Leaving a Mark: Nikki Salvestrini's Plans for Public Art at Purchase

With years of experience and a passion for art as activism, Salvestrini brings a new perspective to the Student Public Art Coordinator position.

By Cecelia Cullen

"I would like to see more public art that pushes a lot of the boundaries," Salvestrini said. "I want to encourage people to play with subtlety, but also be loud." Photo provided by Nikki Salvestrini.

Before graduating from Purchase College this semester, Nikki Salvestrini has a few things they want to leave behind: a clearer application process, stronger protections for existing artwork, and a public art program that more students feel comfortable participating in.

As this semester's Student Public Art Coordinator for the Purchase Student Government Association (PSGA), Salvestrini, a senior arts management major, is working to rewrite the program's contracts, establish clearer guidelines and address what they see as longstanding administrative problems. The Public Art Committee provides students with funding to create different creative works, often murals, installations, and sculptures, which are free and open for anyone to see around campus. 

"My focus is on the administration aspect," they said. "I'm an arts management major, so how can I make this so clear for the next person who takes over my position? Because I'm graduating this semester."

Salvestrini has painted murals since they were 13, working with prominent American graffiti and mural artist Lady Pink for the past five years. At Purchase, they previously served as director of Forum Art Space and currently work as an exhibition manager in the Visual Arts building, where they oversee student exhibition spaces.

Their interest in the coordinator position began after joining the PSGA Public Art Committee last semester. Having previously applied to create public art on campus, Salvestrini said they experienced unclear communication and wanted to better understand how the program operated.

"Then I got a better idea of how new the position is and how much it's not been run," Salvestrini said. "Other services on campus have a charter, and there's no charter, and the bylaws are very vague."

Now in the position, Salvestrini is working to establish a stronger paper trail and a charter outlining the coordinator's responsibilities to ensure clearer communication between PSGA, Facilities and the Faculty Public Art Committee. For Salvestrini, those changes are particularly important following concerns around the handling of existing student artwork, including Ben Cuomo's Willow Room, a permanent outdoor art installation that unexpectedly disappeared over the summer.

"Willow Room honestly really upset me in the fact that there wasn't any transparency or clear communication between anyone," Salvestrini said.

Preserving existing work is only one part of their goals. Salvestrini also wants to address what they believe is an unnecessarily complicated application process that discourages students from participating.

"There's three organizations who run public art, and the application process is annoying as hell, and they don't allow students to do it as part of their coursework. I think that's ridiculous," Salvestrini said.

Beyond simplifying the process, Salvestrini hopes to see more students take advantage of the funding already available. According to them, the public art program has used approximately $3,000 of its $6,500 budget in each of the past two years, which they attributed in part to a lack of strong applications.

"There are not enough people who are applying who have a good application," Salvestrini said.

They hope to receive at least 10 strong proposals this semester. Applications are expected to open this week and close Nov. 15, with students notified of decisions before Thanksgiving.

While murals are among the most recognizable forms of public art at Purchase, Salvestrini wants students to know the program can support much more. "Public art isn't just murals. That's most of my experience, but it's sculpture, it's sound installation," they said. "If someone wants to do an outdoor theater or dance performance, that is something public art can fund."

They also expressed interest in restoring the amphitheater behind the Humanities building and bringing more artwork into academic buildings.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Salvestrini worked with Lady Pink on a Black Lives Matter mural at New Paltz High School, an experience that helped shape their understanding of how public art can intersect with activism and community expression.

"That was kind of my first start of how public art and activism can work together," Salvestrini said. "Public art isn't always about representing the community. Sometimes it's just about saying something."

They expressed that the value of public art extends beyond the finished piece. Working in public spaces introduces challenges and interactions that artists may not experience in traditional studios, pushing them to experiment with materials, environments, and ideas.

"I would like to see more public art that pushes a lot of the boundaries," Salvestrini said. "I want to encourage people to play with subtlety, but also be loud."

For Salvestrini, the job is about giving students the confidence and opportunity to create something that becomes part of the campus landscape.

"I think that's a lot of people's big fear, that they can't do it," Salvestrini said. "But you never know until you try."