A Yale School of Art, Yale School of Architecture, and Yale School of the Environment project uses art to cool urban hot spots.
The Yale-New Haven Cool Mural Project exemplifies an innovative collaboration between Yale’s Schools of Art, Environment, and Architecture and the City of New Haven’s Department of Arts, Culture & Tourism, addressing urban heat island effects through the intersection of public art and climate science. This initiative transforms urban walls into potential cooling agents using specialized heat-reflective paints, while simultaneously creating meaningful public art that engages communities in climate discourse.
The project’s flagship installation, “Take the Risk to Cool Down,” was created by Victoria Martinez and adorns the facade of MATCH, an organization supporting workforce training, local manufacturing, and career pathways in Fair Haven. The mural visually integrates warming stripes with cultural elements like lotería cards, depicting eco-friendly transportation and patterns.
The second installation, “Thermal Reflections” at the historic Goffe Street Armory by Connecticut artist Michael DeAngelo, spans 255’ by 50’ and visually depicts a transition of red urban heat to cooling blues through the hoops of a community garden, representing a doorway to becoming better stewards of our environment and health. Both murals emerged from collaborative design sessions with community residents.
The initiative responds directly to New Haven’s climate vulnerabilities, where 85% of residents face risks from extreme heat. Through strategic partnerships with Yale Planetary Solutions and the City of New Haven, the project demonstrates how academic institutions can support community-centered climate solutions. The successful implementation of these cooling murals has established a replicable model for other cities, showcasing how public art can serve both as a functional climate adaptation strategy and a catalyst for community engagement in environmental stewardship.
Leadership for the project comes from Karen Seto, Frederick C. Hixon Professor of Geography and Urbanization Science at the Yale School of the Environment, Kymberly Pinder, Stavros Niarchos Dean of The Yale School of Art, and Annie Lin, Project Specialist at Yale School of Art. More information about the mural designs can be found on the Yale School of Art websites for Goffe Street Armory Mural and the MATCH Mural.
