Across the Finger Lakes, murals dot nearly every corner of our area. A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall or other permanent surface. And there are plenty to marvel in Ontario County! These gorgeous works of art promote local talent and engage the community by turning empty city walls into huge public canvases.
Jump in your car and plan your next day trip by checking out each of our murals up close. How many can you find?
Geneva
LOVE
Geneva resident Peter Miller spearheaded a campaign to bring a LOVE mural to Geneva to make it clear how much we “LOVE Geneva” and its diverse communities. You’ll find this mural behind Super Casuals on Linden Street. Peter’s mural is based on the design of four hands spelling out the word LOVE created by Baltimore artist Michael Owen.
Visit the mural on Google Earth here.
Linden Street
Victor Pultinas created this Linden Street mural in 2010. The artist and his wife Jenna Lavita moved to Geneva in 2005 and fell in love with the area. They won Geneva’s Race for Space award in 2013, which allowed them to open Lake Drum Brewing. Both graduates of Hobart and William Smith colleges, the winemakers/brewers/artists define themselves as part of the “creative experimental style of the Geneva revolution.”
Visit the mural on Google Earth here.
Seneca 634
Anyone driving, walking or biking south down Castle Street from Main Street in Geneva gets a big surprise. There you’ll find a huge, colorful mural, one of the largest in the state, designed by Geneva native Ken Millington. One of the largest outdoor murals in the state at some 4,800 square feet, Ken painted the 5-by-5-foot canvas panels that were applied to the 93 Castle St. building like wallpaper. Ken says if he had to paint it right on the building, it would take months of painting outside, depending on the weather, on scaffolding, over several months. This way, most of the work is done in the studio, and it takes about a month to put up. The mural highlights Geneva’s history and shows the lake and boats prominently but also includes “strata” underwater scenes of Native American history, the Colonial era, agriculture, industry and even Navy sonar submarine testing. “The lake, sky and boats represent the city’s future. The history panels pay tribute to its past,” said Ken.
Visit the mural on Google Earth here.
Arising Tide-Geneva Cycle
The Arising Tide-Geneva Cycle mural was created in 2006 by Geneva native Kenneth Millington for the Geneva Bicentennial Celebration. The mural was sponsored by Aaron’s at 360 Exchange Street in Geneva.
Visit the mural on Google Earth here.
Seneca Steamer
“Seneca Steamer,’’ a Seneca Lake steamboat of yesteryear is the focus of a brilliant Geneva mural, on the east-facing wall at 27 E. Castle St. The mural was a project of the Finger Lakes Leadership Class of the Geneva Area Chamber of Commerce. The group worked with artist Hannah Winkler of Montour Falls to complete the mural. The group consulted the Geneva Historical Society about the possible theme for the mural and came up with the lake and the steamship, which used to take people from Geneva to Watkins Glen and back.
According to the Finger Lakes Times, the boat was built in 1883 by Alonzo and Benjamin Springstead, the premier builders of steam-powered boats in the Finger Lakes. Its first name was Otetiani, the Indian name for the famed Indian orator Red Jacket. The boat was 120 feet long and 25 feet wide, carried 200 to 400 passengers and chugged down the lake at 12 to 14 miles per hour. The steam engine and boiler were made by Dunning Works of Geneva. It was renamed the Seneca in mid-March 1884, when it was owned by the Seneca Lake Steam Navigation Company. The steamboat passenger business faced increasing competition from other boats and railroads along the lake, as well as other boats that plied the waters of Keuka and Cayuga lakes. Struggling to make money, the boat managed to keep in business until August 1908. Quant said a mechanical problem forced the boat to limp into Willard for repairs. It returned to Watkins Glen and was docked there when it sank during the winter of 1908-09.
Visit the mural on Google Earth here.
