The People Wall, City Hall, Corning, New York
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Public Art Rocks!
Where is the People Wall located? In City Hall in Corning, New York, in Nasser Civic Center Plaza, Denison Parkway, where the skating rink, pickle ball courts, and the library are, too.
A handout of who's on the wall is now available at the Corning library reference desk for free.
It is also available at City Hall at the Clerk's Office or near the display of the book on the 2nd floor for free.
Or you can right-click and download these two pages as jpegs.
THANK YOU to all who bought a book or helped write the stories for it. It continues to be sold by the Corning-Painted Post Historical Society. Just call 607-937-5281 to reserve a copy. All proceeds will benefit their efforts to preserve our local history. ---Barbara Blumer, author
Watch the 15 Second Flip Video of Book
Title: People Wall ’76: The Mural in City Hall
ISBN: 979-8-9890459-0-7
208 pages. Size: 9” x 11” x 1” Weight: 2 lbs.
Over 225 color images on 100 lb. silk text paper
Printed locally. Spiral bound, designed to open flat and to be easy to read.
All proceeds go to benefit the Corning-Painted Post Historical Society and the Heritage Village of the Southern Finger Lakes. 501(c)(3) nonprofit
Filled with lots of fun facts!
After three years of research and community collaboration, the puzzle of the People Wall has been solved. Find out who the 150 people selected for the mural are and why they are dressed in 1970's vintage clothing, frozen in time, since 1976. Find out who wasn’t selected for the mural.
Find out why they are bigger-than-life-sized-images, and why the mural is longer than the length of three Olympic-sized swimming pools. Find out why it was commissioned for the USA Bicentennial and the opening of the new City Hall back in 1976.
Find out who the internationally acclaimed photographer Elliott Erwitt is. See their photos. Read their stories. Learn fun facts about the history of the mural, the city of Corning, now versus then, why murals matter and much, much more. It's a true-life story about civic pride, then and now.
Now you have the opportunity to acquire the book and support a good cause, too!
All proceeds benefit the C-PP Historical Society and their efforts to preserve our local history.
Author: Barbara Hall Blumer (pronounced bloomer)
To order:
Hover over the QR code to go directly to the secure shopping page.
Or purchase online click on this link
Or stop by their shop at 73 W. Pulteney, Corning, New York, hours: M-F, 10 am to 4 pm. Parking in rear.
Or call to arrange to pay by check.
Makes a great gift!
Need help ordering the book?
Contact Soni Lacey
607-937-5281
$76 plus tax (shipping is available)
The book is designed to be enjoyable to read even if you don't know the people in the mural. Here's just some of what's included:
What is the People Wall?
A unique, one-of-a kind Work of Public Art, innovative for its time. Created back in 1976 by the City of Corning, New York and Corning Glass Works Foundation for the City's citizens. A supersized photographic mural of bigger-than-life-sized images of over 150 people from all walks of life line the walls of Corning, New York's City Hall. This was done long before the advent of large format printing (they used historically significant, leading-edge Scanchrome technology) when the norm for portraits of people was only as big as an 8x10" headshot. The mural is a slice of Americana, a portrait of the city's people in 1976 for the USA Bicentennial and the opening of the new Nasser Civic Center. It was a symbol of community unity after recovering from a devastating flood just four years prior. Civic Pride. Comeback City. Community Character. The artist is world reknown photographer Elliott Erwitt.
Who are the People?
See all 150 in the mural
Tap photo or use arrows to see 5 examples
Everyone has been identified and verified.
We list their name, role and address in 1976
A companion story has been written for each panel.
Why were they chosen?
What were their roles back in 1976?
Read their stories.
It's 208 pages.
Are the Bride & Groom still married?
Was the lobster real?
Learn other interesting fun facts about the culture of Corning then and now.
It's all about 1976.
The price of the book is $76 as a nod to 1976 , the year the People Wall was created for the Bicentennial and the opening of the new City Hall.
It includes never-seen-before photos of additional people who were photographed but not chosen for the People Wall, like Community Relations Leader Charlie McGrady.
