North Country Rural Development Coalition

06/02/2026

What a great night in the Town of Jay celebrating public art, storytelling, and the creative process behind Walls Between Waters.

A huge thank you to Ericka “Miss Teal” Rosendale for such a thoughtful and inspiring artist talk tonight. Hearing her story — from her time as a Boston University student and set designer to her evolution as a professional muralist and public artist — was incredibly special. Her path as an artist, educator, and creative force brings so much meaning to this project, and we are grateful for the heart, talent, and perspective she is bringing to Jay.

Thank you to Matt and the Town of Jay for their continued support and partnership, and to Jason and Norman (AuSable Theater) for so generously hosting the after party and helping make the evening feel warm, welcoming, and community-centered.

This is what public art is all about: bringing people together, honoring place, and creating something that reflects the stories, beauty, and spirit of our communities.

Don’t miss Walls Between Waters: Au Sable Forks Mural Dedication + Community Celebration this Friday and more fun at Walls Between Waters Mural Festival on Saturday!

05/31/2026

This week! We can't wait! Come see us this Wednesday at the Chestertown Farmers Market and this Saturday at the North Country Rural Development Coalition Walls Between Waters Mural Festival in Ticonderoga!
Mountain Lake Services
Moriah Chamber of Commerce
Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce
Lake Champlain Bridge Community

05/31/2026

Studio Giftig is in Ticonderoga, and watching their process up close is incredible.

Based in the Netherlands, Studio Giftig is the internationally acclaimed mural duo of Niels van Swaemen and Kaspar van Leek. Twice named Best Muralist in the World, they are known for work that blends photorealism, graphic design, emotion, and storytelling at a breathtaking scale.

One of the most powerful things about Studio Giftig is the way they choose their subjects. They paint living people — real people — whose faces and lives can hold a larger story of beauty, resilience, culture, place, and memory.

For this mural, the person they selected carries extraordinary meaning for Ticonderoga and the North Country. At 103 years old, she is a living witness to a century of change: the rise and decline of industries, generations of workers and families, changing downtowns, evolving landscapes, shifting farmland, forests, waterways, roads, and the communities that grew around them.
She has lived through wars, economic change, technological transformation, the loss and reinvention of local industries, and the changing role of women in our homes, workplaces, and public life. Her face is not just a portrait. It is a reminder of the people who built this town, the women whose strength shaped the North Country, and the lived history still present among us.

Their method is just as powerful as the finished piece. Every detail is intentional — the composition, the light, the scale, the relationship between the image and the building. What looks effortless from a distance is built layer by layer through extraordinary technical skill, design experience, and deep artistic discipline.

And beyond the talent, they are genuinely kind. Thoughtful, humble, generous with their time, and wonderful with our team and community. It is one thing to bring world-class artists to Ticonderoga. It is another to have artists of this caliber arrive with so much care, professionalism, and warmth.

This is only Studio Giftig’s third mural in the United States. Having them here is a major moment for Walls Between Waters, Artscapes, Ticonderoga, and the North Country. Come see them at work behind 119 Montcalm Street, and join us June 6th for Walls Between Waters in downtown Ticonderoga.

05/31/2026

Studio Giftig is officially on the wall!

We are beyond honored to welcome Studio Giftig to Ticonderoga for Walls Between Waters. Based in the Netherlands, Studio Giftig is the internationally celebrated mural duo of Niels van Swaemen and Kaspar van Leek — and they have been named Best Muralist in the World twice.

This is only their third mural in the United States.
That is a huge moment for Ticonderoga, for Essex County, and for the North Country.

Their work is known across the world for its extraordinary realism, scale, emotion, and storytelling. Now, they are bringing that talent to the rear of 119 Montcalm Street, transforming an underused downtown wall into a piece of public art that will help draw people into the back side of Montcalm Street and support a larger activation strategy for this corridor.

This mural is also indirectly part of the bigger downtown story. As the Adirondack Drive portion of the DRI begins, the rear of Montcalm Street will see major public improvements that enhance access, visibility, and the experience behind our Main Street buildings. We are grateful to the DRI program and the New York State Department of State for helping make that larger investment possible.

