The Alley Art Project unveiled its 17th mural in August. The project is produced in collaboration with The Rockwell Museum and the Corning-Painted Post (C-PP) school district.
The project is more than a public art piece, it is also used as a learning tool for students.
“It definitely makes me feel really good to be able to just give the community a beautiful thing to look at,” said recent high school graduate, Jasmine Daudelin.
Daudelin is a contributing artist to the Alley Art Project mural this year.
Her project is a mixture of various shades of pink, red, blue and green. It represents the Stowe Pinnacle Trail she used to hike with her brother in Vermont.
“Mine originally was a topography map of the trail that we went on, and then I kind of had to transform it into a more abstract piece for my second one,” said Daudelin. “It has a lot of sentimental meaning to me.”
Daudelin was one of between 8 and 10 student artists whose work is represented in the murals each year.
She is a recent graduate of the High School Learning Center (HSLC), an alternative program in the Corning-Painted Post school district.
Since 2002, the program has offered students the opportunity to receive a traditional New York state high school diploma through an unconventional school curriculum.
The program is unconventional because it is an 11-month school year and begins in August. Students have to commit to either a job or unpaid internship along with community service, which happens at the start of their day. They attend classes in the late afternoon into the evening.
“We found that there were a number of students who were not connecting with the regular high school experience,” said Linda Perry, assistant superintendent for secondary education in the C-PP school district.
The program takes approximately 30 students and they must apply after the successful completion of one regents course at the traditional high school.
The school district said there are no other programs like this one in the state. The HSLC is not the same program as the alternative education program housed on the New York State Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) campuses. Students enrolled in the BOCES program follow a traditional high school curriculum and schedule.
The HSLC is located on the SUNY Corning Community College (CCC) campus. It is unclear what it costs the school district to run the HSLC. WSKG reached out to the district and did not hear back in time for publication.
The murals in the Alley Art Project can have up to 40 students participating as both artists and volunteers. Some graduates even return to help out like Daudelin did this summer.
Daudelin is a first semester student at CCC now, but says she plans to transfer and eventually become a medical illustrator.
“Every mural piece that we do is a very personal piece of artwork for both the muralist and all of the students that help,” said Daudelin.
Art classes in the High School Learning Center program are designed to support community art endeavors like the one in collaboration with The Rockwell Museums’ Alley Art Project.
“Rather than a regular, ordinary art class where you may go in a room with 25 students and all do the same project, we have permission from the state to do authentic community art projects,” said Perry.
Students spend the spring studying art on display at The Rockwell Museum and pick out pieces that inspire them. They then begin creating their initial artwork prior to anything created for the mural.
This year, each artist created an initial mixed-media piece then adapted their original piece into something two-dimensional for the mural.
“This is not my first mural, but it's the first mural that I have helped design,” said Luca Sauter, a current student at the High School Learning Center. “And it just makes me feel really good.”
Sauter, who is 19, plans to attend Adult Education and Career Services at BOCES after he graduates next year.
“I'm going to go to the heavy machinery program and hopefully do something like plumbing, roofing, stuff like that,” said Sauter. “I've always been really good [at] working with my hands.”
Sauter’s piece is inspired by a childhood blanket shared between him and his siblings—and a memorial to his late mother.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of the program is that students are involved, not just in the painting, but in the conceptualization, the idea work,” said Amy Ruza, youth and visitor engagement educator for The Rockwell Museum. “What's the message that they want to share with their community? So it's very collaborative, and it's very public.”
Ruza has been part of the Alley Art Project since 2013.
According to Ruza, there are many moving parts between the museum, the city of Corning, local business owners, the school district and a teaching artist. One mural can take up to two years, from planning to painting.
The Rockwell Museum showcases “American art through the ages” and is one of two Smithsonian affiliates in Upstate New York. Through this designation, the museum shares collections, educational programs and traveling exhibitions and hosts Smithsonian speakers.
While the museum shares resources with the Smithsonian, it is an independent organization and not affected by President Donald Trump’s March 27 Executive Order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which criticized the Smithsonian and called for changes to the institution.
“The Rockwell remains committed to initiatives related to justice, equity, diversity, accessibility, and inclusion,” said Willa Vogel, director of marketing and communications at The Rockwell Museum. “You will continue to see this in the welcoming, accessible, and hospitable nature of a Rockwell visit, in the diversity of artists we collaborate with and present in our galleries, and in our commitment to bringing exceptional arts experiences to our guests and local community members.”
