Taliesin Thomas

(AI) ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PART II OF III | AI NOW : Expert Perspectives

May 30, 2023 By Taliesin Thomas

This 3-part series on the expanding prevalence of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) considers this topic with respect to art and the creative economies in our region and beyond. Our first installment (I of III) explored the basic definitions of A.I. to set the stage for discussion. In this second segment, we hear from local professionals who amplify our perspective on A.I. and its significance in the wider arts fields especially. In the final segment to come, we will profile regional artists working with AI in interesting and fantastical ways.

*Alice in Wonderland Sculpture* in Central Park, NYC
Photo Credit : Taliesin Thomas (2023)

Let’s be real: AI is becoming increasingly conspicuous—and legitimately freakish!—as diverse subsets report on this topic within their distinct areas of mainstream culture. Since publishing the first segment in this series three months ago, the focus on AI technology has leveled up across the board. The onslaught of news clips focusing on the various dimensions of AI have taken over the airwaves and the entertaining nature of the headlines are provocative enough to rouse our prying further into the amplifying world of AI. Here are a few recent examples:

– AI, WTF Do You Know About Pain?
– Can AI Treat Mental Illness?
– Instant Videos Could Represent the Next Leap in AI Technology
– AI Portraits of Republicans in Drag to Get You Through the Week
– AI Images Visualizing Trump’s Arrest Send Internet Into a Frenzy
– How Hot Are You? Art Collective MSCHF’s New Chat Site Lets A.I. Do the Evaluating

And if these assorted click-bait stories are not engrossing enough, an episode of Tonight with John Oliver offers a witty spoof of an AI-generated Eminem rhapsody, yet another example of the absurdities associated with the ‘creative’ (and snarky) uses of AI amid a wide cultural swath.

Admittedly I have been pursuing the radical dialogue surrounding AI down various rabbit holes of inquiry and investigation. Like many of us, I am keen to learn more around what exactly is happening in the burgeoning technological landscape of AI to understand the ‘real-time’ applications and expressions of this machine-driven intelligence. I have also been discussing AI with friends and colleagues alike, and nearly everyone has a story to share regarding their concerns about AI—algorithms. For some, the exploration of digital domains such as Second Life and other realms of cybernated titillation that were once newfangled digital-experiences but are now considered dated and average.

Street art in Austin, TX | Photo Credit : Taliesin Thomas (2023)

To provide a brief synopsis of what AI is doing today, let us recall the two basic categories that define it: there is the generative ‘narrow’ form of AI that can create image or write text as demonstrated by Midjourney, ChatGPT and Stability.AI. These platforms perform one narrowly defined task or smaller set of related tasks. There is also the generative ‘general’ form of AI that demonstrates intelligent behavior across a range of cognitive tasks, such as the highly versatile technology seen in movies. General programs must be taught with minimal instructions and are given massive amounts of data to filter in which to do that, and these programs essentially teach themselves.

Apparently, all the AI currently in use is a ‘narrow’ form of AI and thus limited, however, we are seeing the ‘deep learning’ capability of AI technology is indeed getting defter—or weirder in some cases. Furthermore, some AI programs confidently spout false information, effectively hallucinating and providing dubious and downright dishonest theses. The data sets for these programs are majority male and white male to boot, so bias input equates bias output. Thus, AI theory and AI practice provide different results and the colossal amount of ‘training data’ found on the internet provides an endless trash-heap with respect to questionable content.

Attempts to filter out racist and other problematic content reveals the intensely convoluted nature of what are we are dealing with.

AI Chatbot Goes Rogue, Confesses Love for User, Asks Him to End his Marriage

As such, everyone is questioning the hullabaloo surrounding AI, and the prevailing census strikes me as apprehension mixed with a dose of curiosity. What are we most concerned about when we consider the broader implications of AI—other than already embedded AI operations such as email spam filters—and its seemingly insuppressible development? How can we manage our human insecurities regarding AI’s unconstrained influence in the creative sector? We turned to two local experts to further unfurl the conversation about AI’s potential and peril.

Professor James Hendler | Photo Credit : Corey Aldrich

Recently I met with Professor James Hendler at the Center for Industrial Innovation at RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute). Professor Hendler is a leading scholar on the topic of AI, he is also the Director of the Future of Computing Institute and the Tetherless World Professor of Computer, Web and Cognitive Sciences at RPI and the Director of the RPI-IBM Artificial Intelligence Research Collaboration. A data scientist with interests in AI and machine learning, semantic data integration, and the use of data in government, Professor Hendler has authored over 450 books, technical papers, and articles in the areas of AI and data policy and governance.

