Ella Rhodes - 2026 Intern

When I first read the pitch for the 2026 PACT Summer Research Internship, I was immediately excited at the chance to spend my summer in the Finger Lakes working on a community art project. When I later spoke with Professor Michelle Martin-Baron about PACT, I was both impressed and inspired by their stated mission and past projects, and I submitted my application for the project that day.

In the early stages of the research program, we traveled to speak with a member at Ithaca Murals, who graciously and eagerly gave us a long tour of many works of art throughout the city. Seeing an urban space decorated with vibrancy and creativity on every corner was an incredible experience, and definitely made me look forward to adding new artwork to Geneva.

Although I would call myself an artist, I do most of my work on digital programs and in my spare time, so working on the 2026 mural “Uphold” was a completely new experience in terms of schedule, scale, and medium. I had the benefit of doing a little “test run” while working on the Kingfisher mural with Victor and the Girl Scout Troop 60441, where I learned a lot—like how paint colors mix differently than pencils and markers, or how keeping lines straight on a textured surface takes focus and a slow hand. The most important lesson was trusting the people I was working with: I couldn’t supervise or micromanage every inch of the Kingfisher on my own, so I learned to concentrate on painting what I could to the best of my ability and have confidence that everyone else would do the same.

Though this prior experience was useful, painting “Uphold” was still an entirely different process. For one, my research partner—Nora Smith—and I were working much more closely together, and with less creative input/supervision since the artist—JoJo—could not be present at the site every day. The design was also much larger, so we spent the entire first day chalking out a large grid and then chalking out the mural elements themselves. It was difficult to translate an image from a piece of paper onto that large of a canvas, but the vision really came together once the first layers of paint went on. Every day the mural looked better and better; as silly as it sounds, I really learned to “trust the process” while working on this one.

Finally, it was truly a privilege to see how much kindness and joy the mural inspired, both throughout its creation and at its completion. Those who helped paint laughed and chatted with each other day after day, and strangers and friends would stop by to ask about the mural’s message or congratulate us for such a feat. Working with PACT has redefined the way I view community and connection.