EC Arts Faculty Participate in Public Art Project

Elmira, NY (08/19/2019) — Elmira College Professor in Fine Arts, Aaron Kather, and EC Media Artist, Jan Kather, recently completed a project for the Adopt a Traffic Signal Box program managed by the City of Elmira's Public Art Commission.

Last spring, Kather and Kather submitted a traffic signal box design proposal based on one of their favorite things to do in Elmira - bicycle! When they learned that their proposal was accepted, Kather and Kather requested to paint any traffic box near Eldridge Park or the Lackawanna Rail Trail. The Commission selected the corner of Woodlawn and College Avenues, one of the closest boxes to the entrance of Eldridge Park.

The abstract design is derived from a photo taken of a cast shadow of Jan Kather and her bicycle, overlaying the lines of a crosswalk. The composition minimally hints at a rider, a bicycle, and crosswalk, and features lively bright red and blue shapes intertwined with black, suggesting the challenge and thrill of riding bicycles from Eldridge Park southeast onto the Lackawanna Rail Trail.

Additional information about the project and works-in-progress photos can be found here.

Art students at Elmira College have the option to work on similar art projects for community service credit or as part of their arts internship requirement. Students who want to be part of the city's plans to enhance the community through public art are urged to pursue this possibility.

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