An elevator at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) College of Art and Design (CAD) in New York recently received a whimsical mural makeover. Fourth-year illustration student Emma McCarthy of Mexico, New York, brought the colorful creation to life inside the Booth Hall lift. McCarthy, who has been interested in mural painting since high school, approached CAD School of Art and School for American Crafts Director Elizabeth Kronfield with the idea for the elevator artwork in September 2023. The project was approved a month later, and it took McCarthy approximately one week to complete. The elevator remained in operation throughout the painting process to keep traffic flowing in the building.
McCarthy brought her own art style, which she describes as abstract pop art, to the mural. “Before I painted it, the elevator always had a lot of graffiti on it. So, I thought it would be a good place to have a crazy, loud mural,” she said. McCarthy shared that painting on an active elevator was a fun challenge. She hopes that more student art can be featured on the building’s white walls in the future.
The School of Art has made tentative plans to refresh the elevator interior with a new mural a few times throughout the year via an open call for art. Kronfield said that eligible undergraduates would be given the chance to submit proposals. Those selected will receive a monetary prize, along with the artistic opportunity.
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