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Monday Mural Musings - from Rochester NY with love., Rochester, NY (2026)

01/12/2021

Still standing. And you? Public Market Rochester NY (Artist: Mr. Prvrt: Masked Woman - 2012) http://www.wall-therapy.com/mr-prvrt-4/

12/01/2020

Three murals and a utility box. Sounds like a line from either a Beck or Beastie Boys song.

This week's hodge-podge (defined as "confused mixture" in the most positive way) of street delights are all smooshed into the same walking span of just a few blocks. The main mural is one of those wonders; it is passed by so often with nary a glance; I have to keep myself from pointing it out to strangers I share the sidewalk with on the regular, half sticking out from behind an apartment building as it does, and if you look too quickly at its whole being you might just miss the majesty of its parts. It's a wonder of vignettes that steal my heart. In part due to its understated stance. It's not there for glory or attention. It exists for its own sake whether you notice it or not (something I empathize with during the odd existential experience that is 2020).

I often like to offer a "reveal" in sharing images and yet this time I'm offering them compartmentalized intentionally. The utility box clearly encourages that theme, if one were to look for conversations between different pieces, in addition to adding some levity, the way painted utility boxes are wont to do. I particularly get a kick out of the way this one stares so keenly at you.

11/24/2020

I was once a volunteer at a local community radio station where every hour was its own vignette if not world unto itself, and on some late nights this hypnotic man told stories that went down like coffee and succeeded in making me more awake the later the story stumbled on. A couple of months prior a friend had dared to go to the station on a Sunday afternoon to introduce herself to an amateur jazz radio-hour DJ and they began dating on the spot. So with that success story in mind on one particular evening while driving around listening to this voice that offered a classic kryptonite cocktail for a 20/30something woman in the form of a man who offers intelligence and humor mixed with despair, I decided that I'd take my chance at romance via radio as well. I marched myself down the path from the street to the building aiming on meeting the entrancing if not painfully lonely sounding soul I was smitten by, certain that it was my very own future in the balance - and not at all confident that this would be a good thing - only to find the place locked up with all lights off, because Joe Frank was syndicated from LA of course and one of the only not-at-all-locally produced radio shows whose program streamed on my small town radio station.

Back to today, or rather the present, and I hadn't realized that there was a documentary on him and so over the last few days I've been delving back into Joe Frank's work wondering how I am reacting differently to it, and to his style and approach, at this stage in my life. Tonight being a gloomy Monday evening and my mood being altered by this Frank nostalgia, I was in no state for stunning or inspiring art. It would have been lost on me. I was not feeling drawn to natural beauty or messages of empowerment or politics. Tonight I drove around a section of old industrial buildings capturing some of what I fondly refer to as "ugly art" while wallowing in my thoughts only to have the realization that I was ironically enough on the property of a community-led radio station here in Rochester - a decade or more later in both a different town and a separate state (and it follows, state of mind) from my previous reminiscence. Which had me come to the conclusion that I'm grateful that I didn't meet Joe because if he could make me this grumpy just harkening back to listening to his show I cannot imagine the influence he might have had on me in real life. On that note, it is with heartfelt intentions that I both share these images and frame them in a symbolic smudge stick scenario. Just so you aren't put in a cranky place by checking in here with me, too. Because that's not at all what I'm attempting to offer to you.

11/17/2020

“We need some creative tension; people crying out for the things they want.” – John Lewis.

*

Bold & Gritty would be a pretty good slogan for the City of Rochester, NY.

It happens to be the lifestyle brand started by Dr. Paul, MD, telling the stories of successful black men. "Because the story of every generation and every culture deserves to be told."

This resonates with me as a storyteller and as someone who always pays attention to who is telling their stories. You can find out more at Bold & Gritty. It was a pleasure to meet the unassuming David (which is how he introduced himself). If you are able to, drop by and chat with strangers who are drawn to public art in your midst. The conversations are a gift and have yet to fail to perk me up. (That was a coffee pun, for those familiar with the brand!)

*

This week's walk was long and unplanned. I just knew that I had to get in some moving and air before yesterday's "Wizard of Oz" type weather, so I strolled late on Saturday afternoon. And while there have been countless excited posts about the up and coming John Lewis tribute mural in town, of course I had to see some of the working-in-progress on my own. It is the process not just the completed piece that is inspiring!

This project is being lovingly envisioned and created by Rochester native Ephraim Gebre, along with Darrius Dennis, Daniel Harrington, Jared Diaz, and Robin Alcantara. Rochester muralist Sarah Rutherford, who mentored Gebre during his time with Roc Paint Division, the city's youth mural arts program, is also assisting. For more documenting and details check out these city art photographers / curators Quajay Donnell & , / Jon Gary (who is also a friend).

