Come make stuff with us!

At the time I learned about it, I was working with some other folks on the concept of a mural project at ArtRise, but it was a version of reality where I would be mostly just in charge of having this studio be available. Like, turning the lights on and locking up when we were done. We wanted to reach out to a small group of local artists, and get grant funding piece by piece to pay them for a much larger scale project. When I heard about the Blu/Pen grant, I thought, “well this might be a good tie-in to our project, I'll go ahead and apply.” So I put together a proposal for how we would use the grant money, and we got it! As well as a grant from the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts. 

 

And then, some time around November, everything seemed to come toppling down. The other folks who were going to be running this show, had life take them down sudden and unexpected paths. As many of you know, I myself realized I had gone as far into debt for this job as I was able to go, and had to make a big change so I could contribute to my household in a more meaningful way. In January, I decided to move to part time here at Artrise. 

 

Despite all of that, I felt confident that there was still a kernel of a significant, doable idea here. So I re-wrote some of the grant wording, scaled down the size, and reached out to the community for help. 

 

And wow. As they have done time and time again for me, my people were here. From the first two artists to volunteer their time and show up at a meeting- Aubrey and Tori to Marissa for encouraging me to go big or go home. From my business wifeys here, Jess and Julia to my actual husband for being my mountain so I can be up in the stars. From Melanie at Adirondack Diversity Initiative for talking me through the finances to the Chamber's Diversity Equity and Inclusion committee for keeping me on track. From everybody who loaned me tools, showed up for the install dates, put up with me talking about this project non-stop and to those that provided last minute donations and sponsorships to put on the unveiling event (big thanks to bitters and bones and Georgeanne Gaffney). This was absolutely a community effort. Which brings me to why we did this, and what it is. 

 

Once upon a time, I tried to leave here. I moved to the other side of the country because as much as I loved our town, as a twenty-seven year old, I wanted to be sure I knew what life was like somewhere else before I put down roots here. But I spent every moment of my time away missing this place. I told everybody who would listen about our winter carnival, our music venues, our swimming holes, our hiking trails, our art scene. I showed pictures of the Adirondacks to strangers I met on the bus. I missed it deeply, and I knew I needed to come home. 

 

Luckily for me, as soon as I got back I met my very supportive, wonderful husband and together we made our incredibly beautiful and talented daughter. And now, what I do with my free time is work on improving our community in any small way that I can to make sure that when our daughter grows up, she never wants to plant her roots anywhere but here. 

 

This mural is both a celebration and an invitation. Our home is a truly unique and vibrant community. From outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy hiking, swimming, exploring, and paddling in the stunning Adirondack mountains, to artists and writers who find inspiration in the area's natural beauty, to entrepreneurs and small business owners who contribute to the town's vitality, Saranac Lake is a place where diverse passions and talents come together. Of course we still have more work to do, but I hope that when visitors and residents alike view this mural, they recognize something joyful they are already participating in, or they feel inspired to find a new community here and dive in. 

 

This project was made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts. 

Additional funding for this project was provided by the National Endowment of the Arts, Our Town Blu/Pen.