Professor Hendler’s mind simultaneously works along many fascinating channels. It was a thrill to have a private audience with a thought leader of our time. As we dug deeper into the AI discourse, we encountered many complex areas ripe for discussion, everything from unknowable depths of the human psyche and the mystical-cum-analytic tradition of the ancient Torah to the imaginative realms of Dungeons & Dragons to the provocative misuse of AI to create ‘synthetic pornography.’ We also considered some of the real-time concerns over AI, such as authorship, composition, slander, and so on.

Professor Hendler referred to AI’s ability to ‘operationalize’ in a super-human capacity, since now “We are seeing computers do something they have never done before…” he remarked. He went on to clarify, however, that: “When we say it’s super-human, we are not there yet and even when we are, it’s unclear to me what that will mean.” Speaking of AI’s output, Professor Hendler stated in no uncertain terms that: “These things have no intentionality. Their intention comes from us.” He described his own uses of AI and his experimentation with the AI program DALL-E to generate images of atypical rabbi’s, including African American women in the role.

AI-generated Image by Professor James Hendler in Collaboration with DALL-E
Photo Credit : James Hendler (2023)

“We are going to have to keep falling back on undefined terms, on things that we as humans don’t understand how we do,” he commented. Professor Hendler then went on to invoke a quote by the late theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking, stating that “AI will get to the point where it will self-evolve, and at that point, that becomes an existential threat.” He posed a poignant question in response: “Why? What is the ecological niche we would be competing in?”

He also suggested that concerns around AI reflect our human tendency to “project out” with respect to uncertain futures. The so-called mystical side of AI also inspired many compelling ideas. “I actually believe that a lot of this stuff, when you really get into the depth of it, takes us way away from the mysticism and right into the grounding of politics.” As we rounded the corner on our conversation, I asked a final question: “Is AI changing what it means to be an artist?” with regard to ownership and accomplishment. Professor Hendler then spoke about the first guys to make Mickey Mouse cartoons and their feeling of pride in figuring out the process of animating them. “Now the question is, what is the thing that makes that an accomplishment? It was not the physical act of getting the dots on to the paper,” he stated.

Street art in Troy, NY | Photo Credit : Taliesin Thomas (2023)

After that compelling conversation with Professor Hendler, I followed-up with another leading local voice on these topics, V. Owen Bush. As a designer, filmmaker, producer, and founder of the Scan2Plan 3D mapping company, Bush has been involved in creative immersive technologies and digital output programs since the early 1990s.

V. Owen Bush | Photo Credit : Corey Aldrich

His work has been seen in venues worldwide including digital planetariums, live concerts, events, IMAX 3D, and broadcast television. Bush approaches AI from an innovative angle: “There are a lot of creative applications for AI,” he explains. “From a visual arts standpoint, I think AI will be disruptive to certain craft artists versus artists with more conceptual heft behind their work.” Bush suggests that AI is a contemporary extension of a similar trend that started with Andy Warhol in the 1960s and was later cemented in the 1980s with production style artists such as Jeff Koons, Mark Kostabi, and Julian Schnabel—artists whose work was effectively “…factory produced and the artist just needed to put their signature on it,” he commented. Bush rented in a building in New York City that was home to Koons and Kostabi’s studios, and he visited them frequently during that era. Speaking as someone who has seen the evolution of artistic technologies since the pre-internet days, Bush asserts: “AI is merely an extension of that trend.”

In the next and final installment (III of III), we will profile regional artists working with AI in interesting and fantastical ways.

Taliesin Thomas, Ph.D. is an artist-philosopher, writer, lecturer, and collector based in Troy, NY. Since 2007, she is the founding director of AW Asia and the collection manager of Art Issue Editions—two private art collections based in New York that are the foundation for collaborations and projects with artists and museums
worldwide. Thomas has lectured and published widely on contemporary art. She is the director of the Critical Forum program at the Arts Center for the Capital Region, NY and she is a faculty member at School of Visual Arts, NY. Thomas studied studio art, aesthetics, theory, and philosophy at Bennington College, Columbia University, and The Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts.

