‘This project connected to me’

Ninandré Bogue is painting quarrymen mural for Albion

Photos by Tom Rivers – Nin Bogue referenced century-old quarrymen photos and his own feel for local Medina sandstone to create a scene of workers in a quarry. The mural will be placed on the side of a building at Waterman Park on Main Street in downtown Albion.

LYNDONVILLE – Ninandré Bogue wanted to live in a community with a sense of history. The Amherst native and his wife, a Southtowns native, picked Lyndonville.

For 13 years he has worked full-time as a professional artist, often returning to Erie County suburbs to paint murals inside big houses.

His latest project involves a 20-foot-long mural that will be mounted on the side of a building on Main Street in Albion. It will depict immigrant quarrymen from a century ago working in a local quarry. The project is sponsored by the Albion Rotary Club and also includes support from the Orleans County Tourism Department and matching funds from the Rotary district.

“With the quarrymen, this project connected to me,” Bogue said in his studio today. “I saw people and the history to it.”

To get a feel for the quarries, an industry that peaked a century ago, Bogue looked a historic photos provided by Holley Historian Marsha DeFillipps. She has a stack of photos of Holley and Hulberton quarry workers.

The pictures were in black-and-white so Bogue studied the local reddish-brown Medina sandstone to know the color of the stone. He had to fill in other gaps.

“I’ve had to use my imagination,” he said.

Nin Bogue wants to honor the quarrymen from generations ago who worked in local quarries.

He expects to finish the mural possibly today, with it soon to be installed on the Albright building on the north side of Waterman Park, about a half block south of the canal. That park is also targeted as a site for a bronze statue of a quarryman.

Albion also is working to install $50,000 worth of street-scape improvements, which will include bike racks, potted trees and flowers, interpretive panels and a public art project where 12 new benches will be painted in Albion heritage themes.

The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce also is working on public art project, where 75 palettes painted by artists are being showcased in local businesses.

Bogue, 46, believes artists can help draw tourists and spending to downtown business districts.

“Art gives hope and hope is a very powerful thing,” he said. “We should embrace sculptures, gorgeous gardens and picturesque scenes. It will open the door to tourism.”

For more information about Bogue, check his website at www.bogueartstudios.com.