieck has painted Al's stealthy plane in the mural.
Admission: $15 adults/$5 for children 18 & under/$12 seniors and veterans
AMP Talk: An Evening with USAF Colonel Alton Whitley
Talk 6pm; VIP Experience: 5pm
With a soaring mural (featuring Al piloting his F-117!) providing an epic skyline, World Affairs Council of Connecticut Executive Director Megan Torrey joins Col. Whitley and Ellen for an insightful and inspiring conversation sure to cover his high-flying experiences, education, and beyond.
VIP All-Access Experience
Guests will receive a private tour of the mural before the talk, priority seating during the program, and access to an intimate post-event reception with Al and Ellen. The reception includes a meet and greet with photo opportunity, complimentary wine/beer, a signed poster, and an additional chance to ask questions of a decorated war hero.
Admission: $85 for AMP Talk/$150 for VIP Experience
Saturday, May 30 | 12-3pm
PERSONA POETRY WORKSHOP with CT Poet Elizabeth Thomas
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. For novices and experienced writers alike.
Registration: $45/$25 for students
May 2026 WORKS FOR ME! Free AMP Admission for Retail and Service Workers
Through its giant five-story, 120-foot long mural and its accompanying audio tour (available in English and Spanish), AMP tells the story of the everyday American worker. Each month in 2026, this one-of-a-kind exhibit will be offering free admission to honor a different sector of workers who make our communities thrive. AMP's WORKS FOR ME! free admission will be extended to workers in the retail, food service, hospitality and personal aesthetics industries through the entire month of May 2026.
AMP is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 5pm and Sundays from noon to 5pm. Guests attending with workers who are receiving their respective month's WORKS FOR ME Free Admission are $15; $12 for seniors and veterans; $5 for students; free for children under 5 or over the age of 100. The English and Spanish language audio tours are included with admission. The Spanish audio tour is made possible with support from Northwest CT Community Foundation, Connecticut Office of the Arts, NBT Bank, and Globe Cleaners.
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