Two Row 400 Year Anniversary Mural
The Two Row 400 Year Anniversary Mural was designed and painted by Brandon Lazore (Onondaga Nation, Snipe Clan) in 2013 as part of the City of Ithaca’s resolution (June 5th 2013) in support of the Two Row Wampum Renewal Campaign. The mural depicts five chiefs of the original five nations of the Haudenosaunee (often misnomered as the Iroquois) complete with headdresses (gustoweh) unique to the individual nations (Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, and Tuscarora). The chiefs are standing in Lazore's modern interpretation of a longhouse and are holding three wampum belts representing historic treaties and events in Haudenosaunee and U.S. history.Wampum are beads made from white and purple mollusk (most popularly the quahog clam and channeled whelk), shells native to the ocean shores of northeastern North America. Wampum was not used as currency by the Haudenosaunee as is often misclaimed, though it was a popular trade item. Woven or strung wampum is used to signify the importance or authority of a message associated with it. Every Chief and Clan Mother in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy has a string or strings of wampum that serves as a certificate of their office. Woven wampum belts are used as mnemonic devices to aid community memory about agreements and important historic events. The Two Row Wampum (Gä•sweñta’) is the recorded treaty between the Haudenosaunee and European settlers, created after a series of meetings in 1613 between the Mohawk and Dutch immigrants who were clearing areas on Mohawk land with the intention of building permanent villages and farms. The Two Row belt (farthest to the left) depicts two purple lines travelling parallel on a field of white beads. One of the purple rows was meant to depict the Haundeosaunee way of life, the other row the Dutch. Each of their ways of life would be shown in the purple rows running the length of a wampum belt. “In one row is a ship with our White Brothers’ ways; in the other a canoe with our ways. Each will travel down the river of life side by side. Neither will attempt to steer the other’s vessel.” The Haudenosaunee and the Dutch agreed on three principles to make this treaty last. The first was friendship; the Haudenosaunee and their white brothers will live in friendship. The second principle is peace; there will be peace between their two people. The final principle is forever; that this agreement will last forever.The Two Row is considered a living treaty by the Haudenosaunee. In 2013, the Onondaga Nation and Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON) developed a statewide educational campaign to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the treaty. It was during this campaign that the City of Ithaca in collaboration with the Multicultural Resource Center passed a resolution in support of the Two Row Wampum Renewal Campaign passed by the Common Council, signed by Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick and 2nd Ward Representative Seph Murtagh. Brandon Lazore’s mural design won a public contest offered by the City of Ithaca to reaffirm Ithaca’s commitment to the ideals of the Two Row Treaty. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution affirms all treaties as the “supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.” As such, treaties between the governments of nations are active living agreements, although the U.S. government has rarely followed the law of its own founding documents in regards to treaties with Native American nations. The center wampum belt is the Hiawatha Belt, which is also the official Haudenosaunee/Iroquois National Flag. The symbols depict the original five nations of the Haudenosaunee: Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk (the Tuscarora joined in the 1700s) and an iconic meeting in which Hiawatha, an influential speaker and messenger for the Peacemaker, convinced the warring nations to bury their weapons beneath a white pine and agree to become one peaceful nation living in a shared “longhouse” with one law, one heart, and one mind. The nations, represented by the boxes, and the Tree of Peace are connected with lines, indicating a united confederacy of nations. This is the founding agreement of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy established over 1,000 years ago. The belt held by the chiefs on the right represents the George Washington Belt, also called the Great Chain or the Covenant Belt. It is the treaty belt that President George Washington presented to the Haudenosaunee leaders at Canandaigua, NY, in 1794. The original belt is six feet long. The thirteen human figures symbolize the original thirteen colonies of the the young and newly formed United States of America. The two smaller figures and the house in the center represent the older and established Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Each of the figures are linked by a wampum belt to form a chain of friendship which represents the alliance between the United States and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.On the far left of the mural, now partially covered by plant growth, is a representation of the Remembrance Belt, which depicts a human figure standing above an open diamond, with a long line extending from the human’s head that ends in a cross. This belt is known by a number of names, and its meanings have inspired different interpretations over the years. Cayuga Chief Jacob E. Thomas, or Teiohonwé:thon has offered these interpretations of the belt on The Jake Thomas Learning Centre website:This belt (Rononshonni:ton Ka’nikonri:io’ Raha:wi – Mohawk language) represents the Peacemaker who brings peace, power and righteousness.The Prophecy Belt signifies the coming of the Peacemaker to the Earth. The line running along the belt shows his descent from the Sky-world.The far right of the mural depicts the Neverending Tree of Peace or the Dust Fan Belt. This belt is very old, and is considered a founding document of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy along with the Hiawatha Belt. One interpretation of the design of the belt references the Tree of Peace, the white pine that the Peacemaker instructed the leaders of the warring nations to bury their weapons beneath before they became the Confederacy. The second meaning of this belt is to remind the chiefs of each nation to calmly deliberate in decision-making for the betterment of their people. The belt symbolizes the sweeping away of dust so the council can see the best path forward. Inner panels of the mural depict vital traditional crops of the Haudenosaunee: strawberries, the first fruit of summer, and the Three Sisters; corn, beans, and squash. The Three Sisters made up the staple foods of the Haudenosaunee and were grown in a mutually beneficial planting pattern managed and maintained by the women of the tribe. LISTEN HERE
Hello Old Friend Tile Project
The Hello Old Friend Tile Project consists of nearly 500 tiles that were hand-painted by attendants of the 1997 Ithaca Festival. The tile wall can be found around the corner from the Moosewood Restaurant. Tiles were painted by people ages 2-72, and feature a broad array of depictions of friendship (Hello Old Friend was the Ithaca Festival theme of the year), as well as Tompkins County attractions and landmarks. The project was originally sponsored by The Tile House and the DeWitt Mall and is a permanent art installation in the DeWitt Mall. See if you can find the tiles highlighted in this description!Cornell University's McGraw Clock Tower, located adjacent to Uris Library in the center of the Cornell campus, was built in 1891 and named for Jennie McGraw, a close family friend of Ezra Cornell. The 173-foot clock tower was originally a library and now houses the Cornell Chimes, a 21-bell set of chimes played daily by “chimesmasters.” The bells first rang at Cornell's opening ceremonies on October 7, 1868, and have since played three concerts daily during the school year with a reduced schedule during the summer and semester breaks, making it one of the largest and most frequently played sets of chimes in the world. Every morning concert since 1869 has begun with the "Cornell Changes" (affectionately known as the "Jennie McGraw Rag"). The Cornell "Alma Mater" is played at the midday concert, and the "Cornell Evening Song" at the end of the evening concert.EcoVillage Ithaca, located just off of Rt. 79 West outside of Ithaca, is a co-housing community founded in 1991 by Ithacans Joan Bokaer and Liz Walker. FROG (First Residents Group) is EcoVillage Ithaca’s first neighborhood, completed in 1997, and the first cohousing project in the State of New York. The concept of EcoVillage is to build small neighborhoods with the goal of becoming self-sustainable through renewable energy and local food systems maintained by community members. In Clark County, Ohio, in 1902, A. B. Graham started a youth program called “The Tomato Club” or the “Corn Growing Club,” considered to be the first 4‑H organization in the United States. T.A. Erickson of Douglas County, Minnesota, started local agricultural after-school clubs and fairs that same year. Jessie Field Shambaugh developed the clover pin with an H on each leaf in 1910, and by 1912, the clubs became known as 4‑H clubs. The passage of the Smith-Lever Act in 1914 created the Cooperative Extension System at USDA and nationalized 4‑H. New York State 4-H is a part of Cornell University Cooperative Extension and first began running programs in Tompkins County in 1913. In 1986, the CCE-Tompkins Education Center moved to its current location at 615 Willow Avenue just off Route 13 in Ithaca. CCE-Tompkins also owns 4-H Acres, a nature facility located on Lower Creek Road that serves as the site of the annual 4-H Youth Fair and other activities. New York 4-H connects over 170,000 youth across New York State to hands-on learning opportunities each year.LISTEN HERE
