OLD LYME — On Wednesday, April 27, the newly-created ‘Welcome’ mural at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School (LOLMS) will be revealed to the community at a ceremony in the school’s auditorium beginning at 1:30 p.m. and lasting around 30 minutes.
All are welcome to attend the ceremony and then view the mural after its official ‘reveal.’ Members of the public attending the ceremony are requested to check-in at the LOLMS office to obtain a ‘Visitor’ sticker prior to going to the auditorium.
The mural is part of the Sister Murals Project sponsored by Public Art for Racial Justice Education (PARJE), which was officially launched March 1, 2021. The primary mission of PARJE is to utilize the broad appeal of art and education to confront racial injustice.
One mural has already been unveiled in Norwich and now murals are being worked on concurrently in Old Lyme and New London.
The lead artists for the Old Lyme mural is Jasmine Oyola-Blumenthal, who is an alumna of Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts
The Old Lyme Sister Mural is being installed inside Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, adjacent to the gymnasium.
In addition to her role as lead artist, Oyola-Blumenthal has worked with school faculty to develop student workshops, which coordinate with the project.
Oyola-Blumenthal and her counterpart, Marvin Espy, in New London were selected from a field of nearly 20 applicants.
In her application, Oyola-Blumenthal referred to the ability of art to inspire people to talk to one another, commenting, “Art is a neutral vessel that can bring forth conversations that can be uncomfortable and promote opportunities to open dialogue on racial justice and education.”