Paints & Rec Empowers Kids Through Painting Murals
by Nancy E. McCarthy
Canandaigua art teacher Courtney Austin and her students began painting murals in 2018 at various schools and community sites. It was so enjoyable and inspiring that Austin envisioned expanding these sporadic projects into an ongoing program.
In 2022, Austin approached Canandaigua City Manager John Goodwin to explore city locations for her young artists to beautify. Canandaigua was already well-established as a community that embraces the visual arts: Numerous heritage murals and sculptures were on public display in its historic downtown district and beyond. So it really wasn’t a question of if the city would welcome more public art but rather where. And how?
Goodwin and Austin’s brainstorming sessions culminated in the formation of the Paints & Rec (P&R) summer art camp. P&R’s mission is to enhance visual arts opportunities, build community, promote meaningful expression and empower youth through mural creation.
The P&R camp debuted in 2023 and was wildly popular from the get-go. Budding youth artists from Canandaigua quickly filled the 100 available slots. The registrants, ages 7 through high school, got to work creating murals for the skate park at Jefferson Memorial Park. They chose bright, energetic colors and imagery that celebrated inclusivity and self-expression.
In 2024, the program expanded to 150 slots. The campers painted murals and smaller vignettes inside and outside of the City of Canandaigua Fire Department building that combined the department’s history with fire safety education and also included a 9/11 memorial.
Interest continued to rise, so in 2025 P&R expanded to 175 spots and welcomed registrations from other school districts such as Naples, Avon and the Marcus Whitman communities. Each camp week, which now accommodated up to 25 kids, sold out. The location moved lakeside using the Kershaw Park bath house’s interior and exterior as the campers’ canvas. That theme highlighted the history of Canandaigua Lake and its native wildlife, connecting the community to the natural environment.
“The program has exceeded all of our expectations, and I can safely say that it is one of the most coveted youth programs in the region,” said Assistant City Manager Shawna Bonshak who serves as the liaison to the city’s summer camps. “Last year’s registration felt like the Hunger Games to me, and there were some weeks in 2025 where the waitlist nearly doubled the number of available spots.”
When P&R won a 2025 Best of the Finger Lakes Community’s Choice Award, Austin was bursting with pride that her campers and students were publicly recognized for their incredible artwork. Austin confessed on a Facebook post that she “ugly cried.”
Controlled chaos
Austin, P&R’s founder and director, is a Canandaigua native. She wanted to be a teacher since age 4 and has been the elementary school art teacher in Canandaigua since 2017. Austin and her husband Noah’s daughter Claire has painted murals with her mother since she was 6. Now 11, Claire will be moving from camper status to volunteering as a P&R junior camp counselor this coming summer.
Austin is a lifelong artist and passionate about art. “Art is a way for me to feel, express and process emotions that don’t always fit into words,” she said. “It gives shape to joy, sadness, curiosity and wonder. It’s my voice, my imagination, my inner world – shared visually.”
She is also extremely organized. While well supported by Assistant Director Melissa Shipherd, Austin honored the empowerment tenet of P&R’s mission by setting up the camp to be managed by the kids. Her organizational structure is comprised of a volunteer team (usually ages 11 to 15) led by a head junior camp counselor, 14 junior camp counselors (JCCs) and 15 Very Important Painters (VIPs). All have painted with her for three to seven years. “Our camp counselors play an active role in the creative process, contributing to everything from historical research to design selection, placement, and color choices,” explained Austin.
During camp these 30 accomplished young artists rotate in and out of any given week to paint and oversee small groups of two to four campers. Austin provides ongoing guidance as the kids work together to bring the collaborative designs to life. “The skills they develop through this process – communication, teamwork, problem-solving and responsibility – will support them in whatever paths they choose later in life,” said Austin.
Michele Reynolds is the assistant principal at Canandaigua Primary School. Her daughter Emerson, 13, started as a camper and is now a junior camp counselor. “As both a mom and an educator, I love how the Paints & Rec program gives kids the opportunity to be creative while working together and building real friendships,” said Reynolds. “I especially appreciate the strong local connections in each project. It helps kids feel proud of their work and see that their creativity truly makes an impact right here in Canandaigua.”