Musselman Triathlon
Head to the Seneca Street parking lot in Geneva where you’ll find one of the largest community murals around. Created in 2010 as a homage to the Musselman Triathlon in Geneva the mural began with just a singular cartoon character involved in the three event legs — running, swimming and biking. The names of the participants in the main triathlon were added on a section of the wall each year after. Artist Jef Mallett, a syndicated cartoonist from Michigan and creator of the comic strip “Frazz,” created the design. It was designed so that Musselman Triathlon participants could color in a small section of the mural according to their race bib number, making it one of the world’s largest “paint by number” murals.
Visit the mural on Google Earth here.
Canandaigua
Step Back in Time
Artist Amy Colburn worked with other local artists Meredith Mallwitz-Meyer, Melissa Newcomb, Chloe Smith and Jane Alden to complete the mural, “Step Back in Time.” The mural, which adorns a portion of a wall of the building that houses Crown Jewelers and overlooks Commons Park, depicts significant people, places and events in Canandaigua history, including philanthropist Mary Clark Thompson, Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion and even the “Dinky,” an electric trolley that ran down Main Street.
Visit the mural on Google Earth here.
Mill Street Pavilion
The Mill Street Pavilion at the Canandaigua Farms Market is an artistic interpretation of the modern agricultural environment and farm-to-table movement in the Finger Lakes region, said artist Amy Colburn. Amy painted the mural during market hours so vendors and visitors could watch her in action. Amy is also the lead designer and artist on the “History Happened Here” mural on Coach Street and the “Train Station” mural at the Main Street railroad tracks.
Visit the mural on Google Earth here.
Train Station
In 2014, a large-scale, outdoor mural of Canandaigua’s train depot circa 1916, in historic downtown’s Railroad Alley, near the trail entrance to Ontario Pathways debuted. In addition to the mural, a kiosk with historical facts about the railroad and a sitting bench are now situated across from the mural. Created by local artist Amy Colburn, took almost three months to complete and was painted outdoors under intermittent weather conditions. The mural spans approximately 658 square feet and covers two exterior walls of Murphy’s Tire Service on Niagara Street in downtown Canandaigua. It illustrates a locomotive, several travelers in period attire, and a glimpse of The Canandaigua Hotel, which is no longer in existence. The old train depot building still exists; it is now the Beehive Brew Pub and Square Knot Brewing.
Visit the mural on Google Earth here.
A Garden Stroll
A brightly painted milieu of lilacs, tulips, sunflowers and daisies, blue skies and dragonflies transformed a dreary downtown alleyway into an enchanting garden. Located right next door to Sweet Expressions in Canandaigua, this mural project garnered a well-deserved 2004 Ontario County Historical Society award.
Visit the mural on Google Earth here.
A Walk in the Park
As part of Cobblestone Arts Center’s “Celebration of Youth” activities, artist Jane Alden and teen artists created the mural of picturesque outdoor scenes from Sonnenberg Gardens in 2000. You can see the mural down a Main Street alleyway, just north of Simply Crepes.
Visit the mural on Google Earth here.
Naples
Arbor Hill Winery
Artist Diane Godfrey has lent her talents to Arbor Hill Winery this past summer, working on a mural displayed on the side of the winery’s barn. The 14-by-72-foot mural depicts the Arbor Hill vineyards in the fall, overlooking Canandaigua Lake. To tie into Arbor Hill’s history, founder John Brahm’s 1931 Model A Ford pickup truck stands at the forefront of the mural. Diane has a history of adding beauty to the local area. She has painted murals in the city of Rochester and in Canandaigua, and has participated in Chairs for Charity, an artist-inspired benefit that raises money toward a local cause.
Visit the mural on Google Earth here.
Brew & Brats
Head indoors to Brew & Brats to see the amazing mural display featuring downtown Naples. Covering nearly the entire back wall of the eatery, you’ll marvel at the details of the 3-dimensional wall of art. Brew & Brats is housed in a 170-year-old carriage barn right next door to Arbor Hill Winery in Naples.
Visit the mural on Google Earth here.
Rainbow Trout
This magnificent rainbow trout can be found in downtown Naples adorning the side of Skip’s Flooring. Renowned Naples artist Paul Frazer created the piece for the village, and recorded the entire process for you to watch.
Visit the mural on Google Earth here.
