POUGHKEEPSIE – A partial building collapse in 2018 that forced the complete demolition of three buildings on Academy Street in the City of Poughkeepsie created a canvas for street art on the sides of the newly exposed brick on the remaining buildings.
A number of artists have been slowly working on several murals on the walls of the buildings for the last few months. Late last month, The Cryptic Gallery located at 358 Main Street in Poughkeepsie hosted a “Cryptic Chill Sesh” in the vacant lot created by the building demolition. Artists from all over converged on the lot to paint murals on the walls of the surrounding buildings. Live music and a food truck provided a backdrop for the artists as well as the hundreds of people lined up across the street to cast their ballot at the Dutchess County Board of Elections.
Street artist Cory Vanlew recently relocated to Kingston from the west coast to further his craft. On the chilly, overcast day, Vanlew joined a friend to paint.
“Every once in a while he gets a bunch of artists together to make the walls beautiful,” he said.
Vanlew went to work with several cans of spray paint on the remnants of the collapsed building’s bricks on the south side. Working effortlessly, the California-born artist demonstrated his graffiti skills and turned an aged red brick wall into a vibrant mural.
More than a dozen other artists, a few considered “legends” of their craft by their peers also created murals, a few of which carried messages of social justice to the sides of the cooperating buildings. Two large-scale murals required artists to use ladders and scaffolding in order to bring the entire side of one building to life with color.
Mayor Rob Rolison embraced the creative use of the space for art. He had previously endorsed a street-art project that transformed a dark area of Main Street under the Route 9 overpass near the train station into a vibrant, bright, large-scale mural.
Known as the “Gateway Mural” by artist Risa Tochigi a/k/a Boogie, the 2018 unveiling inspired other artists to seek opportunities to bring art to the city, and Rolison embraced the idea. “Art is important to the fabric of our city,” said Rolison, adding “It encourages conversation and thought. We need more of that.”
Hudson Valley photographer Chuck Merrihew attended the October session and was impressed. “So many great street artists making amazing pieces of art,” remarked Merrihew, who praised the efforts of the artists and their work. “It’s making Poughkeepsie beautiful.”
The murals can be found on the east side of Academy Street between Main and Cannon Streets.
