Art at City Beach: 'Part of Something Bigger'

PLATTSBURGH | The long stretch of gray cement at City Beach has come alive with color over the past few weeks. One of three Outside Art: Plattsburgh Public Art Project's new murals, the corrugated concrete facade recalls the historic total eclipse this year, an event that brought thousands (even millions on its path) of people together for a rare celestial pause. Artist Andrew McGill was selected to design and paint the two parallel walls, one is 180 feet in length, the other is 170 feet. Between them, an access ramp will also become part of the mural in a second phase of work next summer. McGill, an art teacher at Saranac Central School, said he designed the mural to be interactive. "The eclipse glasses painted on all of the faces in the first panel will have inset polished steel," he said, "like mirrors. Our idea with this work is to invite people to 'be part of something bigger.'" Plattsburgh's City Beach was a popular spot to watch the total solar eclipse on April 8. And in that moment, McGill said, people were united. "If we can come together for 3.5 minutes, imagine what we could do together with longer amounts of time?" The message in the first panel of the mural is carried in artwork to a series of panels that each offer words of encouragement. A message in a music scene will say: "Use your talent for good." And "Follow your own path," follows the eclipse crowd. Outside Art gave McGill creative license to design the mural and add interactive features. The rough gray, gritty slab holds the paint pretty well, he said. The ruddy red paint color is called "Bolero," and the teal is called "Swim." He is working with artist Kurt Ackerman and Elijah Biars to complete the 350-foot stretch that runs along the edge of the sandy shoreline. The mural is visible from boats sailing along Lake Champlain. "We're sprucing the place up," Ackerman said of the art-in-progress. "Public art is about the message that we're leaving and who it might affect; it's a positive change," he smiled. "It looks a lot better than the concrete." McGill designed the mural to work with the corrugated cement texture to add perspective. In some sections, inner layers are a different color. The total eclipse works with this unique three-dimensional feature to cast a soft shadow over the larger-than-life people gazing up. Their heads tilt at the exact angle as the people who watched from City Beach on April 8. "The eclipse brought a lot of people together in community," Ackerman said. "And the beach does that, too." Interaction is integral to this piece, McGill said. "On the far corner, there's going to be an astronaut, with LOVE on his space suit. The message there will say: 'There's always somebody in your corner.' And we're putting a measuring tape on the end of the wall by the beach cabana." The ramp between the walls is factored into the artwork, too. McGill said they will eventually add a rock climbing feature at its apex, inviting climbers up and over the wall's short end. Public art projects help identify community, McGill said. "They're our messages." And his interpretation of the historic eclipse of 2024 sets a marker on the City Beach. THREE OUTSIDE ART MURALS FOR 2024 Outside Art commissioned two additional murals this summer. Champlain Canal Boats will be placed the Red Canoe Coffee and Books Shop on Main Street in the Village of Champlain in August. Peru artist Greg Badger is painting the mural after a historic photo of canal boats. The project is a collaboration between the Samuel de Champlain History Center and The Village of Champlain, meant to celebrate historic shipyards and vessels that once were a big part of industry on Lake Champlain. This work is partially funded with support from the Clinton County Legislature Tobacco Grant and the New York State Council on the Arts. In the fall, artist Brendon Palmer-Angell, who painted the "Jean Arthur Mural" and "Reach for the Stars! The Michael Anderson Mural," will return to Plattsburgh to create "The Poets' Mural." The Outside Art project will go along the east bank of the Saranac River at 63 Bridge Street to honor Plattsburgh poets, and sisters, Lucretia and Margaret Davidson. The young women wrote verse at the turn of the 19th Century. The Poets' mural is a collaboration with the Clinton County Historical Association and Museum and The City of Plattsburgh, and is partially funded with support from Assemblyman Billy Jones; the Plattsburgh Noon Kiwanis Club; and the New York State Council on the Arts. The Eclipse Mural is supported with grant funds from Assemblyman Billy Jones. Outside Art is continuing to raise funds for the summer 2024 murals. They have created a GoFundMe page -- Support Outside Art's Mural Projects 2024 -- to encourage community sponsorship. To help buy paint and supplies: gofund.me/5997a986 Founded by art advocates Julia Devine and Amy Guglielmo in January 2016, Outside Art has produced 19 murals in downtown Plattsburgh and one in Keeseville. To find out more about their work or for project updates, visit their Facebook page: facebook.com/outsideartplattsburgh

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Art at City Beach: 'Part of Something Bigger'

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