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

(be)longing: Art on Grand Street

The Grand Street BID is proud to announce (be)longing: Art on Grand Street. (be)longing is an Art exhibition activating storefront windows on Grand Street, from June 29th - July 23rd in seven different locations. The exhibition will showcase artwork from locally based artists from New York and abroad, reflecting the different types of people our neighborhood comprises. (be)longing aims to understand the different perspectives of feeling what it means to belong to the community. Partnering with curator Emily Markert, we’re proud to bring seven different artists' work to our neighborhood.

We are excited to offer two walking tours of (be)longing with the Grand Street BID and the exhibition curator on Saturday, July 15th and Saturday, July 22nd. Tours will begin at 1:30pm at 760 Grand Street outside of Williamsburg Animal Clinic. You can click the button below to RSVP.

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Curatorial statement - emily markert

Although the land between Union Avenue and Bushwick Avenue has been occupied for thousands of years, the stretch we know as Grand Street has been so named since c. 1858. Whether they are pre-war or were built just before the Covid-19 pandemic, the buildings here today have witnessed and held people through myriad unprecedented moments, providing spaces for food, shelter, livelihood, and joy. But what do we see when we catch our reflections in their storefront windows? How do we fit into this neighborhood; this history; this city? (be)longing begins to answer this question by investigating the complexity and challenge of finding one’s place. Featuring the work of seven emerging artists, this exhibition considers varied definitions of home and explores what it means to be part of a community or to yearn for one. While they are all based locally, these artists’ backgrounds are as varied as the materials they use; for example, some grew up in Brooklyn or Long Island, while others hail from as far as Taiwan or Spain. As a result, their artworks present numerous perspectives on finding or creating a feeling of belonging. Through site-responsive installations, their works—some newly created for this exhibition—convey relatable experiences while speaking with and to the specific context of Grand Street.

Whether by chance encounter or deliberate engagement, seen through storefront windows, these works offer viewers moments of literal and metaphorical reflection. By placing artwork that approaches familiar yet intimate struggles in this context, (be)longing brings private thoughts into public space. Thus just as the artworks blend the personal with the universal, the exhibition itself blurs the boundaries between interior and exterior, inviting viewers to consider the possibility of Brooklyn being a place for all.

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ARTIST DIRECTORY

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Helena Goñi (she/her)

Bird song (selections from archive, 2014–2023)

35 mm photography, printed on vinyl

Helena Goñi’s photographs offer quiet, poetic glimpses of bodies and gestures frozen in time. Yet, when and where each photo was taken is deliberately unclear. Some viewers might immediately recognize a city or individual in the images, while others may make their own associations based on personal memories of completely different people and places. As a result, these images transition from timestamped to timeless, alluding to the universality of our cravings for tenderness and intimacy. 

@helena_goni | helenagoni.com | Located at: 774 Grand Street (Vacant)

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Katie Levinson (she/her)

night shades, 2023 | Untitled (windows with gingham shades), 2023 

Pinewood, cotton cloth, embroidery thread, poplar dowels, ring pull

25 x 19 x 3/4 inches each

Blending vocabularies of minimal art, domestic architecture, and textile embroidery, Katie Levinson’s night shades and Untitled (windows with gingham shades) are at once familiar and peculiar. Small and delicate, and framed within the Williamsburg Animal Clinic’s own sturdy, industrial windows, these sculptures raise questions around what windows show and conceal, drawing our attention to the sometimes arbitrary nature of divisions between private and public space. Newly created for this exhibition, these works build upon Levinson’s ongoing interest in and experiments with the window form.

@levindottir | katielevinson.com | Located at: 760 Grand Street (Williamsburg Animal Clinic)

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Joseph O'Malley (they/she)

Excerpts from Secret Identities, 2023

Digital photography, archival inkjet prints

These photographs come from Joseph O’Malley’s series Secret Identities, which centers on two individuals dutifully executing mundane, everyday tasks around the city, all while wearing Batman masks. In the artist’s words, “The series draws a stark parallel between the gender identities of the characters and the so-called ‘secret identities’ of superheroes…Secret Identities aims to challenge viewers’ assumptions, asserting that what the cis-het majority sees as a performative spectacle may actually be the most placidly truthful expression for others.” While the images read tongue-in-cheek at first glance, O’Malley’s evocation of Batman has a poignant purpose: asserting the “inherent heroism in authentic expressions of self.”

@josephomalleyarts | josephomalleyarts.com | Located at: 537 Grand Street (Little Lion Salon)

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Estefania Velez Rodriguez (she/her)

Atardecer, 2021

Oil paint, spray, raw pigment on canvas. 61 1/4 x 67 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches

This large-scale painting by Estefania Velez Rodriguez features a pair of flower-trimmed archways that do not quite mirror each other; instead, they overlap, as if offering two pathways to the same alternate world. Born out of the artist’s ongoing experiments with pure pigments and other materials, the painting’s palette evokes the vibrant colors of her home of Puerto Rico. Like a bridge between Puerto Rico and New York, the painting serves as a dreamy portal to a hybrid world conjured from memory and imagination, perhaps a place where both cultures coexist in perfect harmony.

@estefaniavelezart | estefaniavelezart.com | Located at: 692 Grand Street (Vacant)

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wei wang (they/he)

Untitled (0); Untitled (1, 2, and 3), 2021

Dunnage bag, pencil, canvas, digital embroidery

This series of sculptures by wei commandeers the form of the dunnage bag, a type of airbag used to stabilize cargo transported via ships, trucks, and railcars. Emblazoned with words like “fragile,” these untitled works instantly evoke global interconnectivity and codependence through the lens of trade. Yet, positioned upright at an almost human scale, the sculptures also suggest bodies of migrants who may arrive to new places via the same routes as merchandise, but who must then adapt to new cultures and stigmas. In this way, by elevating this everyday yet rarely seen material, these bags stand “composing a scene that brings the often secondary narrative to the foreground,” as wei describes it.

