NORWICH – Several city merchants are taking part in a public art project, bringing a noticeable change to many storefronts as a series of decorative blue banners appear on the facade of commercial buildings throughout the heart of the city.

The hand-stenciled banners are part of a community art project sponsored by the Christian Neighborhood Center (better known as The Place) through the Chenango County Council of the Arts, the Norwich Merchants Association and in-kind donations from Golden Artist Colors. Hanging the seven-foot banners on the facade of city storefronts was the final step in a summer-long project titled “Vibrant Rivers.” For months, artist and muralist Kathy Creutzburg has worked with kids from The Place in designing, drawing, stenciling and painting each banner – each of the total 12 banners paying tribute to the county’s rich heritage of rivers and the Chenango Canal that once ran through the city.