A.I. : What It Is and Why You Should Care | PART I OF III

March 21, 2023 By Taliesin Thomas

Powerful Artificial Intelligence engines like Chat GPT4 and Midjourney v5 are quickly moving into the mainstream. This 3-part series on the expanding prevalence of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) will consider the topic with respect to art and the creative economies in our region and beyond. In this opening segment, Taliesin Thomas PhD explores the basic definitions of A.I. and where the current conversation is moving.

Installation View of a **Daniel Arsham** Exhibition at the **Long Museum** in Shanghai, China | 2019
Photo Credit: **Taliesin Thomas**

The noticeable buzz surrounding Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) appears to be infiltrating nearly every category of contemporary culture, especially creative fields. What exactly is A.I. and how does it work? What are the implications of A.I. for art? Although art made with semi-autonomous machines has been around since the 1960s, we are in an entirely new era of technological realities. First let us consider the pairing of these two words: ‘artificial’ and ‘intelligence.’ These concepts inspire distinct questions surrounding A.I. and its rising significance in our increasingly interconnected society. The term ‘artificial’ presents a wary definition to start—synonyms include ‘bogus’, ‘counterfeit,’ ‘factitious,’ and ‘faked.’ This provokes a circumspect context from the outset of the conversation: can we trust this fabricated form of perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information? Second, the notion of ‘intelligence’ is arguably the basis of our entire civilization. We endure and increase our collective agency as a species thanks to our combined intelligence. Intelligence can be defined in various ways, including the capacity for understanding, self-awareness, reasoning, planning, critical thinking, and creativity. The power of our singular human experience is precisely our ability to cultivate intellect throughout our life journey.

Installation View of **Yayoi Kusama** “*Infinity Mirrors*” Installation at the **Hirshhorn Museum**, DC | 2022
Image credit: Taliesin Thomas

Thus, we proceed with a sense of discernment regarding A.I. as a ‘phony mind’ yet we must marvel at its swift development and implementation in various realms of society, notably commercial applications. A.I. systems function through a foundation of specific hardware and software tools that consume large quantities of organized data that—through processing techniques—produce specific algorithms or patterns. Those algorithms in turn provide computing devices with step-by-step instructions for how to complete a specific task and can be manipulated to ‘create’ or output in distinct ways. A.I. is now employed for a variety of purposes including expert systems, natural language processing, speech recognition, and machine vision. The ride service Uber, for example, utilizes sophisticated A.I. machine learning algorithms to predict when people are likely to need rides in certain areas, which helps proactively get drivers on the road and to where they are needed most.

Screengrab of **The Andy Warhol Diaries** on **Netflix**

As a novel technology, A.I. is being progressively employed within the creative sector as well, often in fascinating ways. I anticipated the A.I. generated voice for Andy Warhol as encountered in the Andy Warhol Dairies would sound gimmicky and bizarre, however, I was delighted by the opposite effect. Not only does the Warhol’s voice sound incredibly accurate, but it also brings to life his articulate mind (and heart) in a beautiful and believable manner. We already know Warhol as an icon extraordinaire and enduring face of Pop Art, but this intimate series reveals Warhol the lover, and his words are pulled straight from his personal dairies and personified through A.I. technology. The result is a dreamy and eloquent Warhol voice, and it reduced me to bouts of sobbing throughout the series (the emotional quality is undeniable). The company Resemble AI crafted Warhol’s A.I. voice with just 3 minutes and 12 seconds of usable data in the form of existing audio recordings. The Andy Warhol Dairies is a marvelous example that demonstrates the success of A.I. as a tool that brings ever greater insight to the art of our times—and in the case of Warhol, a deceased artist who remains timeless.