@_.wei | itswei.me | Located at: 692 Grand Street (Vacant)

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wei wang (they/he)

Untitled (Photo Booth), 2021

Copper pipe, massage lightbulb, red flush lightbulb, modeling strap, cinder block

wei’s Untitled (Photo Booth) is constructed with utilitarian materials and bold, red lightbulbs, two of which are massage lamps typically used to warm the body and increase circulation. These mass-produced materials come together to create not a recognizable image but an intimate space of enveloping warmth. Questioning what a photobooth can “capture” and acting as a stand in for both the camera and the subject, the sculpture allows viewers to project their own images and ideas of comfort and closeness onto this pseudo body heat.

@_.wei | itswei.me | Located at: 790 Grand Street (Philomena's)

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Daniel Shieh (he/him)

Learning x3, 2018/2023

Chalkboard, oak frame, chalk. Postcards freely available. 2 x 3 feet

Daniel Shieh’s Learning x3 turns viewers into performers. Presented in the style of an instructional schoolhouse chalkboard, the work invites two people—be they strangers, friends, lovers—to speak various questions aloud, but while the performance is for two people, each question appears three times. This imbalance creates an unexpected yet productive space in which one can feel truly heard.

Like much of Shieh’s work, Learning x3 explores ideas of otherness and navigating spaces where one feels like a foreigner or outsider. As the artist writes about this work: “I’m thinking about ADD, about not being focused, about not remembering, about feeling anxious for asking someone to repeat; I’m thinking about my mother, deaf in one ear, and her trouble with hearing; I’m thinking about my partner’s grandmother who has dementia, who asks the same question every few minutes. I’m thinking about not being fluent in English in the United States. I’m thinking about the third time you ask someone the same question, they start to wonder what is wrong with you. I’m thinking about forgetting someone’s name, about forgetting someone’s birthday.”

@danielshieh | danielshieh.com | Located at: 588 Grand Street (The Last Call)

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Vee Tineo (vee)

Headstrong, 2019

Woodcut, muslin fabric. 55 x 48 inches

Vee Tineo’s Headstrong is a quilt of printed portraits that form an inverted pyramid. Building upon imagery Tineo began exploring in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, this work explores notions of power, especially the power held by—or owed to—women of color. Like a triumphant flag, the work’s upended, triangular shape invites us to imagine a world where hierarchies of authority and gender are reversed. Also legible as a funnel, Headstrong uplifts the relationship between the many and the individual, positing that one cannot exist without the other.

@la_vaina_es | veratineo.wixsite.com/vtineo | Located at: 679 Grand Street (BK Jani)

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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.

Film Festival Winner: Grand Street BID’s “Olor a Azucenas, El Perfume Del Barrio”

This past week, Olor a Azucenas, El Perfume Del Barrio (The Scent of Lillies, the Perfume of the Neighborhood) received the “Best Spirit of Puerto Rico” Award at the Rincon International Film Festival in Puerto Rico! The short film was commissioned and curated by the BID, produced by OWLEY, and documents the the installation of the community mural at 609 Grand Street completed by Don Rimx and for which the film is named. This placemaking project encompasses the mural’s prominence as a symbol of Puerto Rican heritage and entrepreneurship in the Williamsburg neighborhood and Brooklyn at large.

RIFF is the largest film festival in Puerto Rico, and Olor a Azucenas, El Perfume Del Barrio was chosen the winner out of over 200 other shorts films. With categories ranging from Documentary to Comedy to Drama, the Spirit of Puerto Rico is a niche section of the program highlighting films that embody the essence of life on the Island. The film was also accepted into the ENFOQUE Film Festival in Puerto Rico and Art of Brooklyn Film Festival, in Brooklyn, NY.

The colorful mural on Grand Street was painted by Puerto Rican street artist, illustrator, and muralist Edwin Sepulveda "Don Rimx" Cruz. Don's style of painting is conducted "The Puerto Rico way" and illustrates a flower vendor famous to San Juan, Puerto Rico who is holding a large arrangement of beautiful azucenas—white lilies—the image of the vendor represents the hardworking small business owners of Grand Street who come from different cultures and places to pursue their goals and dreams. As the vendor walks through the city, he calls out “azucenas” and the distinct scent of the flowers radiates around him. A known figure in the community, people can hear and smell him as he arrives.

The figure is interwoven with ancient beads in tandem with a rounded wooden frame as a tribute to the ancestors who were here before us. The vibrant colors, variously angled bricks, and window elements represent the uniqueness of the surrounding Grand Street neighborhood - a representation of each person's own vibrancy and hue they give off from the life they build. Together, these elements symbolize the community, perseverance, unity, sharing, and love of the Grand Street community and how so many cultures come together to thrive in the same place they call home.

Throughout the installation of the mural, Don Rimx and Owley’s process became a community affair. Many gathered in the parking lot where the artists were set up to hang out, share stories, dance, and watch the painting come to life. This community-centric process emphasizes the mural’s symbolization as "a cultural bridge". As stated in the film, “Once you start seeing the process, that’s when you make the real connections.”

We are honored to have worked with OWLEY, Don Rimx, and all our of our neighbors in the generation of both the mural and the film. We are also grateful for project funding from Council Member Levin, without which the installation would not have been possible. If you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to watch this award-winning film that beautifully shows the intersection of culture, