Augmented Reality.exe :

Art has the potential to transform cities and communities. Art grants anyone who is willing to engage with it the ability to improve a small portion of their reality. The goal of this project is to augment underutilized areas of the City of Newburgh by converting them into spaces for public engagement. Using large-format digital printing, I will conceal the shipping container [located at 105 Ann Street] by applying a vinyl wrap that emulates the features of the surrounding neighborhood, generating a cloaking effect on the surface of the shipping container.

Local youth and community members will be invited to color in shares of the mural imagery during a series of public workshops in several of Newburgh’s public parks. The completed shares will be digitized and combined to create the final image that will cover the shipping container. Conceptually, the artwork investigates how digital processes such as data transmission can be applied within human social frameworks. In this way, the artwork becomes a mechanism that encourages creativity and personal agency.

In this conceptual relationship, the artwork becomes a decentralized forum for creative collaboration that is open source and democratically administered to the public. when the work is finally realized it will act as a record of each participant’s creative output, showcasing the unifying power of grassroots community efforts when these initiatives center around equity and access.

The surface of the shipping container will house a series of messages designed to inspire social action within the Newburgh community and support systematic change, such as "Claim your neighborhood, Get Organized, Demand Change, Take Action.” These gestures are meant to be a call to action for the City of Newburgh that acknowledges the central role of everyday citizens in the fight for progress and equity. It is my strong belief that public art belongs to the community where it resides and this piece makes that ownership a tangible experience. At its core, this artwork is a tool to engage communities of color with their own creative potential and provide a nurturing space for them to express their vision as creators.