Stockade District, Kingston, Ulster County

This 6-story outdoor street art mural titled Artemis Emerging from the Quarry depicts the Greek goddess Artemis as she emerges from a stone quarry with her outstretched arms over New York City. In Greek mythology Artemis, daughter of Zeus and twin sister of Apollo, was the goddess of the wilderness, the hunt and wild animals; and fertility. The mural was painted by the emerging Baltimore artist Gaia and took nearly a week to complete. The mural is not without controversy, however, with some locals feeling that it is out of place for Kingston’s historic district.

The Artemis mural was painted in conjunction with the 2013, 4th annual O+ festival, 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.