Karen Mural Project
**Please note, the Karen Mural Project was removed from the site in 2021 due to renovations by the property owners**The Karen Mural Project was completed over the course of a month in 2019 by Karen and Burman teen members of the 4-H Urban Outreach Program at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County with help of local artist Dan Burgevin. The mural depicts Karen-Burman refugee families journeying to Ithaca to escape genocide in Myanmar (formerly Burma). The first panel shows a girl hiding in the forest as her village burns behind her. The second panel shows Karen families fleeing to refugee camps in neighboring Thailand. The third panel features a glowing sunset, a plane on tarmac, and Ithaca landmarks such as the Immaculate Conception Church on Seneca Street. The Immaculate Conception Church was built in 1898, replacing an earlier church that had been built on Seneca Street in 1860. The mural is painted along a fence owned by Shortstop Deli (est. 1978) and was painted with the agreement of store owner Chuck Dong and the Shortstop staff.The text at the bottom of the mural reads:"Flowers and butterfly mask the genocide on the Karen People. A girl hiding in the Burmese forest from the brutal military junta. Many Karen crossed the Sarawren to peace and security in Thailand. Starting new families, they obtained refugee status and eventually came to USA where they vote, work, and live free!"The mural and program were made possible thanks to the Cornell University Public Service Center, Park Foundation, Short Stop, Ithaca Murals, Ithaca Asian American Association, Ithaca Housing Authority and many individual community members. The Karen peoples of Myanmar and Thailand are an ethnolinguistic group numbering approximately five million people. It is estimated by some linguists that they migrated to present-day Myanmar between 300 and 800 CE. Long-term tensions arose between the Karen cultural groups and the Burman majority during the Japanese occupation of the region during WWII. The Karen National Union was formed in 1947 and has served as a governmental structure for the Karen peoples since then. Conflict between the Karen and the majority-Burman government continued through the end of the 20th century, with country-wide uprisings and general strikes against the Burman military dictatorship coming to a head in August of 1988. In September of 1988, the government announced a new military ruler, imposed martial law, and banned all public demonstrations. The military began a coordinated crackdown on all demonstrators and ethnic-minority groups across the country in the following months and years. In 2004, the BBC estimated that up to 200,000 Karen had been driven from their homes during the decades of war, with nearly 160,000 Karen living in semi-permanent refugee camps on the Thai side of the border. Karen refugees began resettling in the United States and Canada in the early 2000s. There are large Karen populations in Minnesota, Nebraska, southern California, and central New York. The first Karen to move to Ithaca arrived in 2006.In 2016, Ithaca’s Common Council voted unanimously to make an official declaration that the city of Ithaca will be a welcoming community for all refugees. In 2017, Catholic Charities of Tompkins and Tioga Counties applied to formally establish Ithaca as a resettlement community for those escaping persecution in their home countries. The initial application accepted refugees from eight countries: Myanmar, Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bhutan, Ukraine, Cuba, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The list was based on languages already spoken within the community and current settled populations from those regions.An Ithaca woman who escaped the deadly conflicts of Myanmar in the 1980s wrote the following account of her flight from Burma as a child for the Ithaca-based Immigrant Services Program. It was re-published by the Ithaca Journal on August 18, 2014: http://ithacavoice.wpengine.com/2014/08/ithaca-woman-child-escaped-deadly-burmese-upheaval-1980s/LISTEN HERE
Firehouse 5 Mural
The Firehouse 5 Mural at 136 W. State St. was completed in 2017 by four artists, including members of the newly-formed Dripped on the Road traveling artist residency program. Each figure in the mural was designed and completed by a different artist, in order from left to right: Ramiro Davaro, Jenna Garmhausen (formerly Jim Garmhausen), BelowKey, and Denton Burrows.The artists' different depictions of firemen honor the building's history as the Downtown Ithaca Torrent House No. 5, built in 1891. The building served as a volunteer firehouse through the 1970s, and from 1994–2002, it was the location of the Firehouse Theatre. The Firehouse Theatre was a beloved local performance venue, hosting year-round performances in an 85-seat black box auditorium for eight years. Following the closure of the theatre, the building was bought by Ralph Thorpe. Thorpe renovated the building, opening it as the Ithaca Calendar Clock Museum in 2003. On display were 150 original Ithaca calendar clocks from Thorpe's personal collection. The first calendar clock was invented in Ithaca, NY, in 1853 by J. H. Hawes. In 1854, William Atkins and Joseph C. Burritt, also of Ithaca, invented the first perpetual calendar mechanism. A patent was issued to Atkins and Joseph C. Burritt on September 19, 1854, for their improvement on the calendar clock concept. The Ithaca Calendar Clock Co. (ICC) began production that year, and it remained the global leader in calendar clocks for the next 50 years, printing its calendar dials in over fifteen languages. The company went out of business in 1918. Local fans of the original clock company opened the Ithaca Clock Company, Inc. in Newfield, NY, in 1981, making some 500 reproductions over the next few years based on the original ICC designs. Ralph Thorpe died in September of 2009 at the age of 68, and the Ithaca Clock Company Museum was closed and sold off. Some of Thorpe’s clocks can still be found in the archives of The History Center in Tompkins County, which acquired some of his collection. As of 2020, the building is home to the Firehouse Architecture Lab, who collaborated with local artist Jenna Garmhausen (formerly Jim Garmhausen) and the Dripped on the Road artists to create the Firehouse 5 Mural. Video interview of the mural painting process: https://vimeo.com/239088843LISTEN HERE
Tompkins Center for History & Culture Mural
Look above the Tompkins Center for History & Culture (TCHC) for this mural, completed in 2019 in just under two weeks by local artist Mary Beth Ihnken. The design was born from the logo and brand design developed by Todd Edmonds of Iron Design for the Tompkins Center for History & Culture, a collaborative community space which first opened to the public in June of 2019. Artist Mary Beth Ihnken agreed to take on the challenge of painting Todd’s vision on the side of the brick building, with support from the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County, a TCHC building partner.Todd Edmonds designed the TCHC logo and mural as an abstract representation of Tompkins County and the central location of the new TCHC building in the heart of Downtown Ithaca. In his words, the radiating lines suggest “connections to the edge of the county, and the far corners of the globe. These lines are dashed and fragmented to convey how connections change and grow throughout time. These ‘dots’ also represent the pulse of life in Tompkins County, sent out, and returning inward to the County center."The blue sections of the mural refer to the many lakes, rivers, creeks, gorges, and streams that define the landscape of Tompkins County. The Finger Lakes consist of 11 long, narrow, roughly parallel lakes, oriented north-south and resembling fingers on a pair of outstretched hands. These lakes were formed over the last two million years by glacial carving