NYC: Art on the Streets of Bushwick

Last weekend I was in Brooklyn visiting my daughter who recently moved to Bushwick. She is starting a graduate program at CUNY. My primary objective was to visit her and see her new digs, but hoped that I could talk her into a visit to The Century of the Child at MOMA. (next post)

Raised subway track over Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn.

A wonderful surprise was the discovery of the mural at the corner of Knickerbocker and Woodbine right by her apartment. A little research informed that it was painted by professional artists and students in 2007.  It still shines.

Mural runs right to left along two streets around Bushwick High School

Cities are composed of neighborhoods that transition and Bushwick has a history of changing populations. This mural was conceived to help the present kid-population see a bright future for themselves and get a feel for the history of their neighborhood.  

"Let's take a Walk through time."

Joe Matunis, from Los Muralistas de El Puente spear-headed the project with twenty students from the Academy for Urban Planning in Bushwick. Enjoy the images that add such color and energy to the neighborhood.  I was very pleased to see how pristine the mural is so many years after it was made (2007).

 We were lucky to have bright, warm sunny weather for our visit.  Bushwick is a bustling urban environment not at all devoid of color and visual appeal.  However, that said it all paled in comparison to the vibrant color and imagery of this wonderful mural that stretched along a wall two blocks long.

Bushwick was heavily damaged in the riots and fires that followed the blackout in 1977, as this part of the mural documents. What followed was even greater hardship and poverty in the area.  The last 10 years have seen investments by the City and State of New York in the area through the Bushwick Initiative.

The objectives of the creators was more than just decorate the neighborhood.  There was a real interest in not only referencing the strong Latin tradition of murals but to also inspire the viewers of their work.

This view of the corner give you a good idea of the impressive sweep of this mural in two directions.

Corner of Knickerbocker and Woodbine

This last snippet invites us all to express ourselves, something done quite eloquently in this mural.