Many people latch onto and quote John Lewis' statement on making "Good Trouble", and with good reason. Still I've always been drawn to the first part of that sentiment. Where Lewis, who had been through and seen more than enough injustice in his day, directed us to remain positive. "Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime."

Art keeps me hopeful; public community art projects provide a platform for optimism. We can create together and we do inspire one another.
The paint is on the wall!

Larger story: https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2020/11/12/john-lewis-mural-downtown-rochester-ny-ephraim-gebre-i-am-mural-series/6259835002/

11/10/2020

Exhaling; and yet remaining cautious.
Feeling a strong sense of real relief while holding onto deep disappointment - in the staggering number of folk who are still supporting an anti-humanitarian/environmental agenda.
Seeking unity - although not at the price of people forgiving clear and directed acts of hatred without accountability or responsibility taken.

Yes; many of us are experiencing mixed feelings this week. Here are some of the messages one might encounter walking through the city of Rochester right now. "Be Stronger than your excuses." "Be the change you wish to see". "Black Lives Built This Country". "Rochester, NY Can of Worms". "Rochester, NY home of the Garbage Plate". "UNITE". "Everyone's Journey is Individual". "Rochester Loves Me".

11/03/2020

Yesterday I took an extended combination drive to a walk, because I couldn't quiet the jitters that I kept telling myself were the fault of too much coffee (when coffee is clearly the least of any of our problems). When I returned home I had to call my Dad to tell him how very grateful I was for all the beauty - not just in the world, but in our own little city. It was a major shift in perspective in just a couple of hours. So I'm sharing some of the highlights with you.

One of these murals from WALL THERAPY has been on my dream list to visit for over a year, now. I have attempted numerous times to get there- even posting a tribute to the Baltimore based artists http://www.jessieandkatey.com as a place holder - it seemed either impossible to locate or perhaps ephemeral and I had missed my moment to glimpse it with my own eyes. Determined to find inspiration, and loving the symbolism of "crossing that bridge" I had yet to cross, I found it wasn't such an undertaking after all. If you ask me sincerely, I will gladly take you to the secret-non-sidewalk-spot that really does exist in our mysterious and sometimes magical city. And just for kicks, I took some clicks of natural wonders native to Rochester, too.

Until we get through, enjoy the view. I hope these photos uplift you.

Here's the day's album: Monday Nov. 2 2020 - art for your heart: https://photos.app.goo.gl/T1vWeDZCUnFGPdgM9

10/13/2020

Finding balance this evening. With two murals. Two artists. Two thoughts. Two Rochester treasures. Two reasons to be proud of the spirit of this particular city.

Artists: Sarah C. Rutherford & Shawn Dunwoody

"You are strong. You are enough. You are worthy. You are not alone"

& "Life in abundance comes only through great love."

Commissioned by the The Willow Domestic Violence Center and Abundance Food Co-op.

I spent the evening at a friend's outdoor patio talking about all the jobs we've applied for over the years and haven't heard back from because the places we interviewed dismissed us once they made their decisions to move forward with someone else, as if we weren't waiting with anticipation to hear if we'd have a new experience and opportunity in our lives. As if we weren't second or third or fourth in line. Then we jumped to the fact that the Senate Judiciary hearings to confirm potential Justice Amy Coney Barrett included countless references to Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, insinuating the insulting notion that he somehow (continues to) deserves apologies for having had to answer hard questions to apply for one of the most powerful and influential jobs in the world, which he succeeded in landing. (I'm still angry that such an obnoxious, arrogant, entitled man was given this honor since his navigation of the process only highlighted offensive aspects of his personality and a clear inability to respond to pressure with grace); although Amy Barrett appears to be far more decent soul and I am interested to see if she'll swear to uphold a separation of church and state and somehow surprise many of us who are now exhausted by the act of bracing ourselves against every attack on our democracy.

We had a few drinks, just the two of us, and looked up at the sky and watched the trees sway towards and away from one another as if in a choreographed dance and remarked how lucky we were to witness such an understated moment. Especially at a time when everything in society feels like an expression of the very opposite of understated - a constant shouting at the top of everyone's lungs.

Everything else we wanted to say about these last few months and the hearings today seemed like things that other people might also say. In a good way.

We are not alone. .

10/06/2020

Resolution from last week; (night and day with Earthbound Art), progress at/in Abundance, and some bonus finds. Little city walks (and one driving stumble) to clear my mind.

09/29/2020

Feeling like a work in progress (myself/can be a good thing). So why not two? Stay tuned, friends....

09/15/2020

"Once in a while through all of us there flashes....some clear idea of what America really is.....and seeing our country thus, are we satisfied with its present goals and ideals?" — W.E.B. Du Bois mural in the Town of Great Barrington.

