Public Art for Public Schools (PAPS) functions as a unit within the New York City School Construction Authority. PAPS mission is to enrich students’ learning environments by equipping schools with artworks that will elevate the school atmosphere, serve as educational tools for teachers and ignite imagination in students.

Artist Justin Kim created this mural for The Alley Pond School, a public school in Bayside, Queens, as a project for the PAPS initiative. The mural’s glass surface depicts individuals engaging in various activities, creating an uplifting presence in the school and inspiring students to pursue their dreams. Additionally, the mural showcases iconic city landmarks, curating a lively entryway for students, staff and visitors.

For this project, Pulp Studio supplied seven panels of glass, using 9/16” D2G™ Custom Graphic Tempered Glass measuring 70 3/4” tall to illustrate the graphics. D2G is a direct to glass digitally printed image that uses ceramic inks that are fired onto the surface of the glass. By utilizing D2G with ceramic frit, the vibrant hues in this project will not fade over time. 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 was able to exquisitely print the artwork onto each glass panel.