Downtown Troy transformed into an immersive nighttime public art experience.

Troy Glow transformed downtown Troy into a dynamic gallery of light and public art. Spanning multiple sites and installations, the biennial festival created drew thousands of visitors, energized local businesses, and brought artists, residents, and audiences together for a bold, immersive celebration of creativity in public space. Troy Glow was a project of the Arts Center of the Capital Region in partnership with the City of Troy and the Downtown Troy BID.

ARTIST: ERIKA DEVRIES

Vacant homes illuminated as part of a region-wide public art program addressing urban blight and neighborhood change.

Breathing Lights illuminated hundreds of vacant buildings across Albany, Schenectady, and Troy with a quiet, pulsing glow, drawing attention to patterns of vacancy and disinvestment. The project transformed neglected structures into powerful visual statements about housing, equity, and the future of urban neighborhoods. A winner of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge. Winner of Americans for the Arts Public Art Network 2017 Year in Review.

ARTISTS: ADAM FRELIN + BARBARA NELSON

A citywide framework developed for public art, cultural investment, and placemaking.

This master plan established a comprehensive framework for a public art program in Troy. Developed through stakeholder interviews, an advisory committee, and survey responses, the plan recommended seven focus initiatives for a program launch. The plan included extensive community engagement, creating a temporary public plaza for action research and community gathering. The plan was commissioned by the Arts Center of the Capital Region in partnership with the City of Troy.

Public art integrated into recreational trail and open space planning.

Developed for the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy, this master plan establishes a framework for public art along 10 miles of trail connecting Albany to open farmland and small downtowns. The plan includes site-specific recommendations, artist selection criteria, governance structures, community engagement, and a phased funding strategy.

ARTIST: FERNANDO ORELLANA | PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MOHAWK HUDSON LAND CONSERVANCY

New audience built by transforming underutilized campus space into a community gathering place.

Each fall the Pop-Up Beer Garden transforms the Opalka Gallery patio and lawn into a vibrant gathering space celebrating art and community. The series serves the surrounding community, attracts new audiences, activates underused space, and creates a dynamic platform for cultural programming and social connection.

Street-facing spaces transformed into temporary exhibition sites.

Creative Storefronts activate storefronts and street-facing spaces as temporary exhibition sites. We have commissioned dozens of artists to create installations in vacant and active storefronts, transforming commercial corridors into accessible and surprising cultural experiences.

ARTIST: ALISSA EBERLE

Architecture and public space transformed through immersive light-based artworks.

We have produced and commissioned light installations ranging from temporary activations to permanent artworks. Installations have included rooftop sculptures, architectural interventions, storefront installations, multimedia environments, and large-scale festivals. Through light, these works reimagine familiar places into memorable nighttime experiences.

ARTIST: AURORA ROBSON

Underutilized alley reimagined with award-winning mural festival.

Troy Art Block reimagined a neglected downtown alley as a vibrant pedestrian plaza anchored by rotating murals. Spanning two city blocks, the initiative transformed underused space into an active cultural corridor, expanding opportunities for artists while creating a bold new regional art destination. Voted nation’s Best New Festival by USAToday.

PHOTO: STEVE ALVAREZ

Site-specific installations produced across civic, institutional, and outdoor environments.

We have curated and installed dozens of site-responsive works across civic, institutional, and outdoor environments. Projects span large rooftop installations, complex light and multimedia works, suspended indoor sculptures, printed vinyl and outdoor signage, contemporary ice-based installations, and unique murals, each designed to transform how audiences experience architectural and public space.

ARTIST: ADAM FRELIN

Public art strategies aligned with civic and community development goals.

Over 15 years we developed and worked to fund ambitious projects and partnerships in Philadelphia that aligned public art strategies with policy goals in economic development, behavioral health, community revitalization, and environmental stewardship.

ARTISTS: HAAS + HAHN | PHOTO COURTESY OF MURAL ARTS PHILADELPHIA

Community engaged through temporary activation of public space.

Troy Summer Square reimagined Monument Square as a vibrant plaza for live performance, art, and gathering. Through curated programming and partnerships, this tactical intervention transformed a civic space into an immersive summer destination. It also served as a participatory research hub, as our curator-in-residence collected data to inform a public art plan.

Municipal infrastructure transformed into a distributed public art project.

Downtown Utility Boxes transformed municipal infrastructure in downtown Troy into a distributed public art project, commissioning artists to reimagine electrical switch boxes as site-specific works that bring color, whimsy, and design to the streetscape. We led artist selection and project implementation in partnership with the Arts Center of the Capital Region.

ARTIST: HEIDI NIELSON | PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTS CENTER OF THE CAPITAL REGION

Library activated as a contemporary exhibition space.

ART at APL established a professional exhibition program at the Albany Public Library, introducing curated exhibitions, a professional curatorial committee, and large site-specific installations. During COVID-19, the program pivoted to outdoor window installations to keep art publicly accessible while the building was closed.

ARTISTS: GRACELEE LAWRENCE + BEN SERETAN

Long-term sponsorship infrastructure built for a unique regional arts festival.

Designed the organization’s first formal sponsorship program, establishing a structure for corporate partnerships to support long-term growth of the festival. This included building sponsorship tiers, supporting partner outreach, and securing a multi-year corporate sponsor, creating the financial stability needed to plan the event at scale.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KENSINGTON DERBY + ARTS FESTIVAL