*

On my personal page, I recently shared the fact that while my current home city of Rochester is crying out for justice in the midst of heartbreak and blatant manipulation by those wielding their powers; my former home turf has finally determined that its history of diversity is a source of its strength. Great Barrington, MA voted to rename a local middle school after civil rights activist and NAACP cofounder W.E.B. Du Bois. Make no mistake, what sounds like a given took decades of debate. And yet...
that juxtaposition reminds me that we can get forward from here even when that certainty isn't a given or the path clear.

So in that spirit, I'm sharing some from both Rochester, NY and the town of GB as a little visual bridge. I so appreciate the sign and active intention of a "Peace Maker Community Garden"; that's kind of what I interpret the power of public art offering us all; the space to wander in our imaginations and inspirations together.

Thank you, Rochester artist, visual poet, & all-around inspirer Shawn Dunwoody, and gratitude to the Town of Great Barrington Railroad Street Youth Project and BRIDGE community for their murals ensuring that the history is held and the message is clear. For more to the MA story: https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/art-in-honor-web-du-bois-murals-go-up-in-great-barrington,529972

09/01/2020

Living in Rochester NY during the centennial celebration of the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the United States' Constitution (August 26, 1920) deserves its own moment.

Thank you, Susan B. Anthony Museum & House | Thank you, artist lucy ray .585 | Thank you, WALL THERAPY | Thank you Rochester Contemporary Art Center | Thank you 1872 Cafe for being gatekeepers in your own way. | Thank you modern-day suffragists and friends - Linda Moroney, Lorraine Woerner, & Carol White Llewellyn for creating something purposeful, inspiring, connecting, and anchoring in womenandthevotenys.com. | Thank you artist Tammy King for adding a little trust and magic into the work we've been doing. | Thank you to my niece for being onboard with having me register her to vote before she can act upon that right- if only so it reflects that she's paying attention this time around. | Thank you Women and the Vote NYS. | This has been a year when honoring "her story" became an artful form of balance.

08/25/2020

Every few months, I reconsider a mural that I keep wanting to see with my own eyes. I'm not certain that it still exists; and yet I am equally open to discovering its absence. It's more that I feel compelled to stand in the space where it was created and feel the feels. Witness or imagine whatever might be and/or search for some little leftover remnant of what had been. There's something to spots that used to hold energy; perhaps it is my theater background that is drawn to an "empty house" and the ghosts of all audiences from the past still somehow making themselves present. Some people conquer mountains; I feel compelled to show up for public art.

"This 200 foot rug was created in Rochester, NY for Wall/Therapy, an annual public street art show. - June 2013"

Today was one of those days. I drove to the spot determined to walk the area when, as has been the case on every other attempt, I felt blocked. It is an awkward place. There seems to be only one way to access it although it is an overpass which by definition suggests two ends. One side is mysterious to me- perhaps walking it reveals the path and yet I've driven so many times looking for where it lets out without success. The clearer entrance is in the backyard of a mechanics' shop. I drive and park and although I am a city person at heart, and have explored many corners of this particular urban setting, this place uniquely makes me feel hesitant. Un-anchored. Unhappy, even. All the more reason why it is a gift that two Baltimore muralists offered it a blanket of their love.

This afternoon I unintentionally woke up a sleeping man by the precipice to the bridge and paused, collecting my thoughts and creating a greeting in my mind in which to navigate forward in a way that wouldn't cause either of us any undue alarm. Then I saw a woman getting up next to him. If there was a day when this space would reveal itself to me, it wasn't going to be today. I interpreted them as gatekeepers to this hidden public treasure and that is a sacred role I wasn't up for messing with.

Still; I've wanted to share this for so long now. I remember early on in my documentation (I've been dedicated to sharing since around the Fall of 2017 and there doesn't seem to be a shortage of art in sight) I had asked a couple of people if they'd go with me. That's not my usual exploration m.o. and still I know my own limitations and this area feels like a test I'm not comfortable taking. For lack of a better comparison, it reminds me of how I felt driving through South Dakota in the late evening with only my beloved Basset Hound as company; there was tension in the air and a palpable sense of despair. This piece of art is actually part of an official "trail"; while no one followed through with joining me, I had hoped to finally have the experience during what had been planned as a city-sponsored Meet-up to explore El Camino within a group. It was supposed to be this past June; another lost opportunity. For the moment.

With that in mind I am breaking my own rule on this page and sharing an un-earned glimpse of what feels like a sacred cloak, still not accessible to me, and still on my mind.

I'm grateful to these artists and to WALL THERAPY for having vision where others might not even stop to look.

ARTISTS:

http://www.wall-therapy.com/jessie-and-katey-2/

http://www.jessieandkatey.com

Monday Mural Musings - from Rochester NY with love.