Familia / Famiglia - The Making of the Mural

The Grand Street BID is excited to showcase Familia / Famiglia, a mural we have commissioned on the north-east corner of Grand Street and Graham Avenue! Artists, SON-CORO and Danielle Mastrion worked together to reflect the history and culture of the neighborhood and bring beautiful, vibrant artwork to this important corner. Supporting Son and Danielle on the project are the Grand Street BID, the art production & mural company Dripped On Productions and local media group, OWLEY Studios.

The Making of the mural

“FAMILIA / FAMIGLIA“ . Created by OWLEY Studios.

“FAMILIA / FAMIGLIA” - The Grand Street neighborhood has historically served as a home to many cultures. Its intersection with Graham Avenue has acted as an epicenter for these communities to come together - allowing multiple cultures to co-exist and exchange with one another. Through this project, the Grand Street BID endeavors to honor the culture and historical importance of this intersection with artwork that feels representative of the community even as it continues to change and evolve.

To find the right artists to carry out this vision, the BID recruited art production & mural company Dripped On Productions. Dripped On found two artists with deep ties to both the neighborhood and the Puerto Rican and Italian-American communities; Danielle Mastrion and SON-CORO.

Danielle Mastrion is an Italian-American artist, born and raised in Brooklyn, whose work often amplifies local communities and icons. Her work on this mural reflects her Italian-American culture, like the horn that wards off the evil eye, local Italian business signage, and Italy’s national flower, the white lily. She chose to paint a portrait of her grandmother who originally immigrated to Williamsburg and settled on Grand Street with her family, as a representation of that era. This figure is seen enjoying a cup of coffee with the woman to her right, bringing time and cultural traditions together.

SON-CORO is a Puerto Rican-born, local resident of the Grand Street neighborhood. He has been painting murals here for years, balancing multiple careers outside of his art practice while rapidly developing his painting skills. He often paints Puerto Rican themes in his murals, “it is something in my heart and I can’t get it out.” Son chose to paint a portrait of his wife acting as a character called “Musaraña”, a combination of imagery from icons Celia Cruz and Iris Chacon. The two women sharing coffee represents a cultural bridge that crosses the two street signs; a bridge, not a border, that cascades over a vibrant gradient of color.

The Grand Street BID hosted a community meeting in May to hear people share stories about what they would like to see represented & what it means to be in a community that is constantly changing. This input was used to help the artists design the mural, leading to the creation of a beautiful and vibrant piece of artwork that is representative of the fabric of our community.

The sharing of the coffee is representative of cultures coming together, collaborating, and existing together in this area for many years. The two women are shown enjoying a shared cultural staple while laughing and conversing, enjoying a moment of joy and peace. The coffee crosses the intersection, between the two street signs, to connect the cultures and represent that all cultures can thrive when they share, communicate, and share commonalities.

behind the scenes

Dripped On Productions - Behind the scenes

Familia / Famiglia - New Mural On Graham Ave and Grand St

The Grand Street BID is excited to debut Familia / Famiglia, a new mural we have commissioned on the north-east corner of Grand Street and Graham Avenue! Artists, SON-CORO and Danielle Mastrion worked together to reflect the history and culture of the neighborhood and bring beautiful, vibrant artwork to this important corner. Supporting Son and Danielle on the project are the Grand Street BID, the art production & mural company Dripped On Productions and local media group, OWLEY Studios.

Click here to watch “FAMILIA / FAMIGLIA” , a short film showcasing the making of the mural.

SON-CORO

Dripped On Productions prepping the mural site

Son is from Puerto Rico, now living a few blocks from the mural site. Danielle is Italian American, born and raised in Brooklyn; her mothers side of the family immigrated through Ellis Island to the neighborhood many years ago. The artists collaborated on this wall to represent the importance of integrating cultures instead of separating them. Using the personal relationships that each artist has to their heritage and the local area, various historic and contemporary motifs were used to show the cultures coming together in this historic area of Brooklyn. In addition, Graham Avenues’ dual naming as “Avenue of Puerto Rico” and “Avenue of Via Vespucci” that mark the historic makeup of the neighborhood are featured in their respective portion of the mural.

Danielle’s side of the mural is clad with important Italian-American cultural elements. From left to right there is the famous Giglio Statue carried through the streets of the neighborhood during the “The Dance of the Giglio”; a tradition of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church Feast that has been carried out in the neighborhood annually since 1903. The statue blends into the row of typical residential Brooklyn buildings on the bottom. Hanging from the top left is the Italian horn necklace known as a “Cornicello”, which is an Italian amulet or talisman that is worn to ward off and protect against the evil eye (malocchio) and bad spirits as well as promote good luck and fertility. Behind the horn is an old school neon Pastry Shop sign signifying traditional Italian immigrant businesses that still are present in the neighborhood. At the top is the street sign marking the north side of Graham Avenue as Graham Ave Via Vespucci.

