Great Glazing | P.S. 046 Addition, The Alley Pond School

Glass/Metal Supplier: Pulp Studio
Artist/Architect: Justin Kim
Photographer: Arturo Sanchez

The Basics

As the only public art program devoted to schools in the entire nation, Public Art for Public Schools, or PAPS, functions as a unit within the New York City School Construction Authority, overseeing the creation of site-specific projects for newly built schools. It also manages the preservation of nearly 2,000 existing artworks in the NYC Department of Education’s collection throughout the five boroughs. PAPS' mission is to enrich students’ learning environments by equipping schools with artwork to elevate, educate and inspire.

The Design

Artist Justin Kim created this playful mural for The Alley Pond School in Bayside, Queens, as a project for the PAPS initiative. The mural’s glass surface depicts different individuals engaged in various activities such as reading books, playing the violin and shooting basketballs. The artwork serves as a constant reminder to the students that they are capable of pursuing whatever they want, anywhere in the world. The mural also showcases iconic city landmarks, including the historic Queensboro Bridge, which connects Manhattan and Queens. The bold contrast between the bright orange and vivid blue tones creates a lively and welcoming entryway for students, staff and visitors.

The materials

For this project, Pulp Studio supplied seven panels of glass, using 9/16-inch D2G™ Custom Graphic Tempered Glass measuring 70-3/4-inches tall to illustrate the graphics. D2G is a direct-to-glass digitally printed image that uses ceramic inks fired onto the surface of the glass. The process for printing on glass is highly complex due to many factors uncommon in conventional printing like transparency or translucency, white ink and size, making it a difficult practice that requires extreme attention to detail. Throughout this process, Pulp exquisitely printed the unique, vibrant artwork onto each glass panel.

Learn More

Learn more at pulpstudio.com, 310/815-4999.