of old stream valleys. As the most recent glaciers melted around 10,000 years ago, they left behind a landscape of long lakes and high ridges. Ithaca is located at the southernmost end of Cayuga Lake, the longest and second-deepest of the Finger Lakes. Cayuga is 38.1 miles (61.3 kilometers) long and 435 feet (133 meters, or 53 feet/16 meters below sea level) deep at its deepest spot. Cayuga Lake draws its name from the Gayogo̱hó:nǫ' Nation, whose name has been mispronounced as "Cayuga" for generations. Gayogo̱hó:nǫ' translates to “People of the Great Swamp,” and their nation was one of the five original nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy founded over 1,000 years ago. The Gayogo̱hó:nǫ' called the lake “Tiohero,” which translates to “lake of flags or rushes” or “lake of the marsh,” highlighting the extensive wetlands at both the North and South ends of the lake. Creeks flowing into the lakes since their formation have carved out lovely narrow gorges and created spectacular waterfalls. There is no formal definition of how far water must “fall” to be called a waterfall, but rough estimates suggest that Tompkins County has anywhere from 150-500+ waterfalls within the county limits. No matter where you go, you’re likely to find some "gorges" water nearby. The lines with cross ties near the top of the mural are “Transportation tracks: These lines represent the deep history Tompkins County has to transportation, specifically rail lines, yet another connection to the greater world.” Ithaca was quite a bustling community in the late 19th and early 20th century, and it was correspondingly a hub for transportation of goods and supplies. The Lehigh Valley Railroad (LV) was established in 1847. It’s original route was from New York City to Buffalo, primarily to haul coal and other wares, but also included passenger services. The route was often called the Route of the Black Diamond, in reference to its common cargo of anthracite (locals may be familiar with the Black Diamond hiking trail which also claims its name from our local railroad history). The passenger station was operational until 1961, but due to scheduling changes and budget cuts over the previous decade, it largely fell out of service, and the last Black Diamond train left Ithaca on May 11, 1959, with the final passenger train for Ithaca departing on a different route only two years later. The railroad is still operational for cargo transport, and the occasional passing train will block traffic in Ithaca’s West End even today.The peach-colored section in the top right quadrant represents “Radiating knowledge: Collection of knowledge and history radiating out of the ‘Center’ to the world.” Tompkins County is home to three schools of higher education: Cornell University (established 1865), Ithaca College (established 1892), and Tompkins Cortland Community College (established 1968). These three campuses bring tens of thousands of students and visitors to the community each year, as well as world-class lecturers, educators, performances, and research. The identity and culture of Tompkins County is highly intertwined with the lasting and continuing legacies of these schools.The curlicue design in the bottom portion of the mural represents “Community pathways: These intersecting and overlapping pathways represent the interconnections the community has in daily life that make up the events that form history. These also have an urban ‘roadway’ aesthetic.” TCHC is a unique collaborative building and enterprise. First established in 2019, the building houses exhibit space and the offices of 12 local organizations, providing a shared public community center in the heart of the City of Ithaca for explorations into the arts, history, culture, and rich heritage of the region. Learn more at tompkins-center.net.LISTEN HERE
Prehistoric Ithaca
The Prehistoric Ithaca electrical box mural was painted by Kurt Piller, a local artist who has been painting billboards for commercial businesses for most of his career. He came into prominence as the billboard designer for Secret Caverns, a tourist attraction near Howe Caverns. You will find a reference to this job in the mural in the form of a mile marker. The mural was completed in 2012 as part of the city-wide 21 Boxes: An Electrical Box Mural Project funded by the City of Ithaca Public Art Commission. The intrigue of this mural lies in the varied items that have significance for sci-fi enthusiasts, paleontologists, history buffs, and even conspiracy theorists. According to Piller, “a lot of the elements on the box are actually suggestions from people walking by.” The mural includes many sci-fi elements, including the TARDIS from Doctor Who, Sasquatch, the Jonny Quest spider, the Saber-tooth Jackalope, a Cylon warrior helmet, and the Tenth Planet, to name a few. Piller also included many elements spanning prehistory to the present day, from dinosaurs and the Easter Island Heads to rocket launches and moon landings, as well as a diverse smattering of other mystical items, such as the Devo Energy Dome and the Tarot Deck Pool. There are, of course, many connections to Ithaca in this eclectic art piece as well. In reference to the aforementioned mile marker, there is a second one labelled “Museum of the Hollow Earth.” This is an amalgamation of Ithaca’s Museum of the Earth (located on Trumansburg Rd), and the Hollow Earth, which is a conspiracy theory that our planet is hollow and another civilization resides in its interior. The Paleontological Research Institution’s Museum of the Earth was established in 2003 on Route 96 between Ithaca and Jacksonville. The Museum of the Earth “takes visitors on a journey through 4.5 billion years of history, from the Earth’s origin to the present day,” befitting the theme of this mural.As dinosaurs are on display at the Museum of the Earth, so too is a dinosaur featured on this mural, but this dinosaur is saying a local mantra, “Eat Local.” Tompkins County boasts a great number of farms and local food industries, and the farm-to-table movement is firmly entrenched in the local dining and food scene. Found in the Tarot Pool is the Cayuga Serpent, also known as Old Greeny. Legends of this lake monster date back to the 1800s, with many reported sightings throughout the years, even as recently as 2011. The Ithaca Journal Archive reported a number of sightings, although more than a few ended up being more expected swimmers such as a black cow in 1928, an otter in the 1930s, and other more recognizable creatures from central New York. Look for the Jonny Quest spider atop the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, a teaching and display museum on Cornell’s campus. I. M. Pei & Partners received the design commission from the Trustees of Cornell University to design the new arts museum in 1968. The iconic “H” shaped building opened in 1973 and was named for its primary benefactor Herbert Fisk Johnson, Jr., a Cornell Class of 1922 graduate. In 1975, the museum was awarded the American Institute of Architects Honor Award, and an image of the building graced the cover of Scientific American. The art museum features permanent collections of over 35,000 works and hosts programs that emphasize arts education for Cornell, Ithaca, and the surrounding region. Another Cornell building that is shown next to the Johnson is Cornell University's McGraw Clock Tower, which is located adjacent to Uris Library in the center of the Cornell campus. It was built in 1891 and named for Jennie McGraw, a close family friend of Ezra Cornell. The 173-foot clock tower was originally a library and now hosts the Cornell Chimes, a 21-bell set of chimes played daily by “chimesmasters.” The bells first rang at Cornell's opening ceremonies on October 7, 1868, and have since played three concerts daily during the school year with a reduced schedule during the summer and semester breaks, making it one of the largest and most frequently played chimes sets in the world. It is shown in the mural with a pumpkin perched on its spire, referencing an incident that has become a Cornell legend. In 1997, a pumpkin was placed on top of McGraw Tower by unknown pranksters. To this day, the culprits are not known, nor is their method for placing it on the tower.To the right side of that same panel are the towers at Ithaca College. These 14-floor dormitories for the school are visible landmarks for Ithaca, especially on New Year’s Eve. In 1965, a tradition began of strategically lighting specific windows in the buildings to create the last two digits of the year. At midnight on December 31, the lights changed to reveal the new year. The tradition has held strong for over 50 years, only missing one year in the early 1970s due to an energy crisis.The image of the moon landing acknowledges a few little-known facts about Cornell’s connection to the 1969 moon landing. Cornell was one of many institutions that was involved in analyzing the samples from the moon. Additionally, according to a 2019 Ithaca Voice article, the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections at Kroch Library on Cornell’s campus includes “a notebook by Cornell graduate Ernest Sternglass, who conducted research on electron amplification, which helped an estimated 650 million people watch the live images of Armstrong and Aldrin taking their first steps on the moon July 20, 1969.” **Graffiti with the letters FTP was added in red spray paint during 2020**LISTEN HERE
