The skies of Binghamton may often be gray, but local artists and the reBOLD Binghamton project have been working since last semester to infuse the city with color.

reBOLD Binghamton partners local residents with students to beautify the Downtown Binghamton area with public murals. The program originated last fall from Binghamton University class “Leadership 480A” and the Center for Leadership Studies.

“Art is a topic that can bring so many people together with the common goal of making something beautiful,” said Erica Freeman, a senior majoring in management and a member of reBOLD Binghamton. “For reBOLD Binghamton, that goal was to change the Greater Binghamton area to be a work of art and something the area could be proud of that will benefit the community in the future.”

Last semester, reBOLD Binghamton brought Los Angeles-based graffiti artist Man One to paint murals Downtown. He painted murals for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Partnerships in the ITC, in President Harvey Stenger’s office and in Cafe Oasis on Washington Street.

reBOLD Binghamton has continued with other projects, such as Mural-Bus-Fest this past May, where BU students and residents gathered to paint the Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW) mobile food pantry bus.

Henry Aery, reBOLD Binghamton’s crew leader and a senior majoring in accounting, said the opportunities to work with various businesses have made him feel more included in the community.

“We’ve met a lot of people within the city and we’ve really been able to feel their heart,” Aery said. “It’s been great for me to become more ingrained in the Binghamton culture and better understand who my neighbors are.”

One such neighbor is Kady Perry, a 2012 alumna and a founding member of the Department of Public Art (DPA), who became involved in reBOLD Binghamton when she was asked to consult on the Man One project.

“DPA supports and appreciates the additional efforts by reBOLD Binghamton and hopes to partner to make a strong case for public art in Binghamton,” Perry said. “Both groups need more resources.”

Since Mural-Bus-Fest, reBOLD Binghamton and the DPA have completed several projects during Welcome Week Service, a project held by the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE). Students worked for two days with local artists to complete a series of murals at the Binghamton Zoo and the Ann G. McGuinness Elementary School in Endicott.

The DPA is currently working on a mural at 47 Chenango St., and one on the south-facing wall of Binghamton Hots, both funded by grants and private donations. Perry said she found the increased focus on art by residents and groups like reBOLD Binghamton to be vital to the redevelopment of the city.

“Art is critical to Binghamton on an aesthetic level, and then the aesthetic leads to a psychological impact,” Perry said. “Not only does it beautify the area, it brings together disenfranchised residents.”

Hannah Gianninoto, a junior majoring in English, said that the mural project brings vibrancy back to the local area.

“I think Downtown has the potential to be great and it has the potential to go back to what it used to be before IBM left,” Gianninoto said. “I have a lot of faith in Binghamton and I think any effort to make it better is definitely appreciated.”

Aery encouraged students to become involved with projects to fix up Binghamton in order to make the city feel more like home rather than just a place where they attend school.

“Students have a huge stake in the city,” Aery said. “We have an opportunity to greatly influence the city with our passion, our effort, our ingenuity.”