The main feature of Danielle’s side is the woman in the left center, holding the espresso cup. This image is a portrait of the artist’s grandmother, Rose (Rosaria Anobile) who grew up in the Williamsburg area after her family immigrated from Italy, hence the Ellis island immigration stamp to her left. Rose, like many immigrant women of all backgrounds at the time, was a seamstress, hence the spool of Italian colored yarn and thimble on the far left.

Danielle Mastrion

Her name is why she sits behind two beautifully painted roses and is surrounded by luscious white Lily’s, the national flower of Italy. Finally, her necklace, a jewelry style typical of both Italian and Puerto Rican cultures in New York City, reads “Italiana” - Instead of the traditional nameplate, representing Italian-American women as a whole. This is also complimentary and matches the other portrait on the wall, who is wearing gold earrings with the words “Boriqua”.

The top right of Son Coro’s portion of the mural depicts the artist’s fiancée as a character she named, “Musaraña”. Musaraña has a combination of characteristics from contemporary icons Iris Chacon and Celia Cruz, with characteristics of a Puerto Rican woman from the 1960s/70s. This character is influenced by motifs from when Graham Avenue was first divided by the street signs “Avenue of Via Vespucci” and “Avenue of Puerto Rico”. In the background an eclipse forms, which only happens under specific circumstances of convergence - A reference to how this mural’s creation took place.

SON-CORO

On the top left of Son’s portion of the mural is the relevant street sign for “Avenue of Puerto Rico”. On the bottom, the Italian flowers from the left side of the mural morph into representative botany of Puerto Rico, the bird of paradise flower and the hibiscus flower. Finally, at the bottom right, perched on the pink Hibiscus, there is an orange Coquí frog. Coquí’s are a species of frog endemic to Puerto Rico and are well known for their loud night calls that sound very similar to their name. Bordering the bottom right are more residential style Brooklyn buildings that warp up to frame the right side of the portrait at the top.

The sharing of the coffee is representative of cultures coming together, collaborating, and existing together in this area for many years. The two women are shown enjoying a shared cultural staple while laughing and conversing, enjoying a moment of joy and peace. The coffee crosses the intersection, between the two street signs, to connect the cultures and represent that all cultures can thrive when they share, communicate, and share commonalities.

All photos provided by OWLEY Studios. Story written by Dripped On Productions, OWLEY Studios, and The Grand Street BID

Grand Street (L) station Gets New Mosaic

The MTA has commissioned a new mosaic project at the Grand Street (L) Station! Artist Glendalys Medina designed this mosaic by touring the neighborhood, incorporating elements and colors they would see into the art. Walking from the station to their studio, Medina would reflect on their COVID-19 pandemic ritual of walking outside and feeling gratitude for the neighborhood. These feelings and memories were poured into the mosaic, alongside their practice inspired by Taíno culture, Hip-hop, music, Latinx culture, and the way people sort patterns in their minds. All photos are courtesy of Osheen Harruthoonyan.

“The two mosaic panels at the Grand Street station appear on each platform mezzanine. On the Brooklyn-bound side, Medina reflects on the various communities who have comprised East Williamsburg and Bushwick over time. The large color fields represent the original Lenape inhabitants and Pan-African, Irish, Italian, Puerto Rican, and Dominican immigrants. On the Manhattan-bound side, more intimate color studies were derived from the artist’s experience of the neighborhood across seasons. A nearby church, birds in the springtime, the Moore Street Market, and the collar of a passing dog provided inspiration for these compositions of interlocking forms that call to mind schematic design drawings. Fabricated by Miotto Mosaic Art Studios, the two panels feature overlapping shapes that allow the eye to complete forms that are disrupted, inviting viewers to look a little longer and contemplate gratitude.”

-MTA Arts Design

About the artist

Glendalys Medina is a conceptual interdisciplinary visual artist and received an MFA from Hunter College. Medina has presented artwork at such notable venues as PAMM, Participant Inc., Performa 19, Artists Space, The Bronx Museum of Art, El Museo del Barrio, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Vigo, Spain, and The Studio Museum in Harlem among others. Medina was a recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (2020), a Jerome Hill Foundation Fellowship (2019), an Ace Hotel New York City Artist Residency (2017), a SIP fellowship at EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop (2016), a BACK IN FIVE MINUTES artist residency at El Museo Del Barrio (2015), a residency at Yaddo (2014, 2018), the Rome Prize in Visual Arts (2013), a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Interdisciplinary Art (2012), and the Bronx Museum Artist in the Marketplace residency (2010). Medina is currently a professor at SVA’s MFA Art Practice program and lives and works in New York.

