Back with our documentation of ILLicit Creatives claiming space on the streets of NYC, this post focuses on the markings that have surfaced on open spaces in Brooklyn. Featured above are the legendary 2DX members DEK and ZROC. What follows are several more images captured these past several weeks in Brooklyn.
Reap
Tears and Regae
South LNE
Post by the Pushing It Forward Collective
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Currently on view at Underhill Walls in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn is a delightfully nostalgic trip down TV’s memory lane. In the murals featured above, accolades are given to The Sopranos by Paolo Tolentino, while Subway Doodle honors Battlestar Galactica. Several more images from Underhill Walls‘ current iteration follow:
Multi-media artist Sage Gallon pays homage to “The Sonny and Cher Show” for its “talent and variety”
Painter and muralist Jessie Novik celebrates “I Love Lucy”
Artist and arts educator Carnivorous Flora recreates “The Partridge Family” as “little people with a bus rolling out the red carpet to Ukrainian refugees and welcoming them to NYC!”
Tattoo artist and designer DozenFingers Graphics celebrates the animated television series “Sonic the Hedgehog”
Muralist and illustrator Miki Mu adds the final touches to her playful ode to “Sesame Street”
Visual artist and poet Android Oi — in collaboration with painter and illustrator Melissa Schainker — celebrates “Mork & Mindy,” (with project coordinator Jeff Beler standing to his right).
Founded and curated by Jeff Beler, Underhill Walls is a non-profit public art installation located at the corner of St. Johns Place and Underhill Avenue in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn,
Photos: Lois Stavsky
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In this second of our new series, PUSHING IT FORWARD — featuring ILLicit creatives claiming space on NYC streets — our focus now is on those images we’ve seen in Brooklyn. Pictured above is GTAR, MFK. Several more photos recently captured from the streets of New York City’s most populous borough follow:
Uwont and Ruinr
ZigZag and Wombat
Erup and Spray
Ethel and King Baby
Unidentified
Desa
Post and photos by the Pushing It Forward Collective
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Hosting a striking array of graffiti styles, the walls off the Broadway Junction subway station teem with sumptuous colors and seductive rhythms. The image featured above is the work of Long Island-bred artist WERD. Several more images captured on our recent visit to “the juncyard” follow:
The masterful Noah TFP
The inimitable Ceos
The dexterous Rezor — who regularly brings his curatorial skills to these walls
Stylemaster Such
Veteran writer Doc TC5
Classic writer Wore One
Photo credits: 1 & 2 A. Candela; 3-7 Lois Stavsky
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Celebrating five years of Underhill Walls — the model community art project spearheaded and curated by Jeff Beler — “What’s Your Sign?” recently surfaced at the corner of Underhill Avenue and Saint Johns Place. Featured above is Jeff Beler — standing to the left of his mural, adjacent to BLJ ‘s . Several more images from “What’s Your Sign?” follow:
North Carolina / NYC-based BLJ creates a passionate, assertive Aries, the ram — the first astrological sign in the Zodiac
Colombian artist Calicho Arevalo‘s Sagittarius and Savior Elmundo‘s Scorpio
Paulie Nassar designs an alluring Gemini
Visual artist and producer Megan Watters honors Ruth Bader Ginsburg with an elegantly balanced Libra
Brooklyn-based Justin Winslow fashions a mesmerizingly playful Aquarius
And Brooklyn-based Subway Doodle adds a bit of playful sarcasm
Photos of images by Lois Stavsky
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On my first day in more than two months out of Manhattan, I was delighted to visit Underhill Walls in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Curated and managed by Jeff Beler — with safe guidelines practicing social distance — it is NYC’s first community-based street art project to emerge as the city begins to take steps to open. The image featured above was fashioned by the wonderfully talented Subway Doodle. Several more images I captured yesterday — as the project that began last week continues — follow:
Jason Naylor bringing brightly-hued love
Zukie’s pepperoni pizza comes to life!
Visual artists and poets Android Oi and My Life in Yellow collaborate
Visual artist and producer Megan Watters at work to the left of Paolo Tolentino‘s portrait of the late Shirley Chisholm
Colombian artist Calicho Arevalo‘s gift of love
Muralist and designer Majo B gift of beauty
Multidisciplinary visionary Shamanic artist Myztico Campo posing next to his work in progress
Keep posted to the Street Art NYC Instagram for more images from this ongoing project
Photos by Lois Stavsky — with special thanks to Yonkers-based multidisciplinary artist Michael Cuomo for getting me out of Manhattan!
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Located on Atlantic Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn, the Atlantic Terminal Mall hosts an impressive array of department stores and specialty shops. Generally bustling, the mall, like every other shopping center in NYC, has been dormant for the past several weeks.
But last week, Brooklyn-based artist Jason Naylor, known for his buoyant, brightly-hued murals, brought his distinct aesthetic sensibility to the Atlantic Terminal Mall. Nestled between Marshalls and Old Navy, Naylor‘s recent mural is a boldly spirited ode to the “Heroes of this World.” It is dedicated — in gratitude — to the essential workforce, the true heroes who give us “HOPE.”
A spokesperson for Atlantic Terminal explains, “We felt we needed to find a way to give back to our community. In Brooklyn, art is an important fabric of who we are, and we wanted to add to it.”
Jason Naylor created the mural– that stands 20 feet wide and 24 feet tall — in partnership with Atlantic Terminal.
