The murals that make a city feel seen 🎨

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Hey 518 readers, welcome to the first week of our Tuesday-only newsletter! We’re doing our part to save your inbox while still giving you all the “dam news you can use” 🦫

🍨 Did you know that this Sunday is National Ice Cream Day? Serendipitously, it’s the same day as our very first ice cream social, Sundae Morning. Think ice cream + artisan coffee + brunch pastries + a bunch of cool popup vendors.

We just added two awesome vendors: a vintage thrift popup by Big Emotions Studio / Lil Thrift Ma, and a book popup from Urban Aftermath Books (that’s right, they just closed their shop but are popping up at our event). Plus, Virgo Rising Coffee, Yellow Corner Bakery, and a permanent jewelry popup from Erin Byrn. It’s gonna be amazing, and we only have 12 spots left!

Since some people have asked, we added a lower ticket tier for $8—come hang out with us & check out the vendors (ice cream, coffee & pastries are extra).

The murals that make a city feel seen 🎨 

The Mexican-American muralist Judy Baca once said: “Murals sing gospel from our streets, preach to us about who we can be, what we fear, and to what we can aspire.”

That’s a good way of summing up the power of a public mural.

A great mural makes everyone sit up and pay attention. And it becomes inseparable from the fabric of the city.

In Albany, the Capital Walls initiative recently celebrated its 10th year. Capital Walls gave us Albany’s most prominent mural—Michael Conlin’s massive ”Bluebirds,” seen by thousands of people daily as they pass the Quackenbush Parking Garage on the I-787.

We’re fond of the work of Samson Contompasis, who uses a distinct monochromatic style of inky black lines.

Then there’s Jade Warrick, a self-taught Black queer artist who discovered the magic of murals not too long ago. Commissioned by Capital Walls, their first mural at 39 Columbia Street in Albany features a young Black girl with a red Afro, sitting in a field of sunflowers. It’s playful and somehow subversive at the same time.

The mural, “Escape to Nature: Where Peace Awaits,” is now a downtown landmark.

“Almost all of my murals have some type of representation, whether it’s able-bodiedness, queerness, race or gender,” Jade says. “I tend to create murals with underrepresented voices.”

Jade points to another big project of theirs—the murals on the concrete abutments below the Collar City Bridge along Hoosick Street in Troy. “Gems of Troy” visually connects neighborhoods divided by the raised highway. One mural features an Asian girl on a skateboard.

“People have said to me, ‘Thank you for showing a person of Asian heritage in this way.’ They don’t see many murals with people that look like them.”

We caught up with Jade while they were painting a new mural in Rotterdam, where the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail goes under a tunnel. This project is special because Jade has brought in several of their siblings—Zoe, Quill and Shalom Harrison—who are all artists in their own right.

The mural is a sweeping scene of cyclists, dog walkers, wetlands, birds, foxes and flowers. Everyone had a part in it: Zoe shaped many of the people, Quill handled animals, Shalom built nature elements, and Jade helped pull the composition together.

“We’re siblings, so there’s a lot of bickering,” Zoe says. “But it’s super fun.”

Jade also spreads the power of art through Amplified Voices, which they started in 2020. The program teaches young artists about public art and how creative work can lead to a real career—and also improve your mental wellness.

“At the end of the day, it's less about a mural, and more about how you can use art to express yourself in a big way.”

We’re excited to see how Jade and other talented muralists around the Capital Region will transform our big beautiful walls.

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🍏 The owners of Nine Pin Cidery want to build more housing in the Warehouse District by converting an old office building next door into apartments. [Albany Business Review]

👩‍🌾 The Guilderland Farmer’s Market is without a home after the Guilderland Public Library ended its contract with the operator. [Facebook]

🥟 La Empanada Llama is closing in September after 13 years in business. [Times Union]

🍕 After the massive success of Anthony’s by Romo’s Pizza, the owners are opening a second location in Voorheesville. [Times Union]

This 1873 Victorian in Round Lake drips with architectural detail and charm. Modern upgrades, including tankless hot water, central air, hydronic second-floor air handling, and a generator, seal the deal. The combination of historic presence with modern-day comfort and efficiency really does make everyday life hit a bit different. We should know, this place was built during the same era as The 518 HQ.

