25 SQ at the Carpenter Art Garden: Paint Session in Binghampton with Erin Harris

By Alexis Becton

Artist Erin Harris hosted a paint session at the Carpenter Art Garden, located at 301 Carpenter Street in Binghampton, on Tuesday, June 17 from 4 to 6 pm. She and a group of neigbhorhood volunteers painted plywood murals for the 25 SQ Public Art Initiative, a project spearheaded by the Mayor’s Innovation Delivery Team in partnership with the UrbanArt Commission.
 

As a warm-up, the hula hoop group “Co-Motion” performed and invited everyone to participate. Then, it was time to get those paintbrushes to work. Two dozen volunteers of all ages began painting plywood murals for the neighborhood as part of the 25 SQ Public Art Initiative. They also created potted plant arrangements for a woodland fairy garden. The completed portable murals will be installed on both ends of Carpenter Street and at other locations in Binghampton.

The Carpenter Art Garden will celebrate two years of being open and active in the community this August. “Each mural celebrates the community. The opportunities to work with the neighborhood kids and volunteers motivates me because we grow things and do something positive in our community,” says Erin Harris. 

The art garden is an urban oasis for the neighborhood’s children and adults, as well as for local artists who have turned the formerly empty lot into a place of beauty. The volunteers have an opportunity to show their creativity with different projects over time. Participants are always elated to start on new projects they enjoy, while having a positive impact both in their lives and in the neighborhood.

The Carpenter Art Garden is open for participatory activities every Tuesday from 4-6 pm during the summer, unless it rains.