All photos courtesy of Atlantic Terminal
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Two brilliantly conceived and beautifully executed murals – one by Sonny Sundancer and the other by ASVP – surfaced last month on the exterior walls of IS 318 in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Sonny’s mural– at the corner of Lorimer Street and Throop Avenue – depicts a Yawanawa girl from Acre, Brazil, along with a jaguar, representative of a species that is sacred to the indigenous peoples and at risk of extinction. ASVP‘s black and white tower mural — painted on the opposite wall — features an elephant, bear, tiger and more, all interdependent and threatened or endangered in some capacity.
While visiting the school last week for the murals’ dedication and ribbon cutting, I had the opportunity to pose a few questions to Greenpoint Innovations founder Stephen Donofrio, who had organized the The Point NYC project.
These hugely impressive murals are one component of The Point NYC initiative. Just what is The Point NY?
It is a collaborative venture — among Comics Uniting Nations, Greenpoint Innovations, Hypokrit Theatre Company, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and UNICEF — that brings together artists, producers, educators and local environmentalists for a series of artistic productions and events. Among these are: a comic book, public murals, a theatrical experience, open dialogue and an educational toolkit.
What is its ultimate mission?
Its mission is to respond to the human impact of climate change and to exercise the power we all have, particularly the youth, to take action for a better future.
And what inspired the direction that this project has taken?
It was inspired by a comic book story —Tre, by Sathviga ‘Sona’ Sridhar — about a climate change superhero. Sona had become passionate about climate change when her town in Chennai, India was flooded and when she heard about the Climate Comic Contest by UNICEF and Comics Uniting Nations, she decided to submit her art.
How did you connect with Sonny Sundancer and ASVP? Their murals are perfect for this project, as they are exquisite and brilliantly reflect environmental issues.
Karin du Maire introduced me to Sonny, and I met ASVP at the Moniker Art Fair in Greenpoint this past spring. Both Sonny and ASVP were ideal to work with, as they are not only wonderful artists, but caring people.
Were you presented with any particular challenges in seeing the project through?
Coordinating with the Department of Education was somewhat of a task. And then discovering that a segment of the wall that Sonny had completed had been coated to protect it from any lasting paint was another challenge. But – with considerable effort — we overcame them both!
How have the members of the local community responded to these two murals?
The response has been overwhelmingly positive. They love them.
And thank you for initiating this project!
Photo credits: 1 & 2 Lois Stavsky; 3 Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad; interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky;
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The latest, soon-to-be-released edition of the street art coloring book series by Aimful Books, created by Diego Orlandini, features images of murals from the streets of Brooklyn, NYC’s Mecca of urban art. Intent on contributing to educating children across the globe, Aimful Books matches every coloring book purchased with a free textbook to a school-age child. Its ultimate goal is to provide a million free textbooks to children by selling one million street art coloring books.
Deftly curated, The Brooklyn Coloring Book features the talents of over 40 artists who have shared their visions with us on the streets of Brooklyn. Among them are: Shiro, Chris RWK, Icy and Sot, Beau Stanton, Lady Pink, Alice Mizrachi, Esteban del Valle and Denton Burrows.
And you can win a free copy of the $25.00 Brooklyn Coloring Book before it’s released to the public!
For a chance to win a free copy, go to www.aimfulbooks.com/giveaway to participate in 10 seconds or less.
Images
All images courtesy of the street art-loving, socially conscious Aimful Books
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Intent on empowering women and raising awareness on social justice, diversity and gender equality, Daniela ZOE Croci has been busy! I recently had the opportunity to catch up with her and find out a bit more about Women to the Front, a project she has launched.– its mission and its needs.
Can you tell us something about Women to the Front? You were its principal founder. What spurred you to launch it? What is its mission?
Its mission is to equalize the gender balance in the arts. During the years that I was active at Exit Room — curating exhibits, arranging performances, organizing presentations and reaching out to the media — I felt that most of the males I came in contact with were dismissive of me. They largely avoided me, and I sensed that they did not take me seriously. In addition, about 80% of the artists who exhibited were male. It was time for a change!
Women to the Front was founded to provide opportunities for women to get together, inspire one another and to collaborate. At our events, you can expect to meet deejays, filmmakers, visual artists, performers and vendors – all females. Panel discussions on a range of relevant topics also take place. We are all about diversity and inclusion. Our mission is to inspire women to just “do it!”
When did Women to the Front hold its first event?
Its premier event was held at Superchief Gallery here in Brooklyn in November, 2017. I’ve since partnered with Terry Lovette, a singer, performer, dancer and graphic designer. And we are now working on Women to the Front‘s third edition.
How do you decide which women to showcase in your events?
Diversity is essential. The majority of women we showcase are women of color, Latinas and Natives. I reach out to females who create meaningful art, often in relation to trauma and patriarchy. Essential, too, is the individual’s engagement with issues of social justice.
How do you go about finding these women?
Since I moved here. I’ve developed strong connections with many diverse communities through my involvement with hip-hop and dance.
What are some of the challenges you face in seeing your mission through?
One of the biggest challenges is getting folks to know about us. So much is going on, and the amount of information we receive via social media can be overwhelming. Raising funds is another huge challenge. We need money to pay artists, performers, panel discussion participants and more. We would also need sponsorship to enable us to produce videos and publicize what we are doing. We’ve set up a Go Fund Me to help make this happen.
What’s ahead?
A huge event, our third edition of Women to the Front, will take place on Thursday, November 15th at Superchief Gallery. And on October 11th, and a small pre-event will be held at the New Women Space, a community organizing space near the Graham Avenue stop on the L train. We are also working on setting up a Women to the Front Instagram feed and a Facebook account.
Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky; photo credits: 1 Erika Dickstein, 2 & 3 Zack Nesmith and flyer image-painting Jasmin Charles
Note: Hailed in a range of media from WideWalls to the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.
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