A Kid's Eye View
“Big Little Ithaca: A Kid’s Eye View” was completed in 2017. The mural was painted on an electrical box at the corner of E. Court St. and N. Aurora St as part of the second round of the Electrical Boxes Mural Project facilitated by the City of Ithaca Public Art Commission to beautify the city’s electrical boxes. The mural was painted by kids of Ithaca from the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Ithaca and Tompkins County (BBBS) and Ithaca Youth Bureau programs, and was coordinated by local artists Anna Adler and Marsha Acerra. The mural was painted as a city map of Ithaca, with landmarks, characters, and highlights generated from children and their mentors at BBBS and the Ithaca Youth Bureau. ---Stewart Park, painted at the top of the front of the electrical box, features the carousel, a plethora of flora and fauna, and boats on the lake in the background. Stewart Park was given to Andrew Moody as Military Lot No. 88 in 1790 following his participation in the genocidal Sullivan-Clinton Campaign ordered by then-General George Washington that decimated Haudenosaunee communities across New York State. Moody sold his plot in 1790 to James Renwick, a noted architect in New York City. Renwick is perhaps best known for designing the landmark St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. The plot remained in the Renwick family for 104 years without any major industrial or community development. In the early 1890s, it was divided into two parcels. One parcel was sold to Cascadilla School for building its athletic facilities, which originally included the Cascadilla Boathouse. The remaining parcel was sold to the newly-formed Renwick Park and Traffic Association, which opened the land as a public lakefront park called Renwick Park. Renwick Park contained a zoo, a merry-go-round, and a pavilion for dances, concerts, and vaudeville theater. In 1915, the park closed and was leased to Theodore and Leopold Wharton for their silent film studio. Wharton Inc. was active in the park, producing over 700 films until the studio shut down a few years later. In 1921, the City of Ithaca purchased the park, renaming it Stewart Park in honor of the late-Mayor Stewart who died only one month prior to the park’s opening. In 1923, the other parcel was purchased from the Cascadilla School and incorporated into the park. The carousel that is currently (2021) at Stewart Park was installed in 1951.---Another location prominently featured in the mural is the Ithaca Children’s Garden (ICG) at Cass Park. The outstanding feature represented in the mural is Gaia the Turtle. This huge snapping turtle sculpture built in 2005 was a collaboration between the three founders of ICG and artists Robert “Bo” Atkinson and Victoria Romanoff. The area on which Cass Park is located was once a wetland home to snapping turtles, as well as a variety of animals, insects, and plants native to the region. Snapping turtles are central to Haudenosaunee (commonly referred to as Iroquois) culture. The Haudenosaunee creation story describes the formation of the world on the back of a turtle, and snapping turtle shells mimic their calendar year. Snapping turtles and the Gaia turtle structure have 13 plates on their top shell, which represent the thirteen lunar months of the year. The snapping turtle also has 28 scales around the rim of its shell that reflect the 28 days in a lunar month. The Gaia turtle was designed by Victoria Romanoff, and the concrete work was completed by Bo Atkinson. The sculpture won the American Concrete Institute Central New York Chapter’s Excellence in Concrete Design & Installation Gold Award in 2005. ---The Ithaca Farmers Market first opened for business on Saturdays in 1973 as a venue for local growers, craftspeople, and food vendors to sell their goods. Mary Beth Ihnken, the muralist for this piece, joined the Ithaca Farmers Market in 1994 as an artist and remained a member for 18 years. The market first opened at Agway, and moved five more times before the current wooden structure and pavilion at Steamboat Landing on the Cayuga Lake Inlet was completed in 1988. The open air market pavilion was styled after a 13th-century European cathedral and currently hosts up to 160 vendors each season, as well as thousands of attendees, events, and performances each year. The Ithaca Farmers Market celebrated its 40th year in 2013. ---Two of Cornell University's iconic structures are painted on one of the side panels.The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, a teaching and display museum on Cornell’s campus, is pictured near the top left of the panel. I. M. Pei & Partners received the design commission from the Trustees of Cornell University to design the new art museum in 1968. The iconic “H” shaped building opened in 1973 and was named for its primary benefactor Herbert Fisk Johnson, Jr., a Cornell Class of 1922 graduate. In 1975, the museum was awarded the American Institute of Architects Honor Award, and an image of the building graced the cover of Scientific American. The art museum features permanent collections of over 35,000 works and hosts exhibitions and programs that emphasize arts education for Cornell, Ithaca, and the surrounding region. The building painted next to the art museum is Cornell University's McGraw Clock Tower, which is located adjacent to Uris Library in the center of the Cornell campus. It was built in 1891 and named for Jennie McGraw, a close family friend of Ezra Cornell. The 173-foot clock tower was originally a library and now houses the Cornell Chimes, a 21-bell set of chimes played daily by “chimesmasters.” The bells first rang at Cornell's opening ceremonies on October 7, 1868, and have since played three concerts daily during the school year with a reduced schedule during the summer and semester breaks, making it one of the largest and most frequently played set of chimes in the world. ---At the bottom of this panel you can see the double towers of Ithaca College. These 14-floor dormitories for the school are visible landmarks for Ithaca, especially on New Year’s Eve. In 1965, a tradition began of strategically lighting specific windows in the buildings to create the last two digits of the year. At midnight on December 31, the lights changed to reveal the new year. The tradition has held strong for over 50 years, only missing one year in the early 1970s due to an energy crisis.---To the right of the towers you can see a line of painted Tibetan prayer flags. These flags represent the Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies located on East Hill. Namgyal-Ithaca serves as the North American Seat of the Namgyal Monastery located in Dharamsala India, which is the personal monastery of the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists. Namgyal-Ithaca was founded in 1992 with the mission of offering Western students the opportunity to study authentic Tibetan Buddhism in a monastic setting, as well as providing a cultural center for the Tibetan and Buddhist refugee community living in Ithaca, NY.----The Commons, which is displayed in the center of the front panel of the mural, is a pedestrian mall in downtown Ithaca that first opened in 1975. Pedestrian malls were becoming popular at that time as a means of revitalizing downtown areas of cities. The name “The Commons” was the result of a “name the mall” contest. The winning entry received a prize of $1,000, and was awarded to Bill Ryan, a senior at Ithaca High School. It is said that he came up with the name after visiting Boston Common.---One side of the mural is devoted to messages from the community, describing their memories and comments regarding points of interest. The comment on the bottom of the front panel reads “Ithaca is Gorges,” a phrase coined in the 1970s by Howard Cogan. It is a play on words referring to the beauty of Ithaca as well as the abundance of ravines and waterfalls in the area. Cogan was the owner of an advertising agency that published the logo as a photo illustration on the cover of the Town Crier. He gave the logo to the Ithaca Chamber of Commerce for all to use. In this mural, the artists depicted not only this logo but Cascadilla Gorge as well.Images courtesy of The History Center in Tompkins County. ca. 2020LISTEN HERE
Alex Haley Municipal Pool Mural
