A new mural honoring Broadway choreographer Thommie Walsh is coming to downtown Auburn.
Artist Trinity Rivard won the commission to create the 10-by-10-foot mural on Dill Street, celebrating the Auburn native and two-time Tony Award winner.
Auburn Downtown Partnership organized the mural project and opened it to artists worldwide. Dozens of proposals came in from locations ranging from Poland to California.
A selection committee unanimously chose Rivard. The panel included property owner Joe Bartolotta, Public Art Commission chair Lynn Varley, and Walsh’s sister, Barbara Walsh.
Rivard creates large-scale public art projects across the United States and has led community art efforts in several cities.
The mural will feature a larger-than-life portrait of Walsh surrounded by visual references to his career in theater and dance. Subtle musical notes and dance-step diagrams will appear in the background, along with silhouettes inspired by A Chorus Line.
Two Tony Award statuettes will also appear in the design, along with imagery evoking the glow of a Broadway marquee.
Walsh was a two-time Tony Award–winning choreographer and an original cast member of A Chorus Line.
Rivard said the project offers a chance to tell Walsh’s story through public art.
“I am writing to share my heartfelt excitement for creating a public art mural honoring Thommie Walsh, whose extraordinary talent and generosity left a lasting imprint on both the world of theater and the community of Auburn, NY.”
The project is funded through the City of Auburn’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative award and administered by New York State Homes and Community Renewal.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].