The beauty of our area is that it inspires so many to create, and we are proud to support our local artists. If you’re traveling to the Lake George Area, you might notice that art is popping up in some of the most unexpected places.
Glens Falls Arts Trail
Follow the emerging Arts Trail through downtown Glens Falls, brought to you by the Arts District of Glens Falls. See if you can spot all the electrical boxes that have been disguised as murals – from an aquarium of goldfish and a collage of smiling dogs to migrating monarchs – all hand painted by local artists. (L to R: Kevin Clark, Shelley Fairbanks, Rodney Bentley)
Photo Credit: Kacey O'Brien
A second round of electrical boxes were transformed into a bold robot, colorful pops of fruit, and bluebirds in flight against a sunny mountain landscape. (L to R: Robert Harriman, Miranda Kent, and Kacie Cotter-Sacala)
Photo Credit: Jaynie Ellis
Established and emerging artists are known to hang out around Glens Falls as they “paint the town” – literally. Hannah Williams and Jesse Melanson are the artists behind the 20 Warren St. and 144 Glen St. murals, respectively. The vibrant scenes on these downtown buildings creatively depict quintessential aspects of our region, including local wildlife.
Before & After: 20 Warren St.
Photo Credit: Jaynie Ellis
Before & After: 144 Glen St.
Photo Credit: Jaynie Ellis
Chicago-based artists Michael Ferrarell and Nicholas Capozzoli have painted 30 small murals on the alleyway wall of the Charles R. Wood Theater (opposite Spot Coffee) that piece together the story of Glens Falls. Walking down the alley that connects Glen Street and Lapham Place you’ll be able to point out Charlie Wood, of course; “Dirt Dogs” from New Way Lunch; Finch, Pruyn & Co. (now Finch Paper LLC); The Adirondack Red Wings; and so much more that makes up the city’s rich history.
Photo Credit: Jaynie Ellis
And, you can’t miss the installation of the oversized Adirondack chair outside of Fountain Square Outfitters. The chair, depicting Glen Street on a blue-sky day, was crafted by the Adirondack Folk School in Lake Luzerne and hand painted by Glens Falls-based artist Anthony Richichi.
Photo Credit: Jaynie Ellis
Other must-see stops along the Arts Trail include: Chapman Historical Museum, Crandall Park Public Library and Folklife Center, Charles R. Wood Theater, Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council (LARAC)/Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra, NorthCountryARTS, The Park Theater, Glens Falls Community Theatre, Adirondack Theatre Festival, Cool Insuring Arena, World Awareness Children’s Museum, The Hyde Collection Art Museum, and The Shirt Factory.
Most of these stops are within an easy walking distance to each other – no longer than 5 to 15 minutes apart. To connect these locations, the City of Glens Falls Department of Public Works has helped the Arts District of Glens Falls by installing sidewalk stamps as trail markers. The Arts District logo design was originally conceptualized by Russell Serrianne and finalized by Sidekick Creative. The first sidewalk stamp, made by Miller Mechanical, was revealed on May 26, 2022, outside of the Chapman Historical Museum.
Glens Falls High School Arts Club
The talented students at Glens Falls High School are also welcoming everyone into Warren County with a vibrant mural they have painted on the building at 56 Glen St., currently owned by Christian and Melanie Weber of Common Roots Brewing Company. You can’t miss it as you’re driving along the bridge that connects Glens Falls and South Glens Falls via Route 9.
Photo Credit: Jaynie Ellis
The Shirt Factory
Locally-based artist Esmond Lyons has revamped the east-facing brick wall canvas at 153 Maple St. in Glens Falls. The building’s proprietor is Eric Unkauf, who is also the owner of The Shirt Factory. Lyons has painted a replica of Rembrandt’s “Christ with Arms Folded”. He has also added cohesive scenes on boarded-up windows along the same side of the building, such as Rembrandt himself taking a break from painting in his studio to look out the door – with some other clever details added in as well.
Before & After: 153 Maple St.
Photo Credit: Jaynie Ellis
Setting in motion a movement of public art at The Shirt Factory Annex on Curran Lane is the “Space Whale” project. A collaboration between Hannah Williams and Rob Harriman, the piece features oceanic wildlife swimming in a vibrant galaxy.
Photo Credit: Jaynie Ellis
Since the completion of the “Space Whale”, The Shirt Factory has transformed its grounds into a Muralgarten as a means to restore and preserve existing buildings and industrial structures in the area of Maple Street through murals. Shipping containers have been transported in for projects similar to the “Space Whale” as well, with some having already been completed during a Mural-a-thon event held in the summer of 2023. And, a second Mural-a-thon event has been added to the calendar for July 18 – August 8, 2024. There are also plans for the Muralgarten to be landscaped with native plants for our local pollinators. Needless to say, this great undertaking is still a work in progress, but you can head over to the The Shirt Factory or Muralgarten Facebook pages for the most recent updates.
Artists & Locations, Clockwise L to R: Jenny Hutchinson (Curran Ln.), Rodney Bentley (Curran Ln.), Jade Warrick (Curran Ln.), Sarah Calzada (188 Maple St.), Hannah Williams (182 Maple St.)
Photo Credit: Jaynie Ellis
Please Note: The Shirt Factory public art projects are separate from those planned by the Arts District of Glens Falls.
Project: Power Up Lake George
During your search for public art, you’ll most likely wind up in Lake George, where the Village of Lake George and Lake George Arts Project have teamed up for Project: Power Up Lake George. Five local artists got out their paintbrushes and transformed four traffic signal boxes around the Village into standout murals. (L to R: Patrice Mastrianni and Cynthia Fiorini, Shay DeRusso, Miranda Kent, and Erin Gregory)
Photo Credit: Jaynie Ellis
Warrensburgh Museum of Local History/VFW Building
As you head farther north, the VFW at 3574 Main St., which also houses the Warrensburgh Museum of Local History, boasts two large murals on either side of the building. One mural depicts colorful scenes from the early days of Warrensburg, celebrating “A Town In Harmony With Its Past”. The 70-ft. long mural was painted in 1976 by the late writer, art historian, and artist, Eva S. Cockcroft, and was fully restored in 2007 by Mary Lovendusky.
The opposite side of the building is covered by a billowing American Flag, painted by traveling artist Scott LoBaido. LoBaido has devoted his career to painting the American Flag, and the VFW building was stop #34 on his patriotic cross-country road trip to paint a mural on a veteran service building in each of the 50 states.
Fun Fact: It took LoBaido 60 gallons of paint to complete his American Flag mural in Warrensburg.
Photo Credit: Jaynie Ellis
The North Creek Mosaic Project
If you travel into North Creek, local artist Kate Hartley has brought the community together to complete The North Creek Mosaic Project. After 10 years and 200,000 carefully placed tiles, the mosaic flows right down Main Street and depicts regional activities with native wildlife hidden throughout.
Photo Credit: Kacey O'Brien
Let art take you to discover some new and unexpected places in the Lake George Area, and perhaps give you inspiration for your next adventure while you’re here!