Greeneville mural of village landmarks taking shape
Norwich — Volunteers wielding paint rollers, brushes and paint cans were dodging cars, utility trucks and even an occasional freight train Friday to transform the exterior walls of Quercia Auto Repair at 499 N. Main St. into a colorful mural depicting Greeneville's history, scenic river and hopeful future.
The Greeneville Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee and Murals by Faith are collaborating in a project to create an attractive gateway into the historic mill village at the junction of North Main and Eighth streets.
Mural projects started three years ago in Norwich, when a 24-hour mural effort painted a scene of a blooming rose splashed with water on the side wall of what is now Chestnut Street Playhouse on Chestnut Street.
Unlike that project, volunteers on the Greeneville mural, funded through grants and donations, will work Thursdays and Fridays, weather permitting, “until it's done,” said Tariko Satterfield, a volunteer.
“What a blessing it is to be out here working for the community,” he said, leaning on the long extension handle of his roller.
The side wall of Quercia Auto Repair will depict the Greeneville dam, with a great blue heron flying above and a few fish making their way up the river to the dam's fish elevator, which is operated by Norwich Public Utilities.
Inserted into the dam scene on the side and rear walls will be several Greeneville landmarks past and present, including St. Mary's Church, the former Greeneville School and the Greeneville fire station.
“It's really about welcoming people into what we've been and what we are,” mural designer and artist Faith Satterfield said.
By midday Friday, the image of the dam and flowing water started to emerge. The design has evolved, Faith Satterfield said, based on the paint colors donated by local stores, including A.P. Savage Supply, a few blocks away in Greeneville.
Artists Faith Satterfield, Carrie-Anne Palazzo and Suzanne Boada will coordinate the volunteers, who are asked to sign up for blocks of time at the website, www.GreenevilleMural.com/volunteer.
Painting is scheduled to take place from 10:30 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays.
John Quercia, owner of Quercia Auto Repair, said he was approached about a year ago by the Greeneville Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee about painting the exterior wall of his building.
Quercia said he had planned to remove graffiti and paint the wall — but not with a mural — and welcomed the project.
He gave the group “a clean canvas” by removing the graffiti and painting a base layer on the back wall.
Quercia hopes people will respect and appreciate the work.
The group obtained a grant for $1,175 from Mayor Deberey Hinchey's Norwich Creates Arts Collaborative initiative, funded through the Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition and donations. More donations of materials came from local businesses.
The website also has a crowd-funding link for donations with a goal to raise $7,500, Faith Satterfield said.
Zechariah Stover, vice chairman of the Greeneville Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee, said about 10 volunteers worked on the project Thursday and five came on Friday morning.
Committee members actually started prepping the walls on Tuesday, he said, to get a head start.
“I've been watching you guys all week,” a motorist shouted Friday as he waited for the red light to turn on Eighth Street. “I love it! Have a good day.”
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