My practice is inspired by how humans learn, create order out of chaos and make sense of the world; how previous knowledge is essential for learning and perceiving; how the ambiguity of the world increases our reliance on that previous knowledge; how we project that knowledge when we don’t understand; and how we see with our brains recognizing patterns of information. I create work that amplifies marginalized voices, deconstructs and reconstructs image, language and systems to incite a change in cognitive structures that occur as a result of an experience. I am interested in creating moments when previous knowledge gets an upgrade and new perspectives are formed to establish cultural inclusivity. My work exhibits Taíno (indigenous Caribbeans) culture, Hip- hop and Latinx culture and music, and explores personal development as an empowering tool to re-identify societal and personal value structures to gain cultural equity in a transcultural global society.

-Glendalys Medina (About)

New Graham Avenue Mural: We Want To Hear From You!

The Grand Street BID is excited to announce that we are commissioning a mural at the corner of Grand Street and Graham Avenue! The mural will reflect the history and culture of the neighborhood and bring beautiful, vibrant artwork to this important corner.

Luna nueva, for Bushwick Collective (2020) - SON-HIJO

Cover Mural Artwork, “Do The Right Thing” 30th Anniversary, for Spike Lee (2019) - Danielle Mastrion

We have selected two artists to collaborate on this project – SON-HIJO and Danielle Mastrion. Both artists have deep ties to our community and can capture the unique qualities of our neighborhood, tell the stories of new and long-term residents, our strong entrepreneurial history, and the diversity and cultural melding that are an important part of our past, present, and future.

We know that many of our neighbors would enjoy an opportunity to connect with this artwork and inform its design so we’re hosting a community meeting over zoom on Thursday, May 25th at 6:30PM. Please join us to share your stories and inspire the artists. RSVP here.

If you aren’t able to attend the zoom session but want to share your stories with the artists, you can email the BID your thoughts at info@grandstreetbk.org before the end of the day Friday.

The artists will begin working on the mural in just a couple of weeks with the hopes that it will be completed before the end of June. Keep an eye on the corner and our socials to watch the piece come to life and stay tuned for more announcements about additional artwork coming to Grand Street next month!

Edit: The mural has been completed and named - Familia / Famiglia ! You can read more about the new mural here

New Mural Brings Messages of Positivity to Grand Street

Grand Street got it’s newest mural last weekend! Commissioned by the Nieves Latin Dance School, the striking piece by artist, Andres Medina is located at 670 Grand Street on the side of Nieves’ storefront. For a while, owner of the dance studio, Wil Nieves, had been seeking a solution to the graffiti that had overtaken a previous mural. After receiving multiple proposals from several artists, Nieves commissioned local artist and friend, Andres Medina, for the placemaking project.

Bright and dynamic, the painting is calligrapher and illustrator, Andres Medina’s first ever large scale mural. Mr. Nieves was hoping to commission a piece that is not only dance oriented, but also community oriented in response to current events including the pandemic, police brutality, racial inequity and resulting social unrest. The calligraphic style of the piece is a trademark of Medina’s artwork. Central imagery of shaking hands within the medallion and the surrounding words are meant to evoke a “universal, positive and inspiring sentiment.”

The mural’s intent to represent hope for the future is clearly captured through Medina’s design. This eye-catching piece is a stunning addition to the streetscape and demonstrates the strength of the Grand Street community. Andres Medina is a long time friend of the Nieves Latin Dance Studio and used to teach classes there. His creativity spans multiple mediums and as he is now mostly focusing on visual art, the timing of Mr. Nieve’s commission was serendipitous, enabling the creation of the mural.

Just as the mural emphasizes cooperation and collaboration, the dance school creates a similar atmosphere within the community. Nieves specializes in Salsa Dance for all ages and also offers courses in Bachata and Cha Cha Cha. This Latin studio has been bringing people together through dance for years at their locations on Grand Street and in the Bronx. In light of the pandemic, the studio also offers online courses.

We’re so excited about the newest addition to our public art scene! Make sure to stop by and check out the mural, and maybe sign up for some salsa lessons while you’re there.

Grand Street Gets Banners Inspired by Streetscape

They’re here! Over the weekend 27 new banners were installed in the BID as a part of our ongoing Grand Street Neighborhood Initiative: Arts. Designed by local artist, Morgan Winter, the colorful floral motifs are inspired by our tree pit greening initiative and reflect the floral growth seen in the pits. Each banner features two versions of the design, one on the front and the other on the back, creating visual diversity along the corridor.

Our tree pits are filled with native plantings to the area and are meant to thrive in the urban chaos and roadside location on Grand Street. Plants vary between flowers, grasses and leafy tendrils including species such as: Veronica, Heuchera ‘Autumn Bride’, Panicum virgatum ‘purple tears’ and Asclepias Tuberosa ‘butterfly weed’. These beauties tend to bloom in the late summer, so it’s the perfect time to go out and see some of them start to pop up along the street. The bright colors and use of watercolor on the banners emulate the eclectic mix of plants and allows this placemaking strategy to bring vibrance to the streetscape.

If you get the chance, come take a walk down Grand Street between Union and Bushwick Avenues to check out the newest additions to the street!