Emerson already has plans to be an elementary art teacher and jokes that she wants to take over Austin’s classroom when she retires. Head Junior Counselor Riley Herrera, almost 15, has been painting murals for years but doesn’t plan to pursue an art career. Herrera wants to be a criminal lawyer. “Leading mural projects has taught me how to advocate for others, stay organized, and work under pressure—skills that translate directly into the legal field,” she explained.
The only adults on duty during the camp days are Austin, Shipherd and lead volunteer Pam Roberts. But the program also relies on parent volunteers who give their time at events providing food donations, assisting with set-up and clean-up and offering support wherever else it’s needed. “Their involvement truly strengthens our program,” said Austin.
Growing
P&R, a nonprofit, is active year-round. Its linchpin is the summer camp, but the JCCs,VIPs and a few campers participate in a variety of other creative opportunities. In 2025, P&R painted murals at the CA Junior Baseball & Softball concessions building and inside hospital stairwells at UR Medicine/Thompson Health. They provided free face painting at local festivals and supported Downtown Canandaigua’s festive holiday “Whobilation” events by painting Grinch-themed characters on storefront windows and colorful sets for an outdoor Grinch Village. They also created a butterfly sculpture trail that stretched from downtown to Kershaw Park (later auctioned off as a fundraiser to benefit Paints & Rec).
“Paints & Rec is Courtney’s brainchild,” Bonshak said. “It reflects her creativity, leadership and dedication to our community’s youth. The youth are empowered when camp is done and are beyond proud to show off their work as it becomes a permanent part of our history.”
Behind the Scenes of a New Camp Season
John Goodwin and Shawna Bonshak kick off a new Paints & Rec mural project by choosing a location. “One of the fun parts of the program is the anticipation around where the next location will be,” said Bonshak. A walk through of the space follows, conducted by Courtney Austin, Melissa Shipherd and Bonshak, to take photographs and discuss expectations with the on-site staff. Austin, Shipherd and the Junior Camp Counselors (JCCs) then meet to discuss location research, gather imagery and paint a rendering of their proposed vision. Their vision is compiled into a slideshow and presented to the Canandaigua City Council for approval, typically in February.
Once approved, Austin draws up a budget and then addresses supplemental funding needs. She reaches out to organizations such as the Kiwanis Club of Canandaigua, the Ontario County Arts Council and local business sponsors. Concurrently, Bonshak develops marketing materials to generate interest and encourage participation.
Information on all summer programming is sent ahead of registration to the Canandaigua City School District. Last year, P&R’s available slots filled up within 90 minutes.
Austin reviews the roster of campers and groups children according to age and, if known, previous skill levels. A week before camp begins, Austin, Shipherd, the JCCs and volunteer parents arrive on location to unload supplies and do a walk through.
During the camp season, it’s rare that the same campers (or even counselors) can attend every week. Because of that, each new week brings a fresh configuration of painters and begins with a group walk through, rules discussion, review of the daily schedule and painting technique instructions. This ensures that children understand expectations while sparking excitement for the creative process. Throughout the week, campers actively engage in creating art.
“I move between groups throughout the day, checking in, offering support and collaborating with both counselors and participants to ensure everything runs smoothly and to help each young artist grow in confidence and skill,” said Austin.
On rainy days, the campers paint interiors or create paintings to give away as gifts to P&R supporters.
The kids who started the murals don’t necessarily finish them, but everyone comes together with a sense of pride and accomplishment at the grand reveal when the camp season ends. This event is held on the Friday after the last day of camp to showcase the completed murals to the public for the first time and includes family, friends, sponsors and community members. The reveal features a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the mayor, food trucks, gifts to supporters and an opportunity for the JCCs to sell their own artwork such as jewelry, paintings and Perler Bead art.
“This final event not only honors the hard work and creativity of the youth participants but also celebrates the collaborative efforts of the entire community involved in bringing the murals to life,” said Austin.
The 2026 enrollment will double from 25 to 50 children per week. Camp starts July 6th and runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays to Thursdays for six weeks (each week is $175). The next mural location is the Greater Canandaigua Civic Center.
Find out more about Paints & Rec at paintsandrec.com and follow Paints & Rec on Facebook. View Courtney Austin’s artwork at Austin Art on Facebook.
Paints & Rec summer camp registrations go live at 9 a.m. on April 6, 2026 at canandaiguanewyork.gov. Click on “Recent News” to access the sign-up link. Visit cnbank.com/flace to donate to Paints & Rec. Click the “Select an Organization” drop-down menu and select Paints & Rec.