The Author with a Painting of **Andy Warhol** at the **Warhol Museum** | 2016
Image credit: **Taliesin Thomas**

The pressing question in all of this seems to be: how does A.I. impact our concept of intelligence and creativity and our ‘ownership’ of that very intelligence and creativity? In other words, to restate a familiar concern about the expanding role of technology and the human mind in all its formats since the first publication of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein (1818) and the dawn of the computing age: can machines ‘think’ for us? In the meantime, critics such as New York based arts, culture and technology writer Mike Pepi propose: “These so-called ‘creative’ machines are limited in that they can only ever remix existing media and data, they cannot truly create anything new. This is the province of human ingenuity alone.” Artists, fear not! These fictitious A.I. minds are mere derivative producing hacks! In any case, the fundamental thing to understand about A.I. is that it is as a unique form of simulated intelligence by way of computer systems that aim to assist humans achieve in increased capacities. Here one must acknowledge that notions of ‘human’ increasingly point toward the ‘posthuman’ in our hyper-stimulated digital era. A recent article at The Verge highlights the issues around copyright laws and exposes the ruffle between Getty Images and A.I. generated visions of humans that are downright freakish. Indeed, these are dense conceptual paradigms transforming our planet in real-time.

Screengrab of a Recent article concerning A.I. and **Getty Images** Published on The Verge | 2022

Nevertheless, A.I. is here to stay, so we must embrace it as part of the evolving global reality of today. We also recognize, however, an underlying apprehension for creatives, since corporate driven A.I image generators pose a threat to their livelihood. According to a recent article published by Artnews, the latest advancements in machine-learning programs have transformed A.I. into an impressive creative tool that seems capable of outpacing—and underpricing—human artists, sparking a real concern in diverse creative circles. Anxieties surrounding A.I. and art are highest among graphic artists and commercial illustrators, whose very livelihood is based on their ability to design artistic content specific to a clients’ vision. Another Artnews piece also warns that A.I. systems ‘learn’ by sifting through numerous man-made images that are often scraped from online sources by tech companies and often without the consent of their authors. As stated by writer Taylor Dafoe: “A.I. advocates argue that this practice is protected by fair use laws; artists have said it violates their copyrights.” How will A.I.’s artistic capabilities intimidate even more areas within the wider creative field?

Street Art in the **Chelsea** Neighborhood in New York City | 2022
Image Credit: **Taliesin Thomas**

I agree with sceptics who suggest that the vast realm of art practices and material embodiments of aesthetic culture will not be undermined by the new A.I. landscape. And I agree with critical thinkers such as Mathew Dryhurst who states: “I do not believe that artists are in too much danger of being replaced by A.I. Artistic practices are so much more complex than a style that can be mimicked. What we value of art is more social than we often acknowledge.” Other cultural commentators such as Martin Herbert get to the heart of the matter from a meta perspective. In his recent article “I’m an Art Critic. Will AI Steal My Job?” he states the obvious regarding the entire A.I. project: “At the base of this inhuman ‘creativity’, of course, is human labour.” He also makes an important point about the ‘real’ value of art as a matter of ‘real’ lives lived: “The contemporary art scene seems, almost nostalgically, tied to people: artists, as fronting personalities and aspiration models, seem as important as the art.” Undoubtedly it is the corporeal, messy, compelling narratives of artists and their art—the true blood and guts of a creative life—that give art its enduring allure. Thus, we can welcome A.I. onto the scene as fellow ‘counterfeit’ creative as we remain rooted in a pulsating world of manifestation that comes into being precisely through authentic being.

In the next installment (II of III), we will hear from regional professionals who amplify our perspective on A.I. and its significance in arts fields especially.

Street Art / Graffiti as Gravity : Part III of III | Art and Community – From Local to Global

November 14, 2022 By Taliesin Thomas

In this 3-part series on the dynamic qualities of murals, street art, and graffiti—as both symbols of cultural consciousness and cultural commodities in their own right—we highlight these genres as viable assets within the regional and global creative economies of today. In the FIRST SEGMENT, the author shares a townie perspective on the arts scene as a citizen of Troy, NY. In the SECOND SEGMENT, we consider the financial side of art initiatives and opportunities around the Capital Region. In this third and final segment, the author discusses the connectivity between the local and the global with respect to artistic expression and community.

*Left to Right*: **Andy Warhol** Inspired Street Art in Troy, NY
Street Mural by Artist **Lady Aiko** in Vienna, Austria
Photos: **Taliesin Thomas**

How does art connect the local with the global? It does so through a consistent re-definition and re-contextualization of material realities and diverse conceptual, social, and philosophical frameworks. I think most of us can agree that art serves as a fantastical creative vehicle for illuminating both the personal and the political, the pressing issues of our time, and the urgency of the universal human condition—we turn to art to experience her charms as the “saving sorceress” that she is (as suggested by Nietzsche). Our increasingly interconnected society embraces manifold forms of artistic expression both real and imagined, and among the greatest pleasures of contemporary cultural life is encountering the multiplicity of art in every corner of the world. In this regard, the scope of artistic agency on the global scale points back to the local level, where artists engage with community as their place of being and belonging.

