Thursday, August 12, 2021
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Free and open to the public | Suggested $10 donation for Not-Yet-Members
Location: Zoom | Register to receive a link
The Alley Art Project, a collaborative mural program between The Rockwell Museum, the High School Learning Center of the Corning-Painted Post Area School District, and community business owners, invites you to attend a virtual conversation with a group of panelists, including this year’s Teaching Mural Artist Betsy Z. Casañas. The program will highlight behind-the-scenes processes and the creation of Alley Art Project murals around Corning. The panelists will also discuss what public art representation means in a city, and how art can create an intentional culture of diversity and vibrancy within a community.
The discussion will be facilitated by Dakota H. Stevens, Alley Art Project Intern, Curatorial Track Ph.D. Student and Andrew W. Mellon Fellow at the University of Delaware in Art History.
About the Panelists
Betsy Z. Casañas
Betsy Z. Casañas is a Latina visual and public artist, educator, community activist and organizer with 26 years of teaching experience in the arts and has created over 50 murals worldwide. She is a 20-year participant in the Philadelphia Mural Arts program, director of A Seed on Diamond Gallery and founder of Semilla Arts, a grassroots initiative that uses art as a catalyst for social change and artistic collaboration as a means of inspiring individuals and strengthening communities. Casañas focuses her work on empowering communities, transforming public spaces, awakening local talent, and highlighting people’s stories through the creation of collaborative arts projects.
Erich Lehman
Erich S. Lehman has served as an activist for the arts in Rochester since the inception of his 1975 Gallery project in 2008. A long time art collector, graphic designer, and creative, he channeled that love into a DIY curatorial mission to share his love of art and to be a champion for arts in Rochester and beyond. In addition to his curation through 1975, he has been co-curator and lead organizer of the WALL\THERAPY mural intervention project alongside founder Dr. Ian Wilson, helping kickstart a resurgence and newfound appreciation of muralism in Rochester. Erich also serves on the board of the Friends of the Roc City Skatepark, working to build a system of free, public skateparks in the City of Rochester, NY.
Connie Sullivan-Blum
Dr. Connie Sullivan-Blum is the Executive Director of The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes in Corning, NY. She also serves as the Chair of the City of Corning’s Public Art Committee. Previously, she worked as The ARTS Council’s Folk Arts Coordinator. Sullivan-Blum has a PhD in Cultural Anthropology, which informs her approach to the arts. She believes that the arts are a bridge across cultural divides and a force for community building.
Free and open to the public | Suggested $10 donation for Not-Yet-Members
Location: Zoom | Register to receive a link
The Alley Art Project, a collaborative mural program between The Rockwell Museum, the High School Learning Center of the Corning-Painted Post Area School District, and community business owners, invites you to attend a virtual conversation with a group of panelists, including this year’s Teaching Mural Artist Betsy Z. Casañas. The program will highlight behind-the-scenes processes and the creation of Alley Art Project murals around Corning. The panelists will also discuss what public art representation means in a city, and how art can create an intentional culture of diversity and vibrancy within a community.
The discussion will be facilitated by Dakota H. Stevens, Alley Art Project Intern, Curatorial Track Ph.D. Student and Andrew W. Mellon Fellow at the University of Delaware in Art History.
About the Panelists
Betsy Z. Casañas
Betsy Z. Casañas is a Latina visual and public artist, educator, community activist and organizer with 26 years of teaching experience in the arts and has created over 50 murals worldwide. She is a 20-year participant in the Philadelphia Mural Arts program, director of A Seed on Diamond Gallery and founder of Semilla Arts, a grassroots initiative that uses art as a catalyst for social change and artistic collaboration as a means of inspiring individuals and strengthening communities. Casañas focuses her work on empowering communities, transforming public spaces, awakening local talent, and highlighting people’s stories through the creation of collaborative arts projects.
Erich Lehman
Erich S. Lehman has served as an activist for the arts in Rochester since the inception of his 1975 Gallery project in 2008. A long time art collector, graphic designer, and creative, he channeled that love into a DIY curatorial mission to share his love of art and to be a champion for arts in Rochester and beyond. In addition to his curation through 1975, he has been co-curator and lead organizer of the WALL\THERAPY mural intervention project alongside founder Dr. Ian Wilson, helping kickstart a resurgence and newfound appreciation of muralism in Rochester. Erich also serves on the board of the Friends of the Roc City Skatepark, working to build a system of free, public skateparks in the City of Rochester, NY.
Connie Sullivan-Blum
Dr. Connie Sullivan-Blum is the Executive Director of The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes in Corning, NY. She also serves as the Chair of the City of Corning’s Public Art Committee. Previously, she worked as The ARTS Council’s Folk Arts Coordinator. Sullivan-Blum has a PhD in Cultural Anthropology, which informs her approach to the arts. She believes that the arts are a bridge across cultural divides and a force for community building.