American Mural Project Announces A TRIBUTE TO AMERICAN WORKERS

American Mural Project announced today A Tribute to American Workers, a virtual event featuring actor and educator Geoffrey Owens (The Cosby Show and Tyler Perry's The Haves and the Have Nots) and award-winning radio journalist John Dankosky. The program, to be held on April 28 at 8pm EST, will feature Owens and Dankosky in conversation with AMP Founder and Artistic Director Ellen Griesedieck, a never-before-seen drone tour of AMP's sprawling mural, a special musical performance by world-renowned singer Theresa Thomason, and a few additional surprises.

Access to the one-hour streaming event is open to all, with a suggested donation of $20 (all proceeds will benefit the American Mural Project and its education programs). Tickets can be secured at AmericanMuralProject.org. Sponsorships and the opportunity to attend the intimate taping of A Tribute to American Workers with Owens and Dankosky on April 10 are available, with more information found on the website. A Tribute to American Workers is sponsored by Assured Partners, CHUBB, Torrington Savings Bank, and William Perotti and Sons.

AMP Executive Director Amy Wynn states, "The pandemic has brought a tremendous focus on the importance of work to our nation and our well-being. Building on AMP's mission to honor workers, this virtual event will highlight the importance of all types of work. We're thrilled to welcome Geoffrey Owens, who helped launch a national conversation on the dignity of work. We're equally delighted to have the singular John Dankosky lead the conversation with Owens and AMP's founder Ellen Griesedieck."

In 2018, Geoffrey Owens was in the midst of doing what millions of Americans do every day; he was working at his job. While Owens was bagging groceries at Trader Joe's, a customer snapped his photo and sent it to the New York Daily News. Owens, a series regular on a blockbuster television show, Founder/Artistic Director of The Brooklyn Shakespeare Company and a Yale graduate, was doing what he needed to do to make ends meet. The resulting news coverage and social media frenzy inspired a national reckoning on job-shaming. It also created an opportunity for Owens to spotlight the role and importance of work in our lives with his Instagram show, Shift Happens.

Perhaps best known for his five-year tenure on The Cosby Show, Geoffrey Owens is a distinguished actor who has appeared in film (Wilde Salome under the direction of Al Pacino, The Paper, among others), television (HBO's Divorce, Medium, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, among others), on Broadway (Romeo and Juliet opposite Orlando Bloom), and on Off-Broadway and regional stages across the United States. He is also a highly sought-after director and theatre educator who has taught acting at his alma mater, Yale University.

John Dankosky is a journalist and radio host who has worked in nonprofit journalism for more than 30 years. He is director of multi-platform content for The Connecticut Mirror, where he hosts the podcast Steady Habits. You can hear him as the regular fill-in host for the WNYC Studios program Science Friday in New York, where he also works on news and special radio projects. He most recently worked as a host and editor for America Amplified, a national election project. Previously, Dankosky was executive editor of the New England News Collaborative and the host of NEXT, a weekly program about New England. He also appeared weekly on The Wheelhouse, WNPR's news roundtable program. Dankosky was vice president of news for Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network, and host of Where We Live. He has worked as an editor at NPR in Washington, and reported for NPR and other national outlets on a variety of subjects.

Theresa Thomason is a renowned gospel singer and versatile performer whose vibrant and powerful voice has inspired audiences around the world. For over 10 years, Theresa has toured Europe with gospel groups and with her show, Sister Act, playing in over a thousand sold-out theaters, halls and churches in more than 150 European cities. She has performed live at the United Nations for the Dalai Lama and is a featured artist with the Paul Winter Consort at the annual Solstice, Missa Gaia and Earth Mass celebrations at St. John the Divine, in New York City.

Launched in 2001 by artist Ellen Griesedieck, the American Mural Project (AMP) is creating the largest indoor collaborative artwork in the world-a three-dimensional mural 120-feet long and five stories high. The mural is a tribute to American workers and highlights what has defined the country over the last century. It seeks to inspire, to educate, to invite collaboration, and to reveal to people of all ages the many contributions they can make to American culture. Nothing like it exists in the world. More than 15,000 children and adults have helped create pieces of the mural, which will be housed in one of two former mill buildings on the AMP campus on Whiting Street in Winsted, Connecticut. Scope Construction finished Phase 1 renovations on the mural building in fall 2018, and the lengthy process of assembling and installing the mural is nearing completion. The next phase of renovations is expected to finish by early 2022. Programming is currently offered for schools and teachers, after-school partnerships, summer enrichment sessions, and an apprentice-style internship program.

To learn more, visit AmericanMuralProject.org.

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