Art on the Rail Trail (ART) is a volunteer committee of the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy.

ART’s mission is to support and improve the Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail by creating public works of art along the Rail Trail. These unique art installations encourage local and regional visitors of varying ages and physical abilities to enjoy this amenity, both increasing the diversity of trail users and benefiting the local economy. In addition to bringing public works of art to the Rail Trail, ART also hosts community events including the annual Chalk the Walk every September. Follow ART on social media to stay up to date on happenings!

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ART News 2023‍

NEW miniMoCA518 exhibit:
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D.Colin’s Sacred Space
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March 7 - April 27

‍Public Reception and Poetry
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Reading on ‍April 15, 1-3pm

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ART is excited to announce that celebrated local poet, visual artist and performer D. Colin will open the 2023 series of exhibitions at miniMoCA518, the unique, miniature art gallery sited along the Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail. On view from March 4 through April 27, Colin’s installation Sacred Space will explore the longing to inhabit a place that feels personally authentic and truly one’s own. “What would a room look like that would center me?” asks Colin. The artist will also curate a special selection of books at the little free library located near miniMoCA518; a bookmark designed by the artist will be included inside each. On Saturday, April 15, from 1-3pm, a public reception will feature Colin reading a selection of her poems.
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D. Colin is a multidisciplinary artist of Haitian descent focusing in poetry, visual art and theater. She is the 2022 Excellence in Arts & Letters Award recipient for UAlbany's Alumni Association. Although she grew up in Connecticut, she has called New York's Capital Region home since 2007. She is a Cave Canem, VONA and New York State Writers Institute fellow. With an educational background in English and Africana Studies, her work, no matter the medium, discusses the human condition, aims to create visibility and uses history, healing and activism as its foundation.

ART expresses sincere gratitude to exhibition sponsor I Love Books, gallery sponsor McSharry &Associates, and Grassroot Givers, which donates books to little free libraries.
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Call for Artists: ART's Summer Sculpture Hunt
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ART invites our creative community to contribute sculptures responding to the theme

"Fantastical Creatures" to be installed along the Rail Trail. The 2023 Summer Sculpture Hunt

will begin on July 1st and continue through the month. Artwork will be installed by ART

volunteers adjacent to the trail, affixed to benches, trees, guard rails, etc.

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Complete the submission form by April 15, 2023. Click the button below to learn more!

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Details & Submission Instructions!

‍‍ART Year-end Summary 2022
‍It was a busy year for Art on the Rail Trail! This year-end report summarizes the accomplishments of 2022.
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‍‍NEW in 2022: Mural by Fernando Orellana
‍Fernando Orellana's mural, titled Cathedral, is ART's latest addition to the Rail Trail. ‍The mural is located on the piers under the Cherry Ave bridge in the Town of Bethlehem and was unveiled in October of 2022.
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‍Mini MoCA 518 NOW OPEN!
At the Rail Trail entrance near the intersection of Hudson Ave and Adams St.
MiniMoCA518 will feature free, rotating exhibitions of small-scale artworks commissioned specifically for the gallery. Expanding upon the trend of small, free lending libraries and miniature public art galleries throughout the United States and abroad, MiniMoCA518 aims to present quality family-friendly art programming through ongoing exhibitions at the gallery.

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Sponsorship Opportunities‍

You are invited to join Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy as a valued sponsor of our Art on the Rail Trail (ART) project. If you'd like to sponsor ART, please contact art@mohawkhudson.org.
‍Sponsorship opportunities for 2023 will be posted here soon.

THANK YOU TO OUR 2023 SPONSORS!

I Love Books, Little Art Gallery Exhibit Sponsor (D. Colin installation and poetry reading)
McSharry & Associates Realty, Little Art Gallery Exclusive Sponsor
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Open call for ART

Artist contact information (name, email, phone, mailing address)
Artist website (if applicable)
Proposal images (1-5)
Examples of past work
Artist CV
Preliminary budget
Proposal summary

Open Call for ART sites

Do you own a property or business along the Rail Trail? Would you like to see more ART along the trail? If so, let’s talk!
Email art@mohawkhudson.org to start the conversation.

View Our Work

Check out the art installations at these locations:

Fernado Orellana art on the columns under Cherry Ave bridge in Slingerlands (2022).
‍Mini MoCA 518, rotating miniature gallery at the Adams St. Rail Trail entrance in Delmar.
Inaugural exhibition Preschool by Roger Bisbing, 2022.
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Oh my! Murals Share the Trail, a public safety campaign sponsored by Albany County at multiple site on the trail (2021).
Susan Togut art installations between Main St. and Grove St. in Voorheesville (2020).
‍Young People’s Mural at the Kenwood Ave. trailhead in Slingerlands (2019). A community mural designed by student Emily Meier, project work led by artist Andrea Hersh.
Angela Cuozzo mural for Bliss Juice Bar on Delaware Ave. in Delmar (2019).
John DeMarco art on the columns under the Cherry Ave. bridge in Slingerlands (2018-2022).
Ramiro Davaro-Comas mural on the Rail Trail bridge crossing Delaware Ave. in Delmar (2018).
Andrea Hersh mural at the Adams St. Rail Trail entrance in Delmar (2017).
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Check out our photo gallery on Facebook

Featured Artists of the Rail Trail

Fernando Orellana

Fernando Orellana created the new mural on the piers under the Cherry Ave bridge in 2022. Fernando is a professor of Visual Arts at Union College, Schenectady.

Angela Cuozzo

Angela Cuozzo is designer and artist with over 25 years of corporate experience in graphic design and marketing. She created the mural for Bliss Juice Bar on Delaware Ave. in Delmar.

Susan Togurt

Susan Togut is an educator, therapeutic facilitator, and curator, who works from personal perspectives and community-based, worldly concerns. Her installation features a series of painted pieces that hang from the trees along the Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail between Main Street and Grove Street in Voorheesville.

John DeMarco

John DeMarco's created the first mural featured on the piers under the Cherry Ave. bridge in Slingerlands. (The artwork had been damaged during bridge repairs and was eventually replaced by a new mural in 2022.)

Ramiro Davaro-Comas

Ramiro Davaro-Comas is an Argentine/American artist and entrepreneur living and working in Upstate New York. The mural he created is on the Rail Trail bridge crossing Delaware Ave. in Delmar.

Andrea Hersh

Andrea Hersh holds a BS in painting and drawing from Skidmore College and an MFA from the University at Albany. Her large mural at the Adams St. Rail Trail entrance in Delmar was the first ART installation on the Rail Trail.

Art on the Rail Trail believes that public art is a transformative vehicle for uniting diverse individuals and outlooks from throughout the Albany-Helderberg region. ART strongly welcomes participation from creative voices representing diverse backgrounds and embraces projects that celebrate community building through inclusive approaches. ART does not discriminate based on factors of race, age, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, national origin, migratory status, disabilities/abilities, political affiliation, veteran status, and/or socioeconomic background.