A new mural by the artist Michael Conlin, ‘Nothing But Flowers’, has been unveiled at the Albany Capital Center’s expansion at 126 State Street in downtown Albany. Measuring 52 feet tall and 86 feet wide, it was realised through a partnership between Albany Center Gallery, the Albany Convention Center Authority, the Albany Capital Center and the artist.
According to the gallery, the mural celebrates Albany’s history while looking towards its future. Conlin explains that the title refers to the idea of giving flowers freely, without the conditions often attached to the gesture. He describes Albany as a city that has been important to his development as an artist and as home to many of his friends and family, and presents the work as something given back to the city and its residents.
The design moves from past to present. Its lettering and colours draw on the history of the city and the style of the surrounding buildings, beginning in a more traditional form before loosening into flowers and lines in the lower half. Conlin intends the flowers as symbols of growth and renewal, and the mural as a seed marking a new beginning for a downtown in transition.
‘Nothing But Flowers’ is the latest of three murals commissioned for the Albany Capital Center through the partnership. It joins Cara Hanley’s ‘The City We Imagine’ and Kiara Johnson’s ‘Moments in Time’, both installed in the venue’s enclosed walkways and facing south. Johnson’s work depicts Albany scenes including a neighbourhood, the annual Tulip Festival in Washington Park and a skyline of historic buildings.
Albany Center Gallery, a free non-profit gallery and community space on North Pearl Street, describes the project as part of its mission to bring art into more places across the city. The Albany Capital Center, owned by the Albany Convention Center Authority, opened in March 2017 and connects by enclosed walkways to MVP Arena, the Empire State Plaza and the Renaissance Albany Hotel.