Earlier this year, the museum lost funding that was slated for the Alley Art Project and awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts after President Trump proposed the agency be eliminated.
It is unclear how much the institution lost and its effect on the project. The museum said it does not “disclose the cost of artwork, including public art or commissions, as a matter of policy.”
The Rockwell encourages local and non-local visitors to participate in the Alley Art Project Scavenger Hunt. There were 17 murals painted. However, there are currently 16 murals available to visit throughout the city.
A mural that was painted in 2012, “As Above, So Below,” was painted over this summer by a new business owner in the area. The building that originally hosted the mural is home to 35 independent, women-owned beauty and wellness businesses at K. Rae Salon and Spa.
Owner MacKenzie Myers said her tenant requested the painting of the building after investing $250,000 into a pilates studio business.
“After sinking that much money, I thought she deserved to have the look, the aesthetic she wanted on the front of her business,” said Myers.
Myers has since met multiple times with The Rockwell Museum to work with the organization on how to move forward since the mural was destroyed. She donated $500 to the museum’s Alley Art Project, expressed interest in hosting a mural on another wall of her building, and she said she would pay for repairs on another part of her building where the 2011 “Mountain as Metaphor” mural is located.
“While we’re disappointed by the mural’s loss, this kind of outcome is an understood risk of public art,” said Vogel. “We photograph and digitally document every mural project, so we have an archive of Alley Art Project murals for our records and community partners.”
The museum said it plans to touch up “Mountain as Metaphor” in 2026.
“Working with Mackenzie Myers, she intends to address masonry work prior to the mural paint touch-up, and we are collaborating on this process next year,” Vogel said.
The title of this year’s mural is “Colorscape” and is inspired by artwork in the museum’s permanent collection by artist Teresa Baker.
“Thinking about Teresa Baker's artwork and how she incorporates materials, some of them are connected to her heritage as an enrolled member of the Hidatsa and Mandan nation,” said Ruza. “We worked with students to research geographic locations and places that have special meaning to them.”
The designs created for the mural by teaching artist Shawnee Rebecca Morning Dove Hill represent seasonal changes in Upstate New York.
Hill is currently in Rochester where she works in an art studio and tattoo shop. She recently joined the Arts and Creative Community Committee. Hill has produced artwork all over the world.
“Working with students in community work shows how you can really build community through art,” Hill said.
This is Hill’s first mural with The Rockwell Museum. She said her work is a “free-flow, organic process,” while the museum’s Alley Art Project is very organized and structured for the students. This collaboration is melding expression and abstract art to teach students how to build and blend the colors on the wall.
“I really want this to be a low [restrictions] process, because I think it's a huge opportunity for [the students] to really figure out what they like and what feels good for them,” said Hill.
Hill said she worked with high school students from Rochester on public artwork projects. She said she applied for the opportunity as soon as she heard about it.
“It was really in line with a lot of what I was trying to do and share, because I know the impact this has from growing up with it, and knowing how important arts can be for kids,” said Hill.
Hill was introduced to The Rockwell Museum through artist Sarah Rutherford who worked on the 2023 Alley Art Project painting “Emergence” that adorns the front wall of the Marconi Lodge.
“I was working on the mural at the Marconi [Lodge],” said Nagi Estrada, first-year student at the HSLC. “That’s my brother’s face on there!”
Estrada is referring to his brother Salem, who is the prominent face in the mural that faces Pulteney Street in Corning.
He is adjusting to the HSLC and said “it’s great knowing that the assignments are different.”
“This marks the start of my next few years [at] the High School Learning Center, which I’m very excited for,” Estrada said. “I’m mostly looking forward to creative expression and getting a better mindset and really feel—just stay motivated.”
The “Colorscape” mural is located at 41 Bridge Street in the city of Corning. The lower part of the building is the new Bridge to Hope Center that provides wraparound services to people experiencing homelessness or who may be in a recovery program.
“We are grateful to be part of this year’s mural project and excited to see the transformation that took place on the side of the Bridge to Hope Center,” Bridge to Hope Center Director Denise Sinsebox said in an email to WSKG.
“The mural not only adds beauty to our building, but it also symbolizes the spirit of hope, collaboration, and community that we strive to foster every day,” Sinsebox continued. “This project reflects the strength of partnerships in Corning, and we are honored to contribute to something that will inspire both our guests and the broader community for years to come.”
The Rockwell Museum is a WSKG underwriter.