The LivCo Walls: Explore the 9 Villages of Livingston County, NY Through Their Murals

The LivCo Walls are all about encouraging visitors to explore the charming downtown districts of nine different communities across Livingston County, New York. The stunning murals aim to tell local stories and ultimately to evoke some emotion from and share knowledge with locals and visitors alike.

In July of 2022, Livingston County decided it was high time to host an event that would get people moving across the county, and for good reason. They hosted the first-ever county-wide mural festival in New York State, and the end result, at least to me, is a much more colourful region and a built-in excuse to visit the nine villages of Livingston County.

The way that they made this all happen was through the Livco Walls Mural Festival where they invited nine international artists to come to their neck of the woods, and to leave an indelible mark by painting a large-scale mural in each of the nine villages of the County.

As a lover of street-art, community, and road-tripping, I loved being on the move and setting eyes on these murals. I’d also encourage you to visit a mural, and then to use that as an excuse to wander around the respective village and get a feel for things. Typically, I’d choose at least one other destination to tether to my mural visit to. So, for example, when I popped into Geneseo to check out the Wisdom Mural, I walked up and down Main Street, then stopped at the Cosmic Charlie Coffee Shop (a speciality coffee spot + food truck) on the SUNY Geneseo Campus.

The murals themselves look fantastic, and they’re a lot of fun to shoot as a photographer - but I feel that the real value of the LivCo Walls is the impetus that this project has given visitors to genuinely explore what makes each of these villages tick, and thus leave with a greater understanding of the county at large.

About Livingston County

Livingston County is located in the northwestern part of New York State, not altogether that far from the likes of Buffalo and Rochester.

They’re one of the fourteen counties that makes up the Finger Lakes Region, an area which has become near and dear to my heart over the years and encompasses over 10,000 square kilometres of pristine lakes, wonderful wineries, restaurants which prioritize local produce, ample nature, and historic towns and cities.

The population of the county at large is only around 65,000, and the county seat is Geneseo. For reference, the nine villages of Livingston County are Avon, Caledonia, Dansville, Geneseo, Leicester, Lima, Livonia, Mount Morris, and Nunda.

The 9 Murals That Make Up the LivCo Walls

If you’re looking to do what I did, it’s worth taking a look at where the murals are situated across Livingston County so that you can make a place of attack for seeing them all. This nifty map (also up above) should help with planning.

When you do visit these murals, take note of the QR Code on the plaques at each mural, as scanning the QR code will open up an interview with each respective artist.

For the sake of ease, I’ll cover the murals from north to south.

The Caledonia, NY Mural

The mural that you’ll find in Caledonia is, rather fittingly, called “Trout Culture,” and it was painted by Tim Parsley from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He notes that his work “navigates American history and the complicated effect of its constructive ambition.” You’ll see an image of fish (trout, in this case) both under and above the water in a gorgeous setting.

The mural is located at 3103 Main Street.

The Avon, NY Mural

You’ll be headed to Avon to see a mural called “Horse Country,” and with its bright blue background, orange flowers and horses galloping, it’s one of the more vibrant murals of the bunch. It was painted by Ivan Roque from Miami, a Cuban-American artist “with a passion for the concepts of birth, death, time, renewal and social dynamics.”

You can lock eyes with this mural if you head to 79 Genesee Street.

The Lima, NY Mural:

“Farmer’s Spectrum” is all about showcasing the beauty of what comes from the local soil. All colours of the rainbow are represented with the likes of eggplant, blueberries, cucumber, corn, carrots, strawberries, raspberries, grapes and onions.

The piece was done by Abigail Penfold who is from East Aurora, NY, but calls Buffalo home. She notes that she learned how to paint and install large-scale murals during a painting fellowship with the world-renowned artists Trompe L’oeil. The mural is located at 1883 Rochester Street.

The Livonia, NY Mural

The mural in Livonia is known as “First Flight” and it features eagles soaring across a pink and orange sky, with mysterious purple mountains in the background, and all brought together with a setting sun.

This was the work of Justin Suarez who hails from Rochester. Suarez is known for his work that celebrates wildlife, and he has intimate knowledge to work from, as he handles birds of prey at the Wild Winds Animal Sanctuary. It’s located at 16 Commercial Street.

The Geneseo, NY Mural

Ah, the wonderfully colourful and intriguing “Wisom” mural. This piece was put together by an artist known as “KEY DETAIL.” He was born in Minsk, Belarus, but now lives and works in New York City. With it’s wondrous blend of bright reds and light blues, I think this was probably my favourite piece on an aesthetic level. There was also something about the bear that I found utterly captivating.

You can go and form your own opinion if you head to 125 Main Street! This is one you might end up staring at for quite a few minutes, and will continue to find more and more little things that make the mural special.

The Leicester, NY Mural

Kacy Jackson made his way on up from Louisville, Kentucky to paint his piece known as “Big Heart.” With it’s use of greens that pop off the wall, it’s hard to miss for all the right reasons.

134 Main Street is the address you’re looking for in this case.

The Mount Morris, NY Mural

Louise Jones, a Detroit based artist, is famous for her large-scale floral murals that are heavily inspired by local plants and animals. All that to say, she was the perfect person for the job with her “Flowers of Letchworth” mural, located on 83 Main Street.

The hyperrealism and detail in each of the flowers presented is nothing short of inspiring.

The Nunda, NY Mural

This mural was inspired by a local seed company’s packaging, and it effectively plays with levels to make it seem like each flower has its own “doorway.” You’ll see what I mean when you get there! It’s called (as you might guess), “Seed.”

The piece was done by Matthew Mederer from Chicago, Illinois, who is self-taught, but has been at it for more than two decades, and has made quite a name for himself.

The Dansville, NY Mural

“Wild Mustang” was painted by Arlin Graff who hails from Sao Paulo, Brazil. He notes on his site that “his elaborate paintings are executed in large scale around the world, bringing a little more color to city walls.”

With “Wild Mustang,” he certainly accomplished that. The mustang is painted with fragments of colour that burst off the wall, and the equally colourful backdrop makes it hard to walk past without stopping for a moment to take in its beauty.

It’s located at 175 Main Street.

Living Art in Livingston County

I’m a huge fan of this whole campaign to have these murals done because they each visually showcase different aspects of what it means to call Livingston County home.

If you end up completing the tour up above, and you’re still hungry for more, I’d urge you to check out some of the other “Picture Perfect Stops in Livingston.” There are about 10 extra spots to keep an eye out for on that list, and if you’re completing this route anyway, you’ll naturally come across many of them.

I hope this has been helpful in guiding you in what should be a terrific excuse for a road trip. In seeing these murals, I realized after the fact that I was also digesting local culture and ultimately gaining an understanding of precisely what makes Livingston County unique and worth the visit.

I want to humbly thank Livingston County and Madden for hosting me as media. All opinions are completely my own.

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