A View of the **Capital Walls** Murals in Albany, NY | Photo: **Taliesin Thomas**

Over the last several months I have been exploring distinct dimensions of the art scene in the Capital Region. This series for ACE! has been an opportunity to share my firsthand insights. In the first installment, I praised Troy as a locality with a lively arts culture, including strong examples of public murals, street art, and renegade graffiti. One can also see this in the neighboring areas of Albany, Glens Falls, and the wider Hudson Valley region. In that segment I considered these acts of artistic expression as a kind of gravity within society, where art demonstrates its value as a manner of cultural consciousness and a mode of civic engagement. Local arts organizations play an invaluable role by promoting the arts and artists as vital aspects of a rich community life. Encountering colorful forms of public art around Troy and in nearby towns, we can appreciate these artistic expressions as welcomed declarations of creative presence within society. Artists enliven community space while contributing their positive visionary energy to public places.

Artist **Jeff Wigman** Participates in a Street Art Event in Troy, NY
Photo: **Taliesin Thomas**

In the second segment of this series, I interfaced with several esteemed arts professionals in our area to understand aspects of New York State’s support for economic development vis-à-vis the arts sector, including increased public arts projects and collaborations between businesses and artists; community revitalization initiatives and efforts to develop existing infrastructures for the arts; and expansion of local arts programming and opportunities for artists. All of those conversations yielded a similar theme: support for the arts in our area is growing on all fronts!

In this final write-up, I suggest the conversation comes full circle with respect to the impact of local arts activities and modes of creative engagement within an international context. In my experience, the global is the local (and vice-versa). Here in the Capital Region, arts initiatives are, in fact, defining what the macro art-world looks like on the micro level. Regional arts organizations, arts professionals, and local artists have a singular opportunity and responsibility to promote the arts in our area, thus enriching the cultural atmosphere in New York State and beyond.

**Taliesin** in Front of a **Keith Haring** Mural in Melbourne, Australia
Photo: **Rosie DiTaranto**

Found Street Art in **Prospect Park**, Troy, NY | Photo: **Taliesin Thomas**

In our beloved Troy, the local indeed connects with the global in unexpectedly enchanting ways. Recently I came upon graffiti on a defunct building in Prospect Park that references the art of American artist Keith Haring (1958 – 1990), whose signature imagery and bold graphic style continues to influence a generation worldwide. An outspoken AIDS activist and beloved figure of downtown 80s culture in New York City, Haring is one of the most celebrated artists in the history of global contemporary art. I was truly moved to see Haring’s iconography represented in our neighborhood, a reminder that the sprawling global art world comes down to just that: an artist makes his or her own creative mark in their place and time. And in late September I was totally blown-away by a pop-up event on 2^nd Street that entirely referenced the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960 – 1988). This impressive exhibition presented a range of Basquiat inspired works by local artists and was an outrageously wonderful homage to one of most admired artists of all time. Basquiat and Haring are enduring cultural heroes, revered far and wide and still defining our global cultural zeitgeist in so many extraordinary ways. Nevertheless, our local hub offers numerous opportunities for community members to engage with art on every level. In that regard, distinct arts opportunities and connections among artists here in the Capital District promotes a sense of unity while placing us within a thriving arts culture that is global in scope. Thus, the magic and inspiration of the dynamic art-world at large is born right here in our lovely local digs.

Installation View of the “Jean-Michel Basquiat: *King Pleasure*” Exhibition in New York City
Photo: **Taliesin Thomas**

Artist **Rae Frasier** at a **Basquiat** Inspired Pop-Up Event in Troy, NY | Photo: **Taliesin Thomas**

Found Mural in Montreal, Canada | Photo: **Taliesin Thomas**

Found Mural on 2nd Street in Troy, NY | Photo: **Ali Herrmann**

**Taliesin** in front of **Capital Walls** Artist **Nick Walker**’s “**Love Goes On**” in Albany, NY
Photo: **Taliesin Thomas**

Taliesin Thomas, Ph.D. is an artist-philosopher, writer, lecturer, and collector based in Troy, NY. Since 2007, she is the founding director of AW Asia, NY and the collection manager of Art Issue Editions, NY—two private art collections that are the foundation for collaborations and projects with artists and museums worldwide. Thomas has lectured and published widely on contemporary art. She is the director of the Artist Training Initiative and a critic for the Critical Forum program at the Arts Center for the Capital Region, NY and she is a faculty member at School of Visual Arts, NY. Thomas studied studio art, aesthetics, theory, and philosophy at Bennington College, Columbia University, and The Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts.

