Fine Art Students Create Mural for Hudson Heritage Plaza

Emalia Leclerc '25 sits above her portion of the installed 160ft mural located in the Hudson Heritage Plaza. Photo Courtesy: Emalia Leclerc '25

Over the course of three months, five undergraduate students in the Marist College Art Department tackled one of their biggest projects yet: a 3-by-160-foot mural located in the Hudson Heritage Plaza across from Marist’s North Gate entrance. 

Carly Andrew ‘24, Nikki Filias ‘24, Grace Hallinan ‘24, Emalia Leclerc ‘25, and Viktoria Majcher ‘25 worked collaboratively, with the guidance of Dr. Malgorzata Oakes, assistant professor of studio art, in request, to create a piece of art for the public. 

“There are so many opportunities right now for public art for our students, so I felt like it would be a very good experience for them and their resume,” said Oakes. “It’s great to see how people are investing money in art and culture right now… so it’s very visible to everyone.”

Students were given a budget of $1,000 for materials. This included house paint and wood panels for their creation. The money was provided by the town of Poughkeepsie and the Hudson Heritage Project. 

Joseph Manfredi, the construction manager of the Hudson Heritage Project and property manager, reached out to Marist in September, seeking student help to pursue a mural catering to themes of New York and the surrounding Hudson Valley area. 

Grace Hallinan '24 working on her panels for the mural in the Steel Plant. Courtesy: Grace Hallinan ‘24

“My portion of the mural was the Mid-Hudson Bridge, as well as the Walkway [Over the Hudson], so I focused more on the Poughkeepsie area,” said Leclerc. “I was really happy about that because I am so passionate about Marist since it is one of the places that I call home, and where I’ve been able to find myself and my art.”

While the size of the mural was daunting, the students were up for the dare.

“I have never created a mural that big before, so it was definitely a challenge and intimidating going into it,” said Hallinan, “but I think that making a mural that size is something I would encourage every artist to do because it opens up your entire artistic ability.” 

“The sheer size and dimensions of the panel was definitely a huge amount of work, but it also gave me the space to make such a large and detailed landscape,” said Andrew.

While this piece was the first mural these students had ever worked on, many of them are interested in working on larger pieces like this in the future. 

“I have applied to paint murals with kids from the public school in Poughkeepsie,” shared Hallinan, “and with that, we get to propose our own ideas and work with younger students as I am pursuing a career in art education. Once you go mural, it’s hard to go back.” 

“The mural makes me appreciate once again the grandeur of the Hudson Valley, but it also reminds me of the great people I worked with on this project,” said Manfredi. “Malgorzata Oakes and the students exceeded my expectations all around. Their energy and enthusiasm were infectious. It really brought some youth and fun to the job.” 

The mural is located around the corner from CVS in the Hudson Heritage Plaza for all to see for many years to come.