BINGHAMTON, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – The number of buildings adorned with public art in the Triple Cities is expected to double this year.
The Broome County Arts Council is entering the third and final year of its iDistricts Murals and Mosaics project.
The Arts Council and the county received $240,000 to fund the effort which focuses on Innovation Districts in the downtowns of Binghamton, Endicott and Johnson City.
The money is split evenly among the 3 municipalities.
35 local, regional, national and international artists qualified.
Interested building owners could then select their preferred artists from samples of their work and then work with them to determine a design.
9 murals have been completed over the past 2 years with another 10 planned for this year.
Holly Cooper, Community Programs Manager at BCAC, says the artwork has come in lots of different styles.
“It’s really interesting to see how that’s been brought across the different iDistricts. We have the one behind me which is more of a realistic style but then we have some more surrealist murals located as well. All fitting in with this theme of revitalization around innovation and creativity which I think is really incredible.”
Some of the murals planned for this year are along State Street in Binghamton and on the Northside of Endicott.
Cooper says Visions provided a grant to pay for scaffolding and lifts, local restaurants donated food to feed the artists and the Arts Council has assisted some out-of-town artists with places to stay.
To find a list of existing murals and future locations, go to broomearts.org.