Milford Celebrates Mural’s Unveiling With Programs, Film

In 1940, a mural funded by the Works Progress Administration was installed at Milford’s Central Grammar School. In 1986, the school was demolished. Bill Meddick, of Milford Arts Center, and Frank Vespi, of the town’s board of education, rescued a 4-foot-by-6-foot portion of the mural before the wrecking ball hit.

The mural, called “We Shall Pass This Way But Once,” featured images of schoolchildren, as well as an image of Plymouth Church, which was demolished in the 1950s. It was designed by Louis Agostini and painted by Frank Rutkoski.

In a few days, the restored mural will be unveiled in a ceremony that will be accompanied by several free events in town. The unveiling will take place on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 6:30 p.m. at the town’s library, 57 New Haven Ave. It will be installed there permanently.

On Saturday, Oct. 1, at 2 p.m., the library will explain the WPA arts program with a film screening of “Enough to Live On: The Arts of the WPA.” The documentary was made by Connecticut filmmakers Michael Maglaras and Terri Templeton.

On Monday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m., Hamish Lutris, an associate professor at Housatonic Community College, will discuss “The WPA and the Civilian Conservation Corps.”

The WPA was a New Deal agency created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935 to employ out-of-work artists to produce artwork for public properties. In Connecticut, 160 artists created more than 5,000 pieces of WPA art. Details: 203-878-6647.