The picture book view doesn’t stop at the driveway. The surrounding village of Round Lake is just as lovely. Originally a summer camp for Methodists, this “Little Village in the Grove” has grown up to be a historic enclave for these gorgeous Victorian homes, nestled like a jewel in a top notch school district.

The deets: 3 bd, 2 ba, 1722 sf. Asking: $375,000. Days on market: 1. See the full listing here.

THIS WEEK’S TOP 5

🖼️ Back by popular demand, Albany Center Gallery’s Summer Art Fest is a festive celebration of the arts at Quackenbush Square. Sat, 12-5p, free.

🎸 The cleverly named Farming Man Festival at Indian Ladder Farms is a full day of live bands and craft beverages, plus a twilight hike. This year, admission is free! Sat, 1-10p, free.

🎪 The charming village of Chatham closes down Main Street for its SummerFest featuring classic Americana like a pie-eating contest and the Great Chatham Bake-Off (Ruth Reichl is one of the judges). Sat, 10a-4p, free.

🚲️ Bike Night Along the Trail brings live music, craft beer, local artists, and family activities to the Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail in Delmar. Thurs, 5-7p, free.

🎥 Picture Lock One presents FROM ENTRE / WITH LOVE: ENTRE Film Center and C. Díaz, a program of documentary and experimental films from the ENTRE Film Center in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Come back the next day to join their filmmaking workshop in downtown Troy. PL1 screens in a literal bank vault, it’s a remarkable location. Screening Fri, 7:30p, suggested donation. Workshop (be prepared to walk) Sat, 11a, free.

SUMMER FUN

🍫 “Charlie & The Chocolate Factory” continues at Cohoes Music Hall through this weekend. It’s been getting rave reviews! Also: Catch “Mystic Pizza” at theREP.

🎬️ Albany’s Palace Theatre screens a free family-friendly movie every Tuesday as part of its Summer in the City series.

🖼️ All summer, Ten Broeck Mansion offers Living History, free family programs with hands-on art, garden, and history activities set among its four acres of historic gardens.

WEDNESDAY

🍯 Visit the Empire State Plaza Art Collection, peruse the farmer’s market, and enjoy live music with Lunchtime at the Plaza. 

🎸 Lawrence headlines the Capital Concert Series at the Empire State Plaza.

🎷 The Capital Jazz Collective plays Dove + Deer.

THURSDAY

🎸 The last Alive at Five show of the season is Funk & Jam Night, featuring Pigeons Playing Ping Pong with our friends, the NolaNaughts, in support. At the Washington Park Playhouse.

📚️ Find your next great read at Nine Pin’s Book Swap. Remember that 518 readers always get 10% off all cider pours by mentioning “The 518 Crew.”

🖼️ The Tang Museum’s next Upbeat on the Roof concert features Paint Brush Charlie, which includes the stellar Julia Alssaraf. Come early and bring the kids for crafting!

🎸 The Dave Matthews Band is at SPAC this weekend for two shows, but if you don’t want to pony up the 💰️ for tix, catch tribute band Big Eyed Phish for free at Schenectady’s Electric City SummerFest!

🎸 Benson Boone’s big, emotionally charged pop-rock is built for arena-sized audiences.

FRIDAY

🎬️ Catch a free screening of “A Minecraft Movie” at Albany’s historic Lincoln Park.

🦎 Uncharted Wild brings a free reptile show to the Guilderland Public Library (registration required).

SATURDAY

🐕️ Bark, Brew & Tattoo is exactly what it sounds like—tattoo artists, craft beer, and animal rescues, plus plenty of food from Saratoga restaurants.

🧘‍♂️ Don’t forget that there’s free yoga from State Street Yoga every Saturday morning in front of the SUNY Building on Broadway, through Aug. 1.

SUNDAY

🍨 Celebrate National Ice Cream Day with us at Sundae Morning!

ART ON VIEW

Our music listings are now published separately on The 518 website. Click here.

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