This deco inspired mural is a melding of both the legacy of and possible future of the beloved space it inhabits. A disco sun and rays of light capture a cosmic wish for abundance and joy. Featuring two mythic creatures: the unicorn — the namesake of the space — and the phoenix — a symbol of rebirth, of power, of resilience — the piece represents a coming together in a mythic, bejeweled, celebratory and flourishing way in a truly queer landscape/dreamscape.
This mural by jetsonorama is the first large scale public mural on The Ulster County Midtown Linear Park and marks the return of the artist’s work to Kingston. It features portraits of three celebrated contemporary African American poets – Mahogany L. Browne, Jennifer Falú, and t’ai freedom ford – each raising their voices in the legacy of Sojourner Truth. Mahogany L. Browne holds up a cell phone featuring a brief biography of Truth as well as a carte-de-visite portrait that the abolitionist and women’s rights leader used to support her livelihood. Upon one of these historic photographs, Truth famously wrote “I sell the shadow to support the substance.” We see that phrase repeated on the opposite end of the mural within the title of ford’s poem, which is dedicated to both Truth and conceptual artist Glenn Ligon, and see the power and resilience of Truth reflected, through the generations, in Falú‘s poem to her mother. Across three panels, the viewer is presented with an excerpt of a larger work by each poet while being confronted with the power, vision, and vulnerability of both the countenance and words of the writers standing in their truth and humanity at (literally) 20 feet tall.
Friendship Matters and Head Start were created by Grace Lang, with the assistance of Ramiro Davaro-Comas, and each features imagery created in collaboration with local children. The symbols seen in Head Start were drawn by three and four year old’s who attend three different Head Start programs around Ulster County then composed and transferred to the wall by Lang. In Friendship Matters, we find images and messages of community, compassion and care created by the 4th grade students of the nearby JFK School. During O+ weekend, those students joined the artist on site at Ulster County Community Action to assist in painting the mural they co-created as well as to participate in an act of service packing bags of food for elderly neighbors. These collaborations were made possible by the teachers at JFK School and at participating Head Start programs. Special thanks to the staff at UCCAC, especially Jasmin Mitchell and Doug Blancero.
Friendship Matters and Head Start were created by Grace Lang, with the assistance of Ramiro Davaro-Comas, and each features imagery created in collaboration with local children. The symbols seen in Head Start were drawn by three and four year old’s who attend three different Head Start programs around Ulster County then composed and transferred to the wall by Lang. In Friendship Matters, we find images and messages of community, compassion and care created by the 4th grade students of the nearby JFK School. During O+ weekend, those students joined the artist on site at Ulster County Community Action to assist in painting the mural they co-created as well as to participate in an act of service packing bags of food for elderly neighbors. These collaborations were made possible by the teachers at JFK School and at participating Head Start programs. Special thanks to the staff at UCCAC, especially Jasmin Mitchell and Doug Blancero.
In David Puck’s signature style, mixing realism with bold, playful abstraction and active mark-making, this mural features a portrait of Celeste Lecense -a Hudson Valley-based actor, author, screenwriter, and activist who is well-known for the Academy-award-winning short film Trevor. They are also the founder of both The Trevor Project and The Future Perfect Project which work to support the voices, mental health, well-being, humanity, and empowerment of LGBTQIA+ youth and have been instrumental to expanding representation, compassion, belonging, crisis support, and self-love within and towards the LGBTQIA+ community. To learn more and support these impactful organizations visit: www.thefutureperfectproject.com and www.thetrevorproject.org
Wolkowicz worked with the team at IFH to reimagine the spaces in the Pediatrics department to be more active, bright, welcoming and engaging for children of all ages. Wolkowicz responded to the shapes inside of Pediatrics, as well as outside in the urban landscape, picking up on the colors used throughout the exam rooms to bring energy, fun, rhythmic movement and a sense of discovery into the space. Through forms that are both abstract and recognizable, the pieces integrated into the waiting room and clinical areas of the department refer to cityscape, modern art, and early childhood learning all at once.
Wolkowicz worked with the team at IFH to reimagine the spaces in the Pediatrics department to be more active, bright, welcoming and engaging for children of all ages. Wolkowicz responded to the shapes inside of Pediatrics, as well as outside in the urban landscape, picking up on the colors used throughout the exam rooms to bring energy, fun, rhythmic movement and a sense of discovery into the space. Through forms that are both abstract and recognizable, the pieces integrated into the waiting room and clinical areas of the department refer to cityscape, modern art, and early childhood learning all at once.
Black Bear Dreams of the Mountain features anthropomorphic creatures playing, dancing and coexisting in a Hudson Valley inspired woodland scene. The harmony depicted in this sublime, vignetted landscape creates a clear path from childhood magic into an imagined future without the threats of habitat destruction, global warming and grinding scarcity.
Writer, artist and aerobics teacher Buddy Valentine created a pair of O+ murals that kiss across town. Buddy is also the author of “Rainbows,” the “coolest, funnest book series about fighting depression” with each individually published chapter organized around a color.
The Blooming Colors series, by Pau Quintanajornet, is a vivid reminder that life is a kaleidoscope of experiences, just like the ever-changing colors of nature. It is a spirited invitation to rejoice in the spectrum of life, to embrace the beauty of diversity, and to remember that our lives, like the petals of a flower, also bloom in unexpected and wondrous ways. The mural is a testament to the enduring beauty and hope that surrounds us, waiting to be discovered and the radiant spirit that is inherent in all of us.
