Rising Ahead: Downtown Ithaca Mural Project at Hammerstone
On July 4th, before fireworks lit the sky, something bright and colorful was happening in downtown Ithaca: over 50 volunteers gathered at Hammerstone’s downtown location to bring a mural to life. The energy was electric! Alumni reconnected, new neighbors met for the first time, and curious passersby became fast friends covered in paint. Volunteers painted from 7:00am until well into the afternoon, adding so much more than just color to a wall.
Bee, Sophie, and Maria spent the early morning hours painting. A bit different than painting a freshly constructed wall, but their skills translated perfectly!
The mural, titled Rising Ahead, envisions a just and sustainable future where all people and environments thrive. At its center is a phoenix made of reclaimed materials, a powerful symbol of transformation rising from the hands of non-traditional tradespeople: women, non-binary folks, disabled workers, and people of mixed heritage. A construction-style sign reads “Rising Ahead,” a nod to the work it takes to build a future shaped by equity and sustainability.
Hammerstone was the perfect location for such a mural, if we do say so ourselves. Hammerstone has worked hard to make sure that our teaching environments support not only physical accessibility but neurodiversity as well. From offering tools and techniques for folks who process information differently, to creating welcoming spaces because we believe the skilled trades should truly be for everyone.
The vision was led by artist and Hammerstone’s very own, Bethany (Bee) Parisi, but brought to life by a community that showed up in every sense of the word. In Bee’s own words:
“Watching my art come to life on this scale was surreal, but watching you all bring so much life to my art was something that makes me feel deeply devoted to the community that I've built in the place that I’ve called home for the last five years. I feel such pride in my creative community: one that works hard to keep making the world more colorful through all of the darkness.”
This was more than a mural painting day. It was an experience grounded in learning, accessibility, and shared values. Volunteers had the chance to talk with Hammerstone instructors about what we teach in our Basic Carpentry Skills 101 (BCS101) class and how those skills can be adapted for all bodies and abilities. We saw firsthand how learning basic tools and techniques opens the door to people of all backgrounds, abilities, and skill levels.
We’ll let Christina, our lead instructor, share more about how she recently applied those skills to help veterans with disabilities:
“I took a class recently through the Purple Heart Project which opens up the world of woodworking to combat-wounded veterans. I worked with a student who’d lost the use of his dominant hand in Afghanistan. Because of my experience with Hammerstone students, I was able to show him a trick for starting a nail one-handed – using a small mound of sticky tack to hold the nail. At Hammerstone, we believe the tools should adapt to the builder, not the other way around. Everyone deserves access to the joy and confidence that comes from making something yourself.”
From real life experiences, voting on the color scheme, and adding music to our playlist, from hard conversations to belly laughs, this mural was built by our community.
To the 50+ volunteers, to the “Thriving Futures Mural Initiative” by CCE Tompkins, Smart Energy Choices, and Ithaca Murals, and to every person who gave a moment of their July 4th to create something meaningful—Thank You!
The mural may be complete, but the work continues. If you feel something while standing in front of Rising Ahead, maybe a spark, a question, a sense of possibility, we invite you to carry that feeling forward.
Take a class.
Learn a tool.
Build something for yourself.
Better yet, build a better and more equitable future with others.
