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KIDS ROCKWELL will be open open daily 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. through April 29.

Public Art

Former City Hall cannot even begin to contain The Rockwell’s love of art. 

Alley Art Project

In partnership with CPP High School Learning Center. Yes, The Rockwell is behind those public murals!

For over a decade, Rockwell educators have been partnering with the High School Learning Center of the Corning-Painted Post Area School District on the Alley Art Project. We create stunning student-designed and painted murals using The Rockwell’s collection of art and objects as inspiration. Students work under the direction of Rockwell Museum Education staff and special guest artists in creating and painting each mural.

Learn More About Alley Art Project

Photo by Stu Gallagher

Corning Public Art Map

The Rockwell advocates for public art throughout the region as an opportunity for everyone to experience, enjoy and appreciate the arts. The City of Corning Public Art Committee, The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes and Market Street Coffee & Tea present the City of Corning Public Art Map. Showcasing free and accessible artwork available to the public, the map features all of the known public art in the area, providing a window into our city’s vibrancy and culture. Explore Corning’s Public Art with this online map.

Explore Corning

Corning Public Art Map

The Rockwell advocates for public art throughout the region as an opportunity for everyone to experience, enjoy and appreciate the arts. The City of Corning Public Art Committee, The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes and Market Street Coffee & Tea present the City of Corning Public Art Map. Showcasing free and accessible artwork available to the public, the map features all of the known public art in the area, providing a window into our city’s vibrancy and culture. Explore Corning’s Public Art with this online map.

Photo by Stu Gallagher

Explore Corning
Aeirial photo of park and historic building

Brian Maloney

Public Art in Buechner Park

Located across from The Rockwell on Denison Parkway, community members and visitors are invited to take a breath in Buechner Park. The park is named in honor of the late Thomas S. Buechner (1926–2010), an acclaimed artist, founding director of the Corning Museum of Glass, a long-time supporter of The Rockwell and an all-around local legend. This green space often features Rockwell programs, and visitors will find two unique sculptures from The Rockwell collection.

Tree of 40 Fruit

True to its name, this conceptual living artwork will ultimately bear 40 different types of fruit, including varieties of apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, plutos and plums. Van Aken created the living installation by grafting many varieties of stone fruit into a single trunk, creating a specific aesthetic vision. He searches for rare antique and heirloom varieties, including almonds and those stone fruits above. Many of the fruits he selected are considered “forgotten” or heirloom varieties no longer commercially grown. The sculpting process takes approximately five years, allowing time for each new season’s grafts to take to the tree successfully. The Rockwell’s tree is number 87 in a series Van Aken has planted around the country. 

The tree was planted in October 2018. The public can see the tree in the park at any time, watching as it blooms, grows and evolves. 

Tree of 40 Fruit no. 87 was purchased with funds donated by Jeff Evenson and Karyn Cepek, Thomas Halgash and Laura Coleman, and the Clara S. Peck fund.

Jack Knife Sculpture by artist, Ed Mell

Ed Mell's Jack Knife

Also located in Buechner Park is Jack Knife, a nearly 5-foot-tall bronze sculpture, depicts an iconic cowboy on a bucking horse. Sister casts of this sculpture also stand front and center in the heart of the arts district in Scottsdale, AZ, and on the grounds of the Tucson Museum of Art. Nationally-recognized master artist, Ed Mell, is from Arizona and created this award-winning piece in 1993. It joined The Rockwell collection in 2013.

 “Jack Knife has a reverence for the Old West. It is not traditional, yet it has a traditional theme. The angularity accelerates the power and energy of the rider and horse, more than an accurate depiction.” –Ed Mell