Paul Colabufo has seen a lot of change in Syracuse’s art scene in recent years, and as president of Believe in Syracuse’s board of directors, he wants to do his part to revitalize the city.

Believe in Syracuse, a nonprofit that works to improve quality of life in the city, is in the process of choosing an artist to paint a new mural on West Fayette Street. The mural will join dozens of others around the city and will serve to communicate a positive message about the community it’s in. This will be the first mural commissioned by the nonprofit.

“I saw all these things happening, and I said, ‘One piece of art, one mural all by itself isn’t really a game changer, but I think all of them together really are,’” Colabufo said. “When you can turn around a year later or a couple years later and see all these artistic things that make our city a more vibrant place, that’s a game changer. So I said now’s the time to jump on that and support it in any little way we can.”

The mural is being commissioned for $20,000. The money was raised by Believe in Syracuse through fundraisers and membership dues, Colabufo said. The proposal deadline was March 16, and the winner will be chosen in late April or early May.

Colabufo said he received about three proposals ahead of the deadline and had been in contact via email with 10 to 15 artists who were asking questions, so he thought they’d receive between 15 and 20 proposals. When they got 45, he was shocked.

“They’re really high-quality, good proposals and I think it says a lot about the level of talent and the level of enthusiasm there is in the city,” Colabufo said. “There are a lot of artists and there are a lot of artists who are willing to put themselves out there and do something big, and I think that’s exciting.”

Steve Powers and his band of artists from New York City painted the bridges located on the West Street Arterial in 2010.
Dan Lyon | Staff Photographer

For a mural to go up in Syracuse, the city’s Public Art Commission must approve the artist’s proposal by meeting with the artist or commissioning group to work out all the details, including how the mural will fit into the space. The approval process usually takes a few months, said Kate Auwaerter, the public art coordinator and preservation planner for the city of Syracuse.

The Public Art Commission is responsible for reviewing all artwork that is proposed to go on public property, like sculptures in city parks, Auwaerter said. Murals are the only type of art the commission must approve on private property because they will be seen by the public. The commission reviews applications to ensure high artistic quality and community standards, as well as to make sure the mural isn’t an advertisement.

Believe in Syracuse chose the West Fayette Street location for two reasons. One is its visibility, Colabufo said, since thousands of cars pass by it en route to and from different neighborhoods, but also because it’s located in the Near Westside neighborhood.

“That’s a neighborhood that has had some hardships but is coming around in a positive way,” Colabufo said. “I see its artists really leading the charge in that, so it just seems like an ideal place to make our small contribution.”

There are no parameters for what the mural will show, except that it must express a positive message, Colabufo said. He is going into the process with an open mind and has asked members of the local art community to help him judge the submissions.

One of the judges is Alicia Suskin, a self-described “art enthusiast.” Suskin is currently on the board at the Point of Contact art museum, and she was previously the co-chair of the public arts task force of 40 Below, a community organization in central New York. She met Colabufo through her involvement in public art initiatives.

As a judge, one of the things Suskin said she’s looking for in the proposals is a quick but impactful message. While some people may be able to stop and look at it, she wants those driving to still get the message.

“This mural is going to be at the cross section of several neighborhoods, kind of at the edge of the Near Westside, which is going through its own revitalization,” Suskin said.

She added that, since people will see this mural as they leave downtown Syracuse, it should be something worth admiring.

Most people don’t realize how expensive it is to paint a good mural, Auwaerter said. Creating a mural requires wall preparation, supplies and payment for the artist, which is why she said Believe in Syracuse’s $20,000 budget is “a good budget to be able to do really good work.”

Dan Lyon | Staff Photographer

She said there are somewhere between 55 and 60 murals in Syracuse now that they know of, but the commission is in the process of taking inventory of all the murals in the city.

At the moment, Auwaerter said the city does not have money specifically designated for public art installation, so it is commissioned by outside organizations and individuals. As the public art coordinator, she helps artists and community groups navigate the process.

The city’s most recent public art initiative was in 2016 with the Connective Corridor, a partnership between Syracuse University, the city of Syracuse and Onondaga County. It includes a network of newly constructed “green streets” and bike paths that link the university to downtown, as well as new lighting and benches.

About $2 million of the Connective Corridor funding has been devoted to public art initiatives, including Sign Here: Syracuse, A Love Letter to Syracuse, the city’s first Public Artist in Residence program and sculptures along the 2-mile pathway.

There is no set time frame for the Believe in Syracuse mural, but work will probably start during the summer, Colabufo said.

“(Public art is) not only creating vibrancy and visual interest in a community,” Auwaerter said, “but the best type of public art is really telling something about a community and it says something about a community — that it’s interested in wanting to invest in artwork and bring that creativity out onto the street.”

Published on April 4, 2018 at 10:16 pm

Contact Caroline: cbarthol@syr.edu