This mural was designed and painted in 2015 by Khalil Bey, a local author, actor, social activist, and a formerly incarcerated community member, with assistance from Caleb Thomas, Iago Lopez, Tru Milton, Rashid Brown, N. Cox, David, and J. Stooks. The Alex Haley Municipal Pool is a public pool run by the Greater Ithaca Activity Center (GIAC) across the street. The mural highlights a number of Haley’s works, including: The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Mama Flora’s Family, Roots, and Queen: The Story of an American Family. Alex Haley was born only a few blocks away from this mural at 212 Cascadilla Street on August 11, 1921. Haley’s father, Simon Alexander Haley, was completing a master’s degree in agriculture at Cornell University at the time, and Haley's mother, Bertha Palmer Haley, was attending the Ithaca Conservatory of Music (renamed Ithaca College in 1932). The family left Ithaca a few weeks after Haley was born, and he spent the early years of his life in Tennessee.Haley published The Autobiography of Malcolm X in 1965 as a “co-author” following the assassination of Malcolm X in February of that year. The book is based on a series of in-depth interviews Haley conducted with Malcolm X between 1963 and 1965. Haley’s 1976 book, Roots: The Saga of an American Family, received the Pulitzer Prize in 1977 and was the basis for the hugely popular television mini-series Roots, which explored the history of the African-American experience. The series finale had over 100 million viewers, making it the second-most-watched single episode in U.S. television history. The series was nominated for 37 Emmy awards and won 9. Haley also wrote for Playboy, interviewing cultural giants of the 20th century like Miles Davis, Johnny Carson, Muhammad Ali, and Martin Luther King Jr. King’s interview with Haley was the longest interview the civil rights leader granted to any publication in his lifetime.Although Haley only spent six weeks of his early life in Ithaca, he stayed in touch with several Ithacans and contributed to a scholarship fund given in the name of Cornell Black alumni. In 1993, a year after his death, the Alex Haley Memorial Project raised funds to create a memorial pocket park at his birthplace on Cascadilla Street, planting a silver maple there on what would have been his 71st birthday—August 11,1993. The silver maple is a direct descendant of the silver maple which shaded Haley’s grandmother’s porch in Tennessee when she taught him about his African ancestry. A carved granite marker and a handwrought iron bench, comprised of individual iron leaves made by community members with the assistance of local blacksmith Durand Van Doren, were also installed in the park. A New York Historical Marker funded by the Pomeroy Foundation was placed outside his birthplace in August of 2020. LISTEN HERE
West End Mural
The West End Mural was designed and painted by local artist Mary Beth Ihnken in 2004 with assistance from Bill Benson. The mural was a request of the Alternatives Federal Credit Union to brighten up their drive thru lanes, and was partially funded by a Community Arts Partnership grant. The design was developed after three weeks of research at The History Center in Tompkins County. The mural depicts Ithaca’s West End in the early 1900s, highlighting many of the businesses and industries in the community. Ihnken's research revealed that Ithaca's West End was a hub of local industry and transportation; the train station and the old airport (now the Hangar Theatre) were there, and ferries and boats departed from the ports in the Cayuga Lake Inlet, travelling north to the Erie Canal. The mural includes nearly all these modes of transportation: an airplane, a train, automobiles, a horse-drawn carriage, and boats. The mural was used in the Alternatives 2004 Annual Report, garnering the credit union two awards from the 2006 Credit Union National Association Marketing Council’s Marketing & Business Development Conference in Florida (first place National Diamond Award for Annual Reports and Best Use of Art Award). At the top left of the mural is the “Tommy” plane, a nickname for the Thomas-Morse S-4 Scout bi-plane developed for WWI pilots. Thomas-Morse Scouts were designed and built in Ithaca at the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation in the 1910s. The Thomas-Morse factory still stands today on Brindley Street, although it hasn’t produced aircraft for many decades. Tommys were built as WWI pursuit trainers, which most American pilots trained on at bases throughout the U.S. before flying in Europe. Of the approximately 600 planes built before WWI ended, less than 14 of these planes exist today. One surviving Tommy was donated to the Ithaca Aviation Heritage Foundation (IAHF) in 2009 by Dr. William Thibault of Newport Beach, CA. Over the next fourteen years, this Tommy was lovingly and painstakingly restored to authentic factory condition by IAHF volunteers. Tommy was flown for its 100th anniversary on September 29, 2018, at the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport, soaring over the same skies it was built under 100 years before. This Tommy is now on permanent loan from IAHF and displayed at The History Center in Tompkins County on the Ithaca Commons. In the mural, the former airport (and one-time storage hangar for the Tommy planes) can be seen sitting alone among the trees near the water’s edge, just below and barely to the right of the Tommy plane. The Ithaca Municipal Airport, as it was known while at its home on the west shore of Cayuga Lake, was built in 1912, with only one hangar and airstrip. It was a prime location for testing many of the planes that were produced here in Ithaca, with the Thomas-Morse Scouts being the most famous of them. In 1934, the airport was expanded as a project of the Civil Works Administration, and thousands of pilots trained there during WWII. However, with commercial aviation increasing, business at this diminutive airport began to decline, especially after Cornell built an airport on the East Hill in 1948. In 1966, the municipal airport closed and became a storage facility for the city, but in the following years, the Center for the Arts at Ithaca (CAI) had set its sights on the building and location as a possible theatre venue. After decades of renovations and fundraising, the facility finally opened as a year-round performance venue in 2010, known as the Hangar Theatre. As the organization states, “the Hangar Theatre can continue to serve as a place where imagination and spirits take flight.”Located at the front left of the mural you can see the red Stanford-Crowell Company building, which was located at 1001 West Seneca St. on the corner of Brindley St. and West Seneca. The building is now known as the Signworks Building, and as of 2020 is home to Worldwide Books. Stanford-Crowell was a sign manufacturer in the 19th century, with customers across the United States, with the distinction of being one of the largest sign novelty factories in the country. The business was originally founded in 1879 by O. R. Stanford. After partnering with W. H. Crowell, the business was incorporated in 1906. The company was known for several of its unique processes which made sign-making a more efficient and profitable undertaking. According to an article in the Ithaca Journal published on August 11, 1926, “G. K. Loveless, superintendent of the plant, is the inventor of a new and distinct process in the making of felt banners and pennants. This is known as the screen process. It consists of putting letters of white lead on felt, rather than sewing on letters of superimposed felt as was formerly done. The layer of white lead is laid on the felt through a fine-screened stencil.” Another process that was unique to Stanford-Crowell was that of waterproofing cardboard. This was achieved by using pure wood pulp, then dipping it in a solution of oil and paint. In 1930, the company purchased the Lock-Fold Paper Box Company, which moved its entire operation to this location in Ithaca.Ithaca was a bustling community in the early twentieth century, and it was correspondingly a hub for transportation of goods and supplies. This was made possible by Ithaca’s access to the Erie Canal through Cayuga Lake, which opened up the potential for revenues from freight and shipping. Ithaca had not just one railroad station, but two in the West End. At 701 West Seneca Street, the railroad station for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western (DL&W) was built in 1912. This station served as a stop on a line from Ithaca to Owego. By the late 1930s, however, both the DL&W and the LV passenger trains began to dwindle, as automobiles and the construction of highway systems replaced the practicality of railroads. In 1942, DL&W discontinued passenger service. The station building served as the Ithaca Bus Depot for regional bus traffic from the 1990s on until the bus station relocated to downtown Ithaca in 2019. The train running alongside the Stanford-Crowell building represents the Lehigh Valley Railroad. The Lehigh Valley Railroad (LV) was established in 1847 as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad, but in 1853, the name was changed to Lehigh Valley Railroad. The original route was from New York City to Buffalo, primarily to haul coal and other wares, but it included passenger services as well. The route was often referred to as the Route of the Black Diamond, in reference to its common cargo of anthracite (locals may be familiar with the Black Diamond hiking trail which also claims its name from our local railroad history). Up two blocks and on the opposite side of the street from the Signworks, at 806 West Buffalo Street, is the Lehigh Valley Railroad Station, built in 1898. The passenger station and freight station were designed by local architect A. B. Wood. This station was a stop for the Black Diamond, Maple Leaf, and Star trains. During the 1920s and 1930s, LV offered specials for Cornell students and parents by providing “observation trains,” which were flatbed cars equipped with bleachers. These would park or move slowly along the side of the lake so the spectators could observe Cornell crew races in the inlet canal. The passenger station was operational until 1961, but due to scheduling changes and budget cuts over the previous decade it largely fell out of service, and the last Black Diamond train left Ithaca on May 11, 1959, with the final passenger train departing two years later. The route is still operational for cargo transport, and the occasional passing train will block traffic in Ithaca’s West End even today.In the mural, the block between the Signworks building and the LV Railroad Station depicts the Dixon and Robinson lumber yard. The large white building in that block is the Lehigh Valley Hotel at 801 W. Buffalo St. The building was also home to the Lehigh Valley House restaurant. The restaurant had opened in 1897 and was operational for over 100 years, closing in 2010. At the time it was the oldest restaurant in town, serving train passengers, hotel guests, and locals for 113 years.In the foreground of the mural, you can see a horse-drawn fire engine about to cross a bridge. It appears to have come from the Sprague Steamer & Hose Company No. 6. The Sprague Steamer & Hose Company was one of several fire companies of the Ithaca Fire Department, first incorporated in 1871, although its existence long preceded that date. In fact, the city’s first fire engine was purchased in 1823. Following the incorporation of the fire department, the Sprague Steamer Company No. 6 was organized on October 1, 1872, and incorporated in December, 1915. It was located in a two-story brick building at 624 West State Street, near Fulton Street.The white building on the corner, next to the Sprague Steamer Company, is the St. John’s Hotel. The business was short-lived and was sold in the early 1900s. It is now the location of the Alternatives Federal Credit Union (in whose parking lot you’re in if you can see the mural!).Although few of the other buildings in the mural include the names of the businesses, it is apparent that the many factories, businesses, and stations that occupied the West End in the early 1900s were prominent features of the city, as they are today. The mural itself is painted on the side of the Bangs Ambulance Operations building, at 626 West Seneca Street. Bangs was also a part of the West End District, and it has been an important part of Ithaca’s history, dating back to 1945. Although the Bangs building is not included in the mural, it is appropriate that the mural is painted on a building of historical significance. The ambulance service began three years after the Bangs Funeral Home was opened by John Bangs in 1942. His wife Rita, a nurse, recognized the need for pre-hospital care in emergency situations, so they began using the hearses from the funeral home to transport patients to the hospital, with Rita administering medical treatment en route. This early intervention proved to be beneficial in patient outcomes, and Bangs Ambulance remains a mainstay of the community over 75 years later.The artist also included the McGraw Clock Tower in the upper right-hand portion of the mural. Cornell University's McGraw Clock Tower, located in the center of the Cornell campus and adjacent to Uris Library, was built in 1891 and named for Jennie McGraw, Ezra Cornell's close family friend. The 173-foot clock tower was originally a library and now houses the Cornell Chimes, a 21-bell set of chimes played daily by chimesmasters. The bells first rang at the Cornell's opening ceremonies on October 7, 1868, and have since played three concerts daily during the school year with a reduced schedule during the summer and semester breaks, making it one of the largest and most frequently played chimes sets in the world. Every morning concert since 1869 has begun with the "Cornell Changes" (affectionately known as the "Jennie McGraw Rag"). The Cornell "Alma Mater" is played at the midday concert, and the "Cornell Evening Song" comes at the end of the evening concert.If you are interested in finding out more about the buildings depicted in this mural, or about any structure that existed in the early 1900s in Ithaca, please go to historyforge.net. There you will find interactive maps of Ithaca dating back to the 1870s.LISTEN HERE
Union Muralists
The Union Mural completed in 2013 can be seen on Union Building, corner of State St. and Fulton St. One side of the mural can be seen from the sidewalk, but you can also walk around the building to the parking lot to see two more faces and designs from the back of the building. The history of UA Local 267 is from the Local 267 website (ualocal267.org) citation below)). The history of Local 267 started in 1889, when many of its charter members organized The Syracuse Union of Journeyman Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 59 in the Independent Association, also known as the I.A.The United Association of Journeyman Plumbers and Steamfitters of the United States and Canada (the U.A.) was organized October 11, 1889. As a result, Local 59 withdrew from the I.A. and petitioned for, and was granted, a charter from the United Association as Journeyman Plumbers, Gas, and Steamfitters and Steamfitters Helpers Local 40 in June 1901. Due to a dispute between Local 40 and the Syracuse Trades and Labor Assembly, which also unfortunately involved the U.A., the charter of Local 40 was revoked by the U.A. in May of 1902.During this stormy period, Local 40 continued to function as an independent union until a few of the tradesmen petitioned for a new charter from the U.A. and formed Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 374 in February of 1904. This charter existed until September 2, 1905, when the remaining members of Local 40 and the men of Local 374 reunited and were granted a charter recognizing them as Plumbers, Gasfitters and Steamfitters Local 54 Syracuse.Local 54 continued as a combination Plumbers and Steamfitters Local until June of 1920, when the Steamfitters petitioned for and were granted a charter from the U.A. as Steamfitters and Steamfitter Helpers Local 818, Syracuse. The charter of Local 54 was changed to Plumbers and Gasfitters.Local 109 Ithaca was granted its charter in 1893 and grew through the years as a result of mergers with local unions throughout the area. Mergers with Local 707 Cortland in 1959, Local 206 Elmira in 1961 and Local 462 Corning in 1972 enlarged both the geographical jurisdiction and membership of the Ithaca Local. In 1987, Locals 54, 818 and 109 merged and were chartered into Local 267 as we know it today.UA 267. “Local 267 History.” UA 267, United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada, 2020, www.ualocal267.org/history.aspx. LISTEN HERE
Toni Morrison Mural
This mural of celebrated author Toni Morrison was painted by local artist Maryam Adib (Artist handle @thrifted_underwear and @smarf.art) and completed in November of 2019. This mural is on a personal residence, so please be respectful of the grounds. Toni Morrison was born Chloe Anthony Wofford in 1931 and passed away in 2019 at the age of 88. She adopted the pen name of Toni Morrison for the publication of her first novel The Bluest Eye in 1970; the professional moniker stuck, although she used her birth name for some of her other writings. Morrison was a prolific author in her lifetime, publishing 11 novels that explored the Black American experience, including Beloved, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988, and Song of Solomon, which received a National Book Critics Circle Award in 1977. She also wrote children’s books, an operetta, and essay collections. In 1993, Morrison became the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.Following her graduation from Howard University, Morrison moved to Ithaca in 1954 to complete a Master of Arts degree in American Literature at Cornell University. She completed her Cornell degree in 1955 with a thesis titled “Virginia Woolf’s and William Faulkner’s treatment of the alienated.” Morrison (then Wofford) lived in Cornell’s Cascadilla Hall while she was a student.Morrison returned to Ithaca as an Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large for Cornell University from 1997 to 2003. A.D. White Professors-at-Large are an elite group of up to twenty outstanding intellectuals from around the globe, and are considered full members of the Cornell faculty. During their six-year appointments, each Professor-at-Large visits the campus for at least one week in each three-year period. Morrison returned to the Ithaca campus numerous times over the years. “It’s always nice for me to come back,” she said in 2009. “My memories are strong about this place; important. And the two times I have been here for sustained periods have always been extraordinary.”Morrison’s last visit to Cornell before her death was in 2013 for a conversation about literature, politics, and language hosted by the Africana Studies and Research Center and the Institute of German Cultural Studies. Check out https://www.ithacamurals.com/maryamadib.html. LISTEN HERE
