Art Meets Sustainability: How a Local Mural Will Bring PaintCare’s Mission to Life

Andrew Radin
Thu, 31 Jul 2025 14:09:06 +0000
PaintCare News

PaintCare has teamed up with the Albany Parking Authority to raise awareness about the value of recycling the more than 85 million gallons of household paint left unused across the country each year.

The post Art Meets Sustainability: How a Local Mural Will Bring PaintCare’s Mission to Life appeared first on PaintCare.

Across the U.S. and beyond, communities are adopting sustainability measures to help the environment, reduce pollution, and secure a brighter, more vibrant future for their residents and their families. According to U.S. Department of Energy, 443 cities host clean city coalitions, and 93% of the country’s population now lives within the boundaries of this coalition.

This is great progress—but every effort toward enhancing a community’s environmental efficiency isn’t painted with the same brush. In the City of Albany, on a wall of the city’s Quackenbush Garage, a creative call for sustainability is appearing with its own strokes, one color at a time—and saving plenty of waste in the process.

This summer, PaintCare has teamed up with the Albany Parking Authority for a new community mural that will include leftover paint from the nonprofit’s recycling and collection efforts, and raise awareness about the value of recycling the more than 85 million gallons of household paint left unused across the country each year. Led by local Capital Region artist Quill Harrison, the mural project will bring together local organizations and the local art community to serve as a reminder of the importance of paint stewardship, creative collaboration, and the inventive possibilities of a sustainable present.

The PaintCare program in New York State recently surpassed its two-million-gallon collection goal thanks to the joint efforts of our organization and our incredible community partners—including many paint retailers and hardware stores across the Capital Region who’ve generously volunteered their space as drop-off sites. We at PaintCare are thrilled to see this kind of progress for the program and growing advocacy for paint recycling, and we’re proud to join forces with the Albany Parking Authority and Quill to show just how valuable leftover paint can be.

And to show off the vibrancy that recycling colors can convey, the collaborators have picked an ideal location on the Quackenbush Garage’s Montgomery St. entrance wall. Centrally located at the heart of Downtown Albany, the destination is conveniently situated for community members and tourists to visit local restaurants and businesses throughout the downtown area. The garage, and the neighboring Quackenbush Square, are the hub for the Albany Parking Authority’s public art collection, which features dozens of art installations, commissioned from local, national, and international artists.

“This latest mural at Quackenbush is another example of our continued commitment to serving the City of Albany while supporting local artists and community partners in the process,” says Sean Palladino, Executive Director, Albany Parking Authority. “Downtown Albany is home to incredible restaurants and attractions that draw people to our garages, and enhancing those spaces with vibrant artwork only helps to further bring the community together. We are thrilled to work with PaintCare and Quill Harrison on this transformative project.”

In selecting Quill, collaborators have found an ideal local artist to bring this mural to life. Over the past four years, the freelance illustrator and muralist has created murals in Albany, Troy, Schenectady, and Glens Falls, and has had their unifying artwork exhibited at the Arts Center of the Capital Region, Saratoga Arts, Albany Center Gallery, Opalka Gallery, and elsewhere.

“Design-wise,” says Quill, “my artwork often contains themes of community and the ways humans connect and communicate with one another.”

Since starting the project, PaintCare has launched a dedicated webpage to show progress and showcase phases of the mural’s creation; and later this summer, PaintCare and the Albany Parking Authority plan to host a community event to celebrate the final artwork. According to Tony Iadicicco, Executive Director of Albany Center Gallery, the project—and its eventual completion—are merely the latest example of what art can do for Albany.

“Murals have long been a staple of the Capital Region’s vibrant art scene and a powerful way for creatives to tell a story and inspire the community,” says Iadicicco. “We are excited for Quill to create another piece for the growing community and add more art everywhere, together.”

As much as the piece will eventually add to a central slice of the city, it will also amplify the ongoing work of PaintCare and its dedication to the convenient recycling of leftover paint.

Since its initial formation, the nonprofit has managed more than 77 million gallons of paint, stain, and varnish across 10 states and the District of Columbia. Following New York’s passage of a stewardship law in 2019, the organization now has more than 370 recycling drop-off sites across New York State—including over 50 within the Capital Region—and has managed paint from more than 400 municipal household hazardous waste and paint collection events. More than 95% of New York residents now live within 15 miles of a designated drop-off site, making it incredibly convenient for anyone to aid sustainability efforts.

But with this exciting mural project, Albany residents and visitors will be able to see more than a reminder of PaintCare’s purpose. In one giant work of art, each will be able to see what their recycling efforts can yield—and how beautifully creative it can be.