GHS Federal Credit Union Unveils New Entryway Mural Painted by Chenango Valley Art Students
Binghamton, NY – GHS Federal Credit Union unveiled a new mural painted by Chenango Valley High School art students on Friday, May 19th, 2023. The new work of art is painted on the entryway walls of GHS’s 910 Front Street, Binghamton branch, and features notable symbols of our community. The mural is a way for the credit union to celebrate our roots and history in our founding city of Binghamton, NY, while offering local students a unique opportunity to use their talents and skills. Students and faculty of Chenango Valley Central School District, their families and GHS staff gathered at 6:00pm on May 19th to officially unveil the mural to the public.
Over the past year, GHS has undergone extensive upgrades to improve our member experience and the credit union has grown immensely. To complete the renovations at our 910 Front Street, Binghamton branch, GHS sought out local artists to create a unique mural on the blank white walls of the entryway vestibule to pay tribute to our local membership and great community.
In late 2022, GHS reached out to area high school guidance counselors and art teachers to offer the opportunity for students to create a mural that commemorates the Broome County area. GHS staff selected the design submitted by Chenango Valley High School art class students that featured the famed Binghamton carousel horses and hot air balloons, and used colors that represented all of the area schools.
Local art students, Savannah Greenmun (lead student), Maddi Trisket, Aubrey Staub, Jessica Matson, Sophia Ashman, Erin Wales, Kenna Wales, accompanied by their teacher, Mr. Matthew Wilson, created a model of the vestibule with their design and presented it to GHS CEO, Shawn Wolbert, and other staff members. Upon being selected, the group began working on the mural after hours at the branch beginning in early March 2023. Supplies, including paint and brushes, were generously donated by Golden Artist Colors of Norwich, located at 65 Hale Street, Norwich, NY. The project has taken close to 8 weeks to complete, and the students, Mr. Wilson and the GHS team are excited to unveil the mural to the public.
“The team has done a wonderful job working together. I am continually impressed with their ability to create and apply these ideas into reality. The team rallied behind Savannah’s design and have all taken an active role in making the design theirs. They have spent many hours working both off and on site to create the piece. I think their plan of connecting us as a community through their visual imagery and color has been particularly successful. They are honored to have had the opportunity to take part in this and are very much looking forward to people seeing their finished product” says Mr. Wilson.
This project was designed to provide opportunities for youth artists to gain experience while celebrating the Broome County area and the city in which our credit union was established. GHS is dedicated to not only community engagement, but member engagement as well. In addition to the mural project, GHS invites members to send in local photos they have taken around the counties we serve – Broome, Chenango and Tioga – to be displayed in our branches. Every 6 months, staff select new photos to be printed on canvas and hung on our walls. After their tenure, members are invited to come take their canvas home and new photos are hung.
GHS presented the Chenango Valley High School art department with a $2,500 check, and each student was also given a cash gift as a ‘thank you’ for their hard work. GHS is excited to welcome existing and new members to the branch with the beautiful mural, and we thank the talented students and dedicated faculty of Chenango Valley Central School District for their hard work and beautiful design.