New London — Eighth grade students from Interdistrict School for Arts & Communication in New London visited the new mural at Fulton Park on Wednesday.

During the field trip, the students met with artist Marvin Espy and added their own touches by coloring the steps with chalk and writing quotes and names that are important to them. Some of the quotes were from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and students chose the names of George Floyd, who was killed by Minneapolis police in 2020, and others important to the Black Lives Matter movement.

The New London Sister Mural has a theme of "Navigation & Safety" and will feature three figures from various times throughout New London's history. It is part of an ongoing project by the nonprofit Public Art for Racial Justice Education, or PARJE, which is based in Old Lyme. The project will install five murals, in Old Lyme, New London, Old Saybrook, Norwich and East Lyme, to transform public spaces with an emphasis on history and education.

The mural at Fulton Park, which is off of Water Street at Crystal Avenue, will be officially unveiled during an event featuring remarks, music and history at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 22.