The City of Corning Public Art Committee, together with The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes and Market Street Coffee & Tea, is proud to present the City of Corning Public Art Map:
As a Public Art Committee project identifying nearly 100 pieces of art throughout the City of Corning, from sculpture and murals to memorials and architecture, this map is part of a broader effort to enrich and enhance the quality of life in the community. Showcasing the amazing artwork that is free and accessible to the public, the map is an inventory of all known public art and offers a window into our city’s vibrant art and culture.
Pam Weachock, owner of Market Street Coffee & Tea and member of the Public Art Committee, and Chris Walters, The ARTS Council’s Community Arts Manager, created the Google map using photos, GPS data, and archival records. Lubabah Chowdhury, a recent graduate of Cornell University, along with Andrew Gage, Alexandra Hood, and Meredith Rector of Elmira College conducted the intial inventory of the public art. Visit Google’s help page for tips on how to best use this map. For optimal viewing on a mobile device, please visit here.
This map is a living document and the public is invited to assist the Public Art Committee by submitting additions, corrections, photos, and other historical information to publicart@eARTS.org. Documenting and making this map accessible to all ensures the rich history of Corning’s public art extends from the past and into the future.
To gain a glimpse into the exciting public artwork currently underway in the city, enjoy the story behind the ongoing efforts of community groups to create the Alley Art Project.
The Alley Art Project
The Alley Art project evolved from a partnership first established in 2003 between The Rockwell Museum and the Corning-Painted Post Area School District High School Learning Center (HSLC). The Museum, HSLC, the City of Corning, Corning’s Gaffer District and Market Street Restoration offices worked together to move this project forward, and beginning in August of 2009, HSLC students began designs for what became the first Alley Art mural painting: the Tree of Life. To date, a total of six murals have been completed including one with students from The Laura Richardson Houghton Corning Youth Center. A seventh mural will be created in 2015.
Every winter, the murals are designed with a group of 12-15 HSLC students under the direction of Rockwell Museum Director of Education, Gigi Alvaré and assisted by Bradford Leiby, former Museum student intern and HSLC graduate, who has served as artist-in-residence for the project since 2009. Katie Serdula and Margie VanVleet (retired lead teacher, HSLC) served as artists-in-residence for the Garden of the Spirit project. The mural design is inspired by works in the Rockwell Museum collection and also incorporates elements added by remaining HSLC students. The entire HSLC student body then creates the mural over the course of two months.
The decade long partnership between The Rockwell Museum and The High School Learning Center demonstrates the role a museum, with education at the heart of its mission, and a school, dedicated to the academic and social success of at-risk students, can play in breaking down barriers and creating a relationship between marginalized youth and the community in which they live. Finally, in addition to fulfilling vital community service credit hours, the students are creating dynamic public art for our city.
