Large crowd gathers for MLK Jr. mural reveal

Posted By: David Fortier July 15, 2022

The reveal of the mural honoring the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. drew over a hundred people to the New England Carousel Museum, directly across from Primo Press, last evening.

Among the speakers was Joseph Hudson Jr., the brother of the late Barbara Hudson, who resided in Bristol and was a nationally recognized art lecturer. Hudson graduated from Bristol Eastern High School in 1960 before obtaining a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

Joseph Hudson Jr. was one of the speakers at the official reveal of the MLK Jr. mural, which featured his late sister, Barbara. Photo | Mel Bee
Joseph Hudson Jr., rear, poses with members of the Hudson family in front of the mural honoring the life of Barbara. Photo | Mel Bee

Hudson was the executive director of the Amistad Foundation of the Wadsworth Atheneum and was nationally recognized as a curator of African American Art. Among her projects was a proposal for recognizing a Black historical district in Bristol.

Also addressing the crowd were Mayor Jeffrey Caggiano and former council member Scott Rosado of Primo Press, upon whose building the mural appears.

The MLK Mural is titled “Infinite Hope” in an homage to the famous Martin Luther King, Jr. quote “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.”

Mural artist Micaela Levesque, center, was in attendance. Photo | Mel Bee
The New England Carousel Museum, background, provided the grounds for the celebration. Photo | Mel Bee

Artist Micaela Levesque was chosen to paint the mural after her completion of the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Women’s Empowerment Mural on Market Street in Hartford.

The public mural is part of the MLK 39 initiative by the group RiseUp, who are partnering with 39 Connecticut communities to create 39 murals: one for each year of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life.

Event sponsor Bristol Parks, Recreation, Youth and Community Serivces set up a canvas for children to try their hand at a mural of their own. Photo | Mel Bee
More children try their hand at a mural. Photo | Laura Bailey

The event was hosted by the City of Bristol Arts & Culture Commission, Bristol Parks, Recreation, Youth and Community Services, and Primo Press.

For more information on the MLK39 mural reveal, visit bristolct.myrec.com.

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