New Haven

Gateway Community College students unveil large-scale murals in New Haven

New artwork is now on display in the Elm City – and the artists are college students.

NBC Universal, Inc.

If you're driving on College Street in New Haven, you may notice two new massive murals that are both colorful and three-dimensional.

"It's, you know, one of those things when you wake up in the middle of the night and you've got an idea, but it came from a conversation with students, which is right across the street," Peter Bonadies, professor of studio art, said.

It was Bonadies' students who created these vibrant works of art for the city.

"I feel like this piece is really a bridge between art and science," student Kylee Latta said.

She said this project took a little over a month to complete, but she and her classmates got the job done, and they had the help of a local artist.

"I did lots of public art in New Haven before so for me, it's very exciting," said artist Vladimir Shpitalnik, who helped design the mural. "20,000 people per day see it."

Shpitalnik said the murals incorporate hundreds of different colors and parts from 25 different computers.

The artwork is located on the side of a prominent pharmaceutical building on 101 College St., which Bonadies said inspired the design.

"They are a play on the yellow ochre asymmetrical façade of the building, and they become these windows into the microscopic world of pharmaceutical research," Bonadies said.

This project was made possible by the 101 College Street LLC, which provided funding for the materials and tuition for the students enrolled in this five-week art course.

"I feel like it's a very interesting model for students and artists so we can create lots of public art," Shpitalnik said.

Contact Us