Public can get glimpse of ‘Good Wall’ without scaffolding

One of signature projects of Triennial will soon be dismantled

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – One of the signature projects of the Medina Triennial was somewhat shrouded with scaffolding during the art initiative’s three-month stay in Medina.

But today, a day after the Triennial closed, the steel pin scaffolding was removed and soon the “Good Wall” will be dismantled. There is a layer of salvaged sandstone held between layers of limestone.

The scaffolding was included as a precaution to provide stability. But the wall never wavered during the Triennial, staying in perfect balance.

In its natural state, the limestone will slowly leach natural acids into the softer sandstone, gradually weakening it until it delaminates and collapses. What appears solid is designed to fail, the Triennial stated.

James Beckett is the artist behind the Good Wall, a project that ties to Medina’s architectural and industrial past. Beckett wanted the display to raise questions about durability and change.

Beckett did a residency in Medina in 2025 and 2026, researching the Medina community’s sandstone quarries and civic architecture.

He did a semester-long collaboration with architecture students at the University at Buffalo on “digital quarrying.” That method combines the recovered stone with 3D scanning, computational design and digital assembly.

The “Good Wall” is installed on the lawn of Medina’s former high school on Catherine Street, where about 30 of the art installations were displayed during the Triennial.