Historic Ithaca's Plain Street Mural
Historic Ithaca’s Plain Street Mural was painted in 2011 by local artist Mary Beth Ihnken to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Significant Elements Architectural Salvage Warehouse, which is located inside the building. In addition to running Significant Elements, Historic Ithaca advocates for historic buildings, sites, and landscapes, and maintains a library and archive of information related to buildings and sites in Tompkins County. The mural depicts the history of the warehouse (built around 1880) at 212 Center Street, used at different points in time to house undergarment and carriage manufacturing, iron work, airplane engine testing, and furniture. The mural was funded through grants from Tompkins Charitable Gift Fund, The Service League, and sponsored by Benjamin Moore, Ithaca Paint & Decorating Inc., and individual donations. The central image in the mural is a horse-drawn wagon, with the words “Pritchard & Son, Carriages and Wagons” painted on its side. From 1901 to 1914, the warehouse was the property of Pritchard & Son, who used it as a repository for carriages and wagons. Pritchard & Son is still in business today as Pritchard Automotive (located at 304 S. Cayuga Street), managed and operated by the fourth and fifth generation of the same Pritchard family that first started Pritchard & Son over 120 years ago. From 1915 to 1918, the building was used by the Burns Brothers (John and William), who were blacksmiths, horseshoers, and wood and iron workers. There is an anvil in the bottom right of the mural inscribed with the words “Burns Bros” to honor their time in the building.During WWI, the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Company used the warehouse space to test engine parts for their airplanes, which included the “Tommy” plane (as it was affectionately known by World War I pilots) shown at the top of the mural. The Thomas-Morse Scouts were designed and built in Ithaca at the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation in the 1910s. Tommy was a WWI pursuit trainer on which most American pilots trained at bases throughout the US before flying in Europe. Of the approximately 600 planes built before WWI ended, fewer than 14 of these planes exist today. One surviving Tommy was donated to the Ithaca Aviation Heritage Foundation (IAHF) in 2009 by Dr. William Thibault of Newport Beach, CA. Over the next fourteen years, this Tommy was lovingly and painstakingly restored to authentic factory condition by the IAHF volunteers. Tommy was flown for its 100th anniversary on September 29, 2018, at the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport, soaring over the same skies it was built under 100 years before. This Tommy is now on permanent loan from IAHF and displayed at The History Center in Tompkins County on the Ithaca Commons. From 1921 to 1922, the building was owned as a branch location for Miller Corset Company, a corset manufacturer based in Cortland, NY. The only allusion to this period in the building’s history is the corset worn by the lady sitting in the Pritchard & Son carriage. From 1924 to 1956, Ithaca Delivery and Storage was based here, providing motor freight services throughout New York State. The inscription with this name is on the paper airplane included in the far right corner of the mural.Also inscribed on the paper airplane on the left is Harbeck Paper Co., who owned the building from 1957 to 1977. Harbeck Paper Co. was a wholesale paper dealer.The three windows in the mural each show houses from Center Street in the 1880s when the building was first built. LISTEN HERE
Ezra Cornell
The Ezra Cornell mural on the south-facing wall of the Tompkins County Public Library was painted by Poughkeepsie artist Nestor Madalengoitia in 2016. The mural features the founder of Cornell University, Ezra Cornell, and text exemplifying the ideals of the library. The mural was funded by the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County, the Tompkins County Library Foundation, and a private donor. Ezra Cornell (1807–1874) spent his early life in DeRuyter, New York. He first came to Ithaca at the age of 21, working first as a carpenter and then in Jeremiah Beebe's plaster and flour mill. At the age of 47 he was bankrupt. By the time he was 57, however, his fortunes had changed after his hard work and investments in the early telegraph industry paid off. The philanthropist co-founded Cornell University in 1865.Ezra Cornell spent about $100,000 to construct Tompkins County's first public library building in 1863 on the southeast corner of Seneca and Tioga streets (in 2020 this location was the site of the Seneca Street Parking Garage). The Cornell Public Library was completed in 1866. Some of the people who lectured there were Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Mark Twain. Cornell University's first commencement took place in the hall of the library in 1869. The building stood until it was demolished in 1960. The Tompkins County Public Library (TCPL) officially became the county library in 1967, and in 1982 TCPL became the first library in New York to use a computerized catalog system. The Tompkins County Board of Representatives approved a plan to purchase the Woolworth building on the corner of Green and Cayuga Streets in 1998 as the site of the new library. TCPL opened its doors at its Green Street location in 2000. Cornell University's online exhibit, "'I Would Found an Institution': The Ezra Cornell Bicentennial," The text on the mural reads:(Above the eyebrows)“It belongs to all. Let that be remembered. Not to a chosen few to monopolize its benefits, not to a narrow circle to frown on all the rest, but to all. To every one as equal with every other."(Below the eyebrows—in no precise order)Reading, Haven, Community, Helpful, Equality, Exciting, Invaluable, Resources, Comfortable, Sharing, Families, Information, Visionary, Opportunity, Fun, Art, Technology, Connected, Adaptable, Enriching, Evolving, Programming, Learning, Enriching, Resources, Lively, Open, Inclusive, Vibrant, Diverse, Welcoming, Accessible, Professional, Sustainable, Children, Teens, Seniors, Dynamic, Accepting, Values, Active, Responsive, Neutral, Fair, Unbiased, FreedomTompkins County Public Library, Founded in 1864 by Ezra Cornell as the Cornell Library Association”LISTEN HERE
Women's Nomination Belt Mural
**This mural was demolished in 2021 due to the renovation of the Green St. Parking Garage**The Women’s Nomination Belt Mural, located on the Green Street Parking Garage, was painted by Brandon Lazore of the Onondaga Nation in 2014. In the artist’s words, “It is dedicated to the feminine side of the Haudenosaunee culture, and people can have a better understanding of how important the women in our culture is to our society.” The mural is dedicated to all Haudenosaunee women, with depictions representing many aspects of women’s roles within the Haudenosaunee community. The mural title is inspired by the Nomination Belt, which is a wampum belt bestowed on women as a symbol of their authority to choose, nominate, confirm, and superintend the chiefs of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. It also confirms their right to choose the names of their children, and for children to be born into the clans of their mothers. The belt depicts six human figures, arms extended and joined, with a square between the two central figures representing the council fire. **As of 2020, the painted figures depicted in the Nomination Belt mural have begun to fade, although their significance remains.A silhouette of Sky Woman is also included in the top right corner of the mural. Although versions vary widely from community to community, the Haudenosaunee creation story is essentially the story of the Sky Woman, who fell through a hole in the