The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts (RMFA) is pleased to announce the completion of a vibrant mural featuring a colorful, graphic mountainscape. The mural is located on the backside of the Waypoint Center, on Wallace Street, in downtown Rochester.
According to RMFA co-founder Matt Wyatt, project planning began in May 2023. However, the design, created by Mike Durkee, was repurposed from a previous project when Rochester’s Department of Economic Development commissioned the RMFA to beautify more than 60 jersey barriers needed for outdoor dining in the spring of 2021.
“Now that those barriers are no longer used for outdoor dining, we decided to reuse it to beautify another location,” said Wyatt. “The staff at Waypoint was enthusiastic to partner with us and they were a dream to work with.”
Waypoint Senior Program Manager Mandy Lancaster said the experience “was so amazing” and she was left feeling “emotional and totally in awe”.
Organizers say the mural is perfectly positioned to be seen from Columbus Avenue, a major downtown artery. The RMFA supplied the paint and materials and more than a dozen volunteers participated throughout the day.
In addition to a few Rochester residents, volunteers included individuals from Waypoint NH, Stitches Alterations & Needleworks, Rochester Main Street, Infinity Peer Support Cooperative, The Freeman House, Service Credit Union, and Kaslar Insurance.
Painting began at 9:00 am on Thursday, August 25th, and was finished by mid-afternoon. The completion was celebrated with a BBQ, courtesy of Waypoint NH.