Street Art / Graffiti as Gravity – Part II of III : Cities with ‘Speak Art’ Vibes

August 3, 2022 By Taliesin Thomas

This 3-part series on the dynamic nature of street art, graffiti, and murals—as both symbols of cultural consciousness and cultural commodities—highlights these genres as viable assets within the regional and global creative economy of today. In this second segment, the author considers the financial side of local art initiatives.

I am pleased to share this second segment in my three-part series concerning dialogues around street art, graffiti, and public art projects in the Capital Region. In the first segment, I discussed these topics from a Troy-townie perspective.

Mural art in North Central Troy, NY | Photo: Corey Aldrich

For this installment, I explored the mural-street-art-graffiti-scene from the financial side of the equation. We all know that art is also about “biz-naz” at every level, so how does the money make its way into the street as street art? To understand more, I turned my focus to the creative economies of Troy, Albany, and Glens Falls as a trifecta case study. Each of these cities boasts a unique vibe with respect to murals and public art projects. I was delighted to communicate with several esteemed arts professionals for greater insight, including Elizabeth Reiss, Executive Director of the Arts Center of the Capital Region; Tony Iadicicco, Executive Director of the Albany Center Gallery; Chad Robinovich, Artistic Director of New Works for Constellation Stage & Screen; and Casey Polomaine, Executive Director of the Albany Barn.

Each of these conversations was lively and informative; herein I comment on some of the facts that were presented to me. Chad Robinovich—a champion of Glens Falls and a member of the Glens Falls Arts District Committee—spoke passionately about community endeavors to “beautify a beautiful city” that is also his home. Chad discussed the ongoing efforts of the New York State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), an organization that serves as a cornerstone of the State’s economic development program.

While Glens Falls already has an established arts district area, the DRI has supported the existing infrastructure while expanding local arts programming. Chad clarified the DRI is not only solely about funding the arts, however, some of the total $10 million grant for Glens Falls was indeed used for public art initiatives.

Painted electrical boxes in Glens Falls, NY | Images courtesy of Chad Robinovich

He also shared with me that a micro grant from the Touba Family Foundation resulted in a popular project that took place last year, where local artists—including Kevin Clark, Shelley Fairbanks, Leah Hofgesang, Stephanie Vaus, Rodney Bentley, Hannah Williams and Olga Aleksandrova—were awarded funds to paint electrical boxes around Glens Falls. He spoke sincerely about the impact of that project and how the community reacted so positively to the colorful designs, stating “a little bit goes a long way” with regard to the public reception for art.

During our call Chad spoke of Glens Falls as a place with a “speak art” vibe and he emphasized the “instant visual impact” of murals as a point of engagement. This year, the Glens Falls Arts District Committee put out a nationwide call for artists to apply for a large-scale mural project. Over the next two months, the committee will allocate approximately $75,000 to install three new mural designs around Glens Falls by artists Hannah Williams (Glens Falls, NY), Toni Ardizzone (Texas), and Jesse Melanson (Los Angeles, CA).

Murals off River Street near the Hudson River in Troy, NY | Photo: Taliesin Thomas

Turning to Troy, we encounter a thriving local energy at the Arts Center for the Capital Region (ACCR). Director Liz Reiss is a seasoned arts professional with diverse experience overseeing art in the public realm. During our conversation, she emphasized her belief that “art belongs to everyone” and that art functions as a tool for revitalization. Liz also spoke candidly about the challenge to obtain annual funding and she considers the role of the institution as the “translator” of art for the community. She carefully posed various questions with respect to the best use of funding: What needs help? Who is asking for that change? Who is most likely to benefit? Liz cited city murals as one of several modes that bring local artists further into the public realm and she lauded the resounding success of the Uniting Line, a project that received funds from Bloomberg’s “Asphalt Art” initiative. This highly visible series of murals features artwork by Jade Warrick. Originally from Los Angeles, Warrick is a Capital Region-based visual designer who focuses on bringing art and wellness programming into BIPOC and marginalized communities.