sky and was caught by birds, who set her down on the back of a turtle. Animals brought mud up to form land on the back of the turtle, forming the earth the Haudenosaunee call Turtle Island. Sky Woman planted many things on Turtle Island and gave birth to twin sons. One twin was drawn to positive creation, the other twin desired destruction and worked to corrupt his brother’s positive creations. It is through the twins' competing efforts that the world was built. The Haudenosaunee believe that the twins’ competing natures for creation and destruction keep the world in harmony and perfect balance. In the mural, Sky Woman is holding roots of the Three Sisters, Corn, Beans, and Squash, the plants that grew from her hand and hair when she fell from the sky. The Three Sisters were, and are, important crops for Haudenosaunee agricultural practices because, when grown together, they have a symbiotic relationship that deters pests, enriches the soil, and provides a balanced diet. The three women in the painting represent three generations of Haudenosaunee women: a grandmother, her daughter, and her granddaughter. Strawberries, also known as "heart berries" to the Haudenosaunee because of their shape, grow at the bottom left of the mural. Strawberries are an important part of the Gaiwiio, which is the “good word” (gospel) of the Seneca prophet Handsome Lake, representing blessings and thanksgiving. Lazore included them in this mural for their medicinal significance in connection with the maternal theme “mother’s love is medicine to a child.”The moon, shown in its various phases in the mural, represents fertility. It is included because of the significant role that the cycles of the moon play in a woman’s life. The cycles guide and influence planting, harvesting, hunting, and other aspects of everyday life in Haudenosaunee culture, whose yearly calendar is organized by thirteen moon cycles.Brandon Lazore is a member of the Snipe Clan of the Onondaga Nation. A graduate of Onondaga Community College, he has been painting murals around New York State since the mid-90s. His work “celebrates Haudenosaunee culture and serves as a learning tool for passersby.” LISTEN HERE
Going to Market
**These panels were moved in 2021 due to the renovation of the Green St. Parking Garage**The ‘Going to Market’ 3-panel mural by Brooktondale resident Mary Beth Ihnken depicts the journey local food items make on their way to the Ithaca Farmers Market. The mural was completed in 2009 as part of the Art in the Heart annual public art display on the Ithaca Commons. The first two panels depict rows of vegetables being planted and harvested on a field overlooking Cayuga Lake. The third panel shows shoppers biking in to explore the vendor selections at the weekend Ithaca Farmers Market at Steamboat Landing.The Ithaca Farmers Market first opened for business on Saturdays in 1973 as a venue for local growers, craftspeople, and food vendors to sell their goods. Mary Beth Ihnken, the muralist for this piece, joined the Ithaca Farmers Market in 1994 as an artist, and was a member for 18 years. The market first opened at Agway and moved five more times before the current wooden structure and pavilion at Steamboat Landing on the Cayuga Lake Inlet was completed in 1988. The open-air market pavilion was styled after a 13th-century European cathedral and currently hosts up to 160 vendors each season and thousands of attendees, events and performances each year. The Ithaca Farmers Market celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2013. Ihnken was excited to bring a depiction of the market back to the Ithaca Commons, where the market was located for a few of its early seasons. Learn more: https://ithacamarket.com/history-mission/LISTEN HERE
Underground Railroad Mural
**This mural is being repainted in 2021**The mural titled “Underground Railroad Mural” was designed and painted in 2010 by Jonathan Matas and has also been called 'On the Masters Horse'. Iit is located on Green Street beneath the Aurora Street overpass. According to Matas, “This mural pays tribute to Upstate New York's abolitionist rebels and all refugees of the slave system who passed through Ithaca in their Northbound journeys toward freedom. Represented here are Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman as well as Ithaca's St James AME Zion Church, whose members played a pivotal role in Ithaca's Underground Railroad operations. The Drinking Gourd above was used as a guide on refugees’ journey. George Johnson had a barbershop on State St. where he helped disguise fugitives by giving them haircuts and new clothes before helping them board the Simeon DeWitt steamer, which took them across Cayuga Lake.” The mural was selected for a revitalization funding project in collaboration with Ithaca Murals in August 2020, by four local Black artists; Maryam Adib, Jackie Richardson, Cyepress Rite, and Terrance Vann. This re-painting of the mural is scheduled to take place in 2021. According to Ithaca Murals coordinator Caleb Thomas, this revitalization intends to celebrate not only Black leaders of the past but also Black artists and community members from the present. One of the artists, Cyepress Rite, had this to say about the impetus behind refreshing the deteriorating mural: “…it's a perfect opportunity to re-imagine the blueprint that has been laid out and to honor our ancestors and those stories.” Rite also added, “There’re so many particular landmarks in Ithaca that are very related to abolitionist movements and civil rights, so it’s important and special that not only is there representation in a city that does have Black people, does have Brown people, does have people of color but also that this representation is telling our story honorably,”Viewing the mural from left to right, the first depiction is that of Harriet Tubman (ca. 1820-1913), a household name in connection with self-liberation and the Underground Railroad. Her biography extends far beyond her most well-known role as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. Born enslaved as Araminta Ross, Tubman self-liberated and eventually served as a scout, a spy, a guerilla soldier, and a nurse for the Union Army, making her the first African American woman to serve in the United States military. She supported John Brown in his raid at Harpers Ferry. She later married Nelson Davis and spent her remaining years in Auburn, NY, where she established the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged. Above her image on the mural a caption reads ‘Comrade Tubman,’ which has been controversial within the community and deemed “historically inappropriate and anachronistic” by local historian Carol Kammen, who states there is no historic record of Tubman holding communist views or political affiliation.The next image shows three people on horseback, presumably three enslaved individuals escaping to freedom on the master’s horse.The St. James AME Zion Church is shown just above the map of the Finger Lakes region. The church is located at 116-118 Cleveland Avenue. St. James was chartered in 1833 by a group of African American Methodists who had previously attended "colored class" Sunday School at Ithaca's First Methodist Episcopal Church. St. James is central to the history of Ithaca’s African American community; most notably, it served as a station on Ithaca’s Underground Railroad network and hosted prominent figures of the abolition movement, including Frederick Douglas and Harriet Tubman. Jermain Loguen, called by some the Underground Railroad King for his prolific abolitionist efforts, was St. James' third minister. The building was listed as a local landmark in 1975 and was added to the National and State Registers of Historic Places in 1982. Because the congregation's original stone meetinghouse remains intact within the current structure, St. James AME Zion Church is the oldest standing church building in Ithaca.To the right of the church is a quote from Frederick Douglass (ca. 1818-1895) as well as his portrait. The quote reads, “If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters... Power concedes nothing without a demand.” Douglass was born enslaved, and self-liberated in 1838 when he was about the age of 20. Douglass became a prominent speaker, activist, and author in the abolitionist and suffrage movements. Douglass’s 1845 autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, described his life and treatment while enslaved. Douglass traveled throughout the United States and the United Kingdom, giving public speeches on the horrific nature and practice of slavery in America and its dehumanizing impacts. Douglass visited Tompkins County numerous times; he spoke to a congregation at St James AME Zion Church in 1852, and he was scheduled to speak in Newfield, NY, on October 9, 1851. A number of Tompkins County residents are recorded as registered subscribers to his anti-slavery weekly newspaper The North Star. LISTEN HERE