Stockade District, Kingston, Ulster County

The large scale, and visually stunning mural titled Pronkstilleven was created by Gaia, a Baltimore based artist and muralist, in 2015 as part of the 6th annual O+ festival in Kingston. The mural depicts John Vanderlyn, Kingston-born painter, and Sojourner Truth, abolitionist and women’s rights activist. The title is a Dutch word meaning “ornate or ostentatious, still life” and also describes a 17th century Dutch style of painting. Gaia created the impressive work on the side of the historic Stuyvesant Building in the Stockade District of Kingston. Gaia is familiar to the Kingston art community and fans of the O+ festival as the creator of the popular and equally impressive Artemis Emerging From the Quarry during the 2013 O+ Festival.

The O+ festival is a 3-day event where artists and musicians exchange their participation for basic health care, dental and wellness services. Billed as “The Art of Medicine for the Medicine of Art”, the growing Kingston event featured many forms of art media including paint, sculpture, dance, performance art and music.