At about 150 square feet, Excavate is a small architectural trompe l'oeil mural that was, in fact, a training exercise in the use of KEIM mineral coatings for the student artists selected to work with AlbanyMural on the larger Broadway Gateway mural.

Inspired by an archeological dig nearby, Excavate appears to chip away at a highway support wall through layers of structural and decorative materials, and includes several small, realistically painted objects chosen and rendered by each artist. Even before it was finished, the work's realism prompted a call to the NY Dept. of Transportation by a motorist concerned that the "dig" had compromised the structure's integrity.