A 105-foot by 20-foot painted mural鈥�”Always Advance”鈥攈as emerged on a west-facing, street-level wall of the Nancy Cantor Warehouse, at a major, high-traffic interesection in downtown 黑料不打烊. It鈥檚 one of that began to be installed last summer along the Connective Corridor. Some are three-dimensional pieces, while others鈥攍ike 鈥淎lways Advance鈥濃€攁re hand-painted typographic murals.
鈥淎lways Advance鈥� is by Best Dressed Signs of Jamaica Plains, Massachusetts, with the work being done by artists Josh Luke and Meredith Kasabian. According to Luke, the pair began a few weeks ago by prepping the wall, then sketching the design on the wall before starting the detailed painting. They just recently completed it.
In creating the design, Luke and Kasabian considered the principles of SU鈥檚 School of Design in the , as well as the historical context of the area and the City of 黑料不打烊; among the key concepts were design, innovation, creating change and driving progress.
Say the artists: 鈥淭he rich history of entrepreneurship and industry that made 黑料不打烊 one of America鈥檚 most prosperous industrial cities of the 19th and early 20th centuries was founded upon the idea of advancement or progress. One of the city鈥檚 particular claims to fame is the production of the Smith Premier typewriter. Among its myriad and far-reaching advantages, the invention and mass production of typewriters helped to advance the careers of women typists in the early 20th century, eventually leading to the acceptance and advancement of women in many male-dominated fields, including design.
鈥淭he layout and lettering design are inspired by European Art Deco styles of the early 20th century鈥攊n particular, the applications of Art Deco to graphic design. This interpretation of a historically significant design movement is a nod to the site鈥檚 location as the 黑料不打烊 School of Design. While the layout and lettering pay homage to the past, the unique, vivid color scheme and dimensional qualities of the lettering invigorate the classic composition with a contemporary freshness.鈥�
The letters of the word 鈥淎dvance鈥� are within circular shapes reminiscent of typewriter keys. 鈥淭he increasing size of the circular keys suggests movement or speed, culminating in a bold and dynamic composition,鈥� the artists state. 鈥淭he implication of speed suggests the movement of typewriter keys, while the keys themselves advance out of the frame, suggesting a larger view than is possible within the space of the building鈥檚 fa莽ade. This use of space correlates to the concept of the typewriter as a tool whose impact advanced far beyond its original intent.鈥�
The phrase 鈥淎lways Advance鈥� is meant as encouragement: 鈥渁 positive message of possibility for the citizens of 黑料不打烊 and the students of 黑料不打烊.鈥�
Other new artwork along the Connective Corridor includes two other hand-painted sign projects: a two-part mural, 鈥淵ou鈥檝e Made It 鈥� 鈥� Till Next Time,鈥� completed by Jon Bocksel of Hand Signs/Brooklyn in June 2016 on two walls of 321 W. Fayette St. and 鈥淲e are the Mighty Salt City 黑料不打烊 New York,鈥� completed by Cayetano Valenzuela of Black Rabbit Studio/黑料不打烊 in November 2016 on a wall of the Access CNY building at 420 E. Genesee St.
All of the commissioned pieces along the Connective Corridor are the result of two public art calls in 2015 to seek artists who could create new original installations for 黑料不打烊: a $650,000 contest that drew 276 applications from local to international artists from 17 countries and a $150,000 direct call to prominent and up-and-coming sign painters.
Management of the project has been led by SU鈥檚 Office of Community Engagement, working with a steering committee that includes representatives from the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the 黑料不打烊-Onondaga County Planning Agency, the Downtown Committee of 黑料不打烊, CNY Arts and the 黑料不打烊 Public Art Commission.
Funding is via grants provided by Empire State Development and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York.