Uniting Line artworks by Jade Warrick, Troy NY | Photo: Taliesin Thomas

Since staring the program in 2018, Liz confirmed the ACCR has spent approximately $375,000 on various public art projects around Troy, including the Uniting Line, Franklin Alley, School 2, Troy to Troy Murals (the bulk of which was used for the Uniting Line). The ACCR is currently working to realize the Troy Glo project that will present a distinct category of public art—light sculptures—and will feature the work of architects and designers as part of these plans. Troy Glo will launch in December 2022 to coincide with the annual Troy Victoria Stroll.

Street art by Joe Iurato as part of the Frankly Alley project, Troy NY | Photo: Taliesin Thomas

Next I connected with Casey Polomaine regarding her work with public art projects in Albany. She spoke of the great success of the Capital Walls project, a collaboration between Albany Barn, Albany Center Gallery, and the Albany Parking Authority. The Capital Walls murals aim to inspire all walks of life with buoyant works of art installed in various locations around downtown Albany. Programming designed to promote and educate the community about these artworks include walking tours (docent led and self-guided), bike tours in partnership with the Capital District Transportation Authority, and the Artful Albany podcasts with Discover Albany.

Capital Walls murals by (back to front) Rosy Sunshine, Vanessa Mastronardi,
Arzu Fallahi, and NDA in Albany, NY | Photo: Taliesin Thomas

Casey explained the ongoing efforts of the Capital Walls program, stating that the city is currently working to expand the program and is actively looking for new walls. She spoke of the sheer joy of public art that is made accessible to all and how the murals naturally “uplift your spirits” as works of art that break down barriers while also “putting money in the pockets of artists.”

Rounding out the trifecta focus, Tony Iadicicco provided additional information about Capital Walls. Started in 2016, the project now boasts 16 murals by local, regional, national, and international artists. Chosen from an open call, many of these artists are first time muralists while others are well-established. Tony indicated that each muralist was paired with an available, funded wall based on their style. Once selected, the muralist works closely with Tony and his team to create the work on-site. He indicated that over $150,000 in public art has been funded by Albany Parking Authority and an additional $72,000 was awarded to Albany Center Gallery as part of the DRI award (with additional partner Downtown Albany BID and Capital Walls partners).

Capital Walls mural by Rachel Baxter in Albany, NY | Photo: Taliesin Thomas

Albany Barn also received additional funds for the Schenectady DRI for murals to be installed in Schenectady, along with a Capital Walls mural in Schenectady on Albany Street (completed in 2021). In an email to me, Tony included these comments from Matthew Peter of the Albany Parking Authority: “the murals act as landmarks, promote walkability and tourism, and restore a sense of place … At the same time, the city is able to attract and promote local art and artists and support the local creative economy, creating a win/win situation for all involved.” On a recent summer afternoon, I toured the Capital Walls murals and it was indeed a thrill to encounter these magnificent murals, each one both inspired and inspiring. As these and other arts professionals attest, the “speak art” vibes of cities such as Troy, Albany, and Glens Falls are a vital part of the artistic energy and business goals of our region as a whole.

Capital Walls mural by Sylvie Kantorovitz in Albany, NY | Photo: Taliesin Thomas

Street art in downtown Troy, NY | Photo: Taliesin Thomas

PART III: In the next installment, we consider the “macro level” of these topics and explore how art initiatives in Capital Region fit into the arts ecosystem on a national—and international—scale.

For more check out Part I of the series : Street Art / Graffiti as Gravity – Part I of III : A Townie Perspective

Street Art / Graffiti as Gravity – Part I of III : A Townie Perspective

May 8, 2022 By Taliesin Thomas

This 3-part series on the dynamic nature of street art and graffiti—as both a symbol of cultural consciousness and a cultural commodity—highlights these genres as viable assets within the regional and global creative economy today. In this opening segment, the author shares a townie perspective.