As a Land Bank, this is exactly why Artscapes exists: to use public art as a tool for revitalization, visibility, placemaking, and pride — on and near vacant, blighted, and underused spaces where renewed attention can help shift the future of a block.

Come see Studio Giftig at work this week, and join us for Walls Between Waters on June 6th in downtown Ticonderoga.

This is big. Really big.

05/31/2026

05/30/2026

Don’t miss Lang & I at Walls Between Waters Mural Festival! It’s ONE WEEK AWAY!

ONE WEEK! Until Lang & I opens for the Strumbellas right here in Downtown Ticonderoga. We can’t wait and hope you are all very excited! 🎤🎸🥁

05/30/2026

A few weeks ago, we visited the Sergeant Harry Wever Project in Willsboro with Homeward Bound Adirondacks and the nonprofit that owns the property and is leading this effort to create housing for veterans.

This is one of those projects that represents the heart of what the we do every day: the steady, behind-the-scenes work of compliance, planning, saving buildings, stabilizing properties, so we can creating housing for people who need and deserve it most.

The project will create four new units of supportive veterans housing in a historic former veterans’ home. It is a major undertaking — full abatement, extensive rehabilitation, new systems, interior reconstruction, and the careful preservation of a building with deep community and veterans’ history. We are six months into the project.

We are especially grateful to Steven’s Construction for their work on this project and for helping move this building from blight toward a new future.

As we approach the 250th anniversary, this project feels especially meaningful. We are not only saving a historic structure; we are helping return a former veterans’ home to service — this time as safe, stable, supportive housing for veterans in the Adirondacks.

This is the work that does not always happen quickly or loudly. It takes planning, funding, abatement, construction, nonprofit partnership, and a shared belief that rural communities deserve reinvestment.

But when it comes together, the impact is lasting.

The Essex County Land Bank and NRDC are proud to support this monumental project alongside mission-driven nonprofit partners working to preserve history, address blight, and create housing for some of the most deserving members of our community.

Quiet work. Monumental impact.

05/30/2026

At times the world is ugly. Be the good. Grateful for Erika Teal Rosendale and her quick thinking today. Excited to celebrate this program, her art, the town of Jay, and the first of many steps towards revitalization next Friday at Walls Between Waters: Au Sable Forks Mural Dedication + Community Celebration 💗

This morning started with a reminder that the right people matter.

Non-Local artist Erika Rosendale is in town working on the theater mural project, and on her way to start painting she noticed something most of us had driven past to get to work. A possum had been hit on the road and seven babies were still alive.

She stopped.

She came looking for help, we found a box, and together got the babies somewhere safe while we contacted a wildlife rehabber. They're now on their way to people who know exactly how to care for them. (Huge shout out to Tara Fuller for always answering her phone 🫶🏻)

We spend a lot of time talking about bringing good things to small towns through art, events, businesses, and community projects. But sometimes the best thing someone brings is simply kindness.

Thank you, Erika, for caring enough to stop. 🫶🏻❤️

05/29/2026

🇺🇸 SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: J. P. Waste Management, LLC🇺🇸

We want to give a massive shoutout to one of the incredible sponsors helping us bring you The Best 4th in the North! 🎆
J.P. Waste Management, LLC is a locally owned and operated waste removal company right here in Ticonderoga, NY run by an incredible Husband & Wife Team!

From keeping our neighborhoods clean with reliable residential and commercial garbage collection, to providing roll-off dumpster rentals for projects of all sizes, they’ve got our community covered.

Community events like our annual 4th of July celebration wouldn't be possible without the generous support of homegrown businesses like J.P. Waste Management. When we support them, we support the magic of the 4th! 🟥⬜🟦

Join us in thanking them for their commitment to keeping Ticonderoga beautiful and helping us celebrate in style!

Interested in being a Business Sponsor to keep Ticonderoga’s most cherished event going?
Send us a message or reach out to our amazing volunteers!

North Country Roots
North Country Rural Development Coalition