Artist spreads ‘Joy’ for all to see along pedestrian alley in Albany
“Meet Me in the Middle” mural fills public art space with heart, gut and spirit
In the middle of an unassuming downtown alley, sandwiched by two parking lots, is Joy.
The image is of a large, pink, paint puddle grinning wide with its eyes closed. And Joy, as the public art space is called, is filled with three things: heart, gut and spirit.
“I haven’t assigned it a gender yet,” said Eugene O’Neill, the artist behind a new mural that stretches across William Street, a pedestrian alley that connects the MVP Arena to Howard Street. The city has strung cafe lights across the street and will add furniture after the mural is finished, making it a spot to relax and connect.
That beaming sense of joy conveyed through the art is infectious. And that’s exactly what O’Neill’s goal is with themural, commissioned by Downtown Albany Business Improvement District.
Each end of the mural starts with impossible triangles, one side saying, “Catch me on the heart side,” and the other with the words, “Catch me on the spirit side.” Step away from the impossible triangles, and the journeys begin.
A series of shapes flow and evolve
from the triangles on either end. On the heart side, the colors are dominated by reds, oranges, yellows and purples. On the spirit side, electric blues and greens soar across the pavement.
“The heart side is really like this connection itself, this connection to others, this connection in nature, to find actual balance within yourself,” O’Neill said, pointing out that each shape is in its own character with its
story line as it shifts shapes.
“From the spirit side, at the end of the day we’re energy balls having human experience,” he said.
And in the middle, where heart and spirit meet and become one, is Joy: outlined by the colors of spirit and heart, surrounded by cracks as it emerges from the ground. The ultimate balance between two essential human
experiences, that ultimately leads to joy.
“Meet Me in the Middle” is the name of the new public art piece. O’Neill particularly wanted to get across the message of connection, balance and joy because of its location — a pedestrianonly walkway frequently used by downtown workers
on their way to and from their offices. The playful shapes and colors can play a small part in brightening their commutes and their days.
“I wanted adults to feel like kids again,” O’Neill said. “That was the goal.”
The artist was selected through a competitive application process to work on the piece, according to the downtown organization. As well as mural work and graphic design through his company Made in Truth Clothing, O’Neill is an arts educator and one of the founding partners of the Amplified Voices Mural Project, a program that focuses on amplifying the voices, experiences and expression of BIPOC youth through art.
O’Neill helped in the creation of the “Amplified Voices” mural at the former South Pearl Street McDonald’s site.