BLM Street Art in Troy NY — Black Lives Matter Mural Project | Photo: Taliesin Thomas

Troy, NY is a historic town built on the foundations of fortunes gained during a heightened gilded era of development in the United States. One can celebrate the charming vibes of this post-industrial town nestled along the mighty Hudson River. Troy boasts a reputation as an increasingly eclectic enclave north of Manhattan—and Albany further still—that is home to a diverse community and a thriving arts scene, including strong examples of street art and graffiti that one might encounter in any lively urban (or non-urban) locale anywhere in the world. This, I believe, reflects street art and graffiti’s role as a kind of gravity within society: it is a symbol of cultural consciousness and engagement with a community audience—it is also a cultural commodity within the larger context of a global creative economy. The brief footnote here: my use of the terms ‘street art’ and ‘graffiti’ are somewhat interchangeable, however, the distinction that I have observed during my years as an arts professional is that community planned and supported expressions of street art aim to contribute to the artistic life of a community with care and respect.

Troy NY Graffiti — Photo: Taliesin Thomas

Troy NY Graffitti — Photo: Taliesin Thomas

Troy NY Graffiti / Street Art — Photo: Taliesin Thomas

Nevertheless, I became familiar with Troy’s artistic milieu during the mid-1990s (having done my undergrad at nearby Bennington College) and I relocated from Brooklyn during the deepest summer days of the 2020 pandemic-era (a welcomed redux encounter with the Hudson Valley). It has been a joy to behold a healthy street art and graffiti scene flourishing around Troy since taking up residency in these old digs. Alas, one cannot ignore the unfortunate acts of vandalism caused by graffiti in certain contexts—on sacred public spaces and historic buildings—yet the intentional placement of vibrant street art and the reverential gestures of calculated bombing—when it does not incur outright destruction—are truly inspirational. If we consider nascent forms of art-making dating back to the basic Paleolithic line drawings found in the caves of southern France, for example, our collective desire to mark our human existence by way of the ‘I WAS HERE’ declaration is irrefutable. Those magnificently crafted 17,000-year-old drawings that consist of raw markings and swaths of color are, essentially, the earliest form of sizing up a barren wall and tagging it with some signature of presence. Such outstanding examples of prehistoric art naturally point in the direction of an artistic expression that has, over millennia, evolved into divergent forms of communication with a would-be audience, thus the birth of art as anywhere—and eventually art in the street.

Our contemporary society is thriving with all categories of creative stimuli, and I think many of us are drawn to commodities and cultural contexts that provide a sense of connectivity. I would argue that the energy of great street art is unrivaled in this category—one is immediately brought in within the moment of stumbling upon it. The stylized tags, the brazen use of bold color, the oversized gestures, the symbolic code name of one’s chosen street alias, and the deft and dope use noxious aerosol paint are all aspects of graffiti to be celebrated. Although I will not further comment on acts of graffiti that cause outright damage, this is an inevitable facet of the conversation. We must welcome the ribald nature of the so-called ‘art-world-circus-show’ in all its unbridled medley, including the blatant criminality of certain practices on every level (street or no street as part of the equation).

Compelling works of street art and graffiti abound in towns and cities across the planet, proving that street artists and taggers are a prevalent international tribe with their own language, history, society, and sect. While many examples of street art and graffiti embody the anti-establishment tendencies that we associate with counterculture proclivities, this distinct sub-cult remains as one of the most compelling declarations of artistic identity in contemporary times. The multidimensional presentation of street art and graffiti as it prevails in Troy, NY provides a ‘townie perspective’ into the proliferating scale of the global genre today. I know we all look forward to seeing more uplifting displays of public art and street art in our town and in our world. In Troy, The Arts Center of the Capital Region along with several other Troy based institutions and residents are working to expand support for local artists through community arts initiatives that encourage local artists and taggers to step up their game in a way that kindles camaraderie and care in our beloved city.

PART II : In the next installment, we will explore the economies and community benefits of public mural programs.

Troy NY Mural / Street Art — Uniting Line Project | Photo: Taliesin Thomas

Taliesin Thomas is an artist-philosopher, writer, and lecturer based in Troy, NY. Since 2007, she is the founding director of AW Asia, NY and the collection manager of Art Issue Editions, NY—two private art collections that are the foundation for collaborations and projects with artists and museums worldwide. Thomas has lectured and published widely on contemporary art. She is a faculty member at School of Visual Arts (SVA), NY and a visiting critic at the Arts Center for the Capital Region, NY. Thomas studied studio art, aesthetics, theory, and philosophy at Bennington College (BA), Columbia University (MA), and The Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts (PhD).