In the Studio
October 15, 2022
Ellen's latest project—and a super tedious one at that! She's assembling thousands of tongue depressors to create a giant sculpture that will be installed in the Ramp Gallery. You read that right! More than 4,000 tongue depressors have been painted and decorated to date, done in collaboration with HealthCorps, an organization working to eliminate health inequity and improve lives by educating and empowering teens.
In the Studio
May 28, 2022
A new batch of hand-painted t-shirts and hoodies are underway, just in time for our opening next month!
In the Studio
April 22, 2022
Work on the California collaborative project begins! Ellen is motoring along on the pieces that will create the three-dimensional aspects of the mural.
In the Studio
March 26, 2022
There’s no such thing as a small collaborative project! Ellen’s currently working on assembling the Illinois collaborative project.
In the Studio
March 13, 2022
Ellen's working on the Illinois collaborative project that was done in 2005 at Hope Meadows, a revolutionary foster-care community created by Brenda Eheart as a solution to the overwhelmed foster-care system in which she’d been working. After petitioning the Pentagon for five years, Brenda gained their permission to use the eighty homes on an abandoned Air Force base for the community that is now home to families who agreed to adopt kids who failed to make it in the regular foster-care system. Seniors also live in subsidized housing there, in exchange for six hours of weekly service in the community. The seniors have become like grandparents to the kids.
In the collaborative project with AMP, the Hope Meadows residents—children and adults together—made rubbings from objects in the community, including tree bark, house siding, garden plants, manhole covers, basketball jerseys and running shoes for Ellen to collage together into the mural.
In the Studio
February 14, 2022
First was the layout, then the ironing, and now Ellen is sewing together the indigo squares to make this massive element for the mural. Lots of labor and many types of creative work go in to each and every section of the mural.
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Work on the mural installation is made possible with the support of the Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts.
In the Studio
February 12, 2022
Ironing each and every one of the 77 indigo squares that are part of the South Carolina collaborative project!
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Work on the mural installation is made possible with the support of the Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts.
In the Studio
February 9, 2022
A bird’s-eye view of the work underway in Ellen’s studio!
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Work on the mural installation is made possible with the support of the Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts.
In the Studio
January 21, 2022
Up next: the indigo squares collaborative project from South Carolina. Can’t wait to see what Ellen does with these!
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Work on the mural installation is made possible with the support of the Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts.
In the Studio
November 4, 2021
Starting work on the Louisiana collaborative project that will be on display in the ramp gallery. With feet covered in paint, young members of the Mid City Dance Project in Baton Rouge, back in 2005, performed “The Fading Line: Commemoration of the 1953 Bus Boycott” across a large canvas, their footprints telling the story of the beginning of the civil rights movement.
In the Studio
August 31, 2021
The Energizer Bunny at work on the next sections of the mural!
In the Studio
June 4, 2021
Back to work! This time Ellen is cutting out what will be the entry to the collaborative sections of the mural that have been created by people in 17 states across the country (the remaining 33 state projects to happen in the coming years). These pieces will be displayed along the ramp gallery on the second level behind the mural. More on that soon!
In the Studio
January 5, 2021
Ellen is working on sparks for the River Rouge section of the mural, a few of the many three-dimensional pieces she'll be installing in the coming months. This one is composed of fabric, conduit, chicken wire, and resin.
Click here for our installation photo gallery.
In the Studio
November 27, 2020
A whole new stock of one-of-a-kind hoodies and t-shirts have landed at the mill, thanks to Ellen's hard work painting and numbering each and every one! Surprise your friends and loved ones with the coziest and coolest wearable art gifts this holiday season. Sizes range from youth XL to adult 2XL. Shop now!
In the Studio
September 8, 2020
This woman is nonstop! Ellen has been working on the music tribute section of the mural for the last couple weeks. Incredible to see the progress!
Moving In: Installation
April 22, 2019
More mural pieces are on the move to Winsted! You get a pretty good sense for just how BIG this is going to be when seeing the size of each individual piece. Get AMPed! Click here to see more photos of this BIG move.
In the Studio
August 25, 2018
Ellen has been working on the AMP music tribute, making giant stencils and transferring scores onto the piano. We are receiving some of the neatest letters from people in the music business with wonderful picks for this project, and Ellen wants to continue to load up on the overlapping scores, so keep the suggestions coming! Visually this is so exciting as a surface—and the letters accompanying these selections are drop-dead wonderful, all to be on display in our Visitors Center.
In the Studio
June 17, 2018
Who is that masked person? Ellen, of course, as she’s preparing the surface of the piano/music section in the mural.
In the Studio
November 5, 2017
Ellen just finished the Liberty Triangle plywood template, which serves as a cutting guide for the marble. The actual marble colors--three in total--will be very close in contrast.
In the Studio
Ocotober 18, 2017
Ellen is working on the next piece of the mural, creating the pattern for the liberty section.