Over 350 people were recruited to be photographed, from mail carrier to scientist, a cross-section of Corning's citizens. But only 150 were ultimately chosen for the mural.
A Cool Concept
A Cool Concept
The Story of How the People Wall came to be
The Flood of '72
A story of devastation and recovery
Bicentennial Fever in 1976
and how it influenced the People Wall
Who is Elliott Erwitt?
The Photographer
Why Murals Matter.
What is Public Art?
Urban Renewal in Corning
Market Street Restoration
Photos of Corning City Hall
Then and Now
Mayor Nasser's Legacy
What is Brutalism?
The Architecture of Corning City Hall
Innovative for its time, a unique work of public art, since 1976
Innovative for its time, a unique work of public art, since 1976
What is a Scanachrome?
Why are they historically significant?
1976-2002 Original Scanachromes
25 years of wear & tear
why they had to come down
2003 Replacement with Digital Versions
same people
new, improved color
2012 Modifications
first floor copiesCourtroom Expansion
Just how big is it?
Where is Corning, New York?
Why it's special.
Photos of it today.
Publications featuring the People Wall
Publications featuring the People Wall
The NYTimes article
June 5, 1976
same day
The People Wall was revealed
Bicentennial
House & Garden
July 1976
8-page feature
in Architectural Record
December, 1976
Teaching Guide
in Scholastic Magazine
October, 1976
The international art magazine feature in Zoom
in 1977
The People Wall Project
The People Wall Project
Why does the People Wall matter?
Background on the Project to Collect the History of the Mural
Back then everybody knew everybody but almost 50 years later, it is the intent of this project to capture the history of the People Wall, researching and identifying who's who and their stories, before the information is lost.
In addition, it is our goal to provide fun facts for the viewers of today. Cultural norms have changed significantly since 1976 when the People Wall mural was frozen in time. Much can be learned by looking closely at the people then versus the people of today.
The information can be used to teach citizenship for community constituents, including young children, and to provide cultural context for visitors to the mural in person or virtually.
The list of contributors to the research is over 400 and still growing...
Do you recognize this dog?
A black poodle. Named Gabby. Let us know if you remember the owner back in 1976.
Comments?
Please send them to:
comments@peoplewallhistory.com
Author Barbara Blumer will respond, but it may take a few days.
Fun Photos of People Holding the People Wall Book
Publicity and Presentations
January 2021 "The Puzzle of the People Wall", C-PP Historical Society, (During COVID) Zoom presentation
August 18, 2022, "The Puzzle of the People Wall" , Rotary Club, (Tail end of COVID) Zoom presentation
October 24, 2023 "Frankly Speaking" TV Show
November 2023, WETM News segment by Linsay Madison
Social Media reel #1
Social Media reel #2
Social Media reel#3
December 5, 2023, "Researching the People Wall", Southeast Steuben County Library
January 2024, "People Wall Show'n'Tell", Docents meeting, C-PP Historical Society/Heritage Village
March 2024, "Southside Stories"Southside Neighborhood Association (SNA), Academy Place (former CFA)
April 2024, Corning Area Aging in Place Monthly Meeting (CAAIP), Congregational Church
May 2024, Mountain Home magazine, feature article by Corningite Chris Sharman
June 2024, C-PP High School Students visit the People Wall and make their own People Wall
Sept/Oct 2024, Life in the Finger Lakes magazine, Book Look article by local writer, Chris Sharman
Mountain Home Magazine, May 2023
June 1, 2024
Interview with Frank Acomb of "Frankly Speaking" TV Show, October 24, 2023
December 5, 2023 Author Talk at the Southeast Steuben County Library
It's featured in the recent issue of Mountain Home. Click here to read the article. Article was written by Corningite, Chris Sharman.
Social Media Reel of Fun Photos October 2023
The People Wall book is currently featured in September/October issue of Life in the Finger Lakes, in the Book Look article by local writer, Chris Sharman.
Companion links for when reading the book, click here.
The Corning-Painted Post Historical Society
Copyright 2023-24 Barbara Hall Blumer
All rights reserved.
Ask permission.
BarbBlumer@gmail.com
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