Revitalizing A Block in Troy

Photographer Debra Lockrow, the proprietor of ArtCentric Gift Gallery on Fourth Street in Troy, moved into her store six months ago, when most of the area buildings were empty and shuttered. While the neighborhood has slowly been gathering steam (Xs to Os vegan bakery just opened on the corner), the long-vacant Proctor’s Theater has been a sad eyesore in the middle of the block as RPI, the current owner, figures out what to do with it.

Rather than simply bemoan this, Lockrow obtained permission from RPI to to slap a coat of primer on the boarded up windows and then invited seven local artists to create paintings to mount on the front of the building. The results are breathtaking. The artists, Marcus Kwame Anderson, Kate Glasheen, James “Kyote” Staley, Radical, Kim Schaller, John Cummings, Jr. and Kristine Domenichini, have created rich and vibrant works in a wildly divergent range of styles that brighten and energize the block.

You can see the other paintings on the ArtCentric website, or better yet, head on over to see them in person.