The Commons in Ithaca is in the middle of an extensive renovation project. But you won’t see the usual drab construction fence surrounding the project. Not in Ithaca! Instead, the Downtown Ithaca Alliance turned the construction barrier into a public art project with the Adopt An Art Panel program. The organization arranged for 300 plywood panels, measuring eight feet wide and four feet tall, to be painted with white primer and given over to individuals and groups to turn into a temporary mural. 

 

Joshua McCown won first prize for best mural for his collection of Ithaca notables, including Rod Serling (who taught at IC), E.B. White, Carl Sagan, Alex Haley, Harriet Tubman, Ezra Cornell, and William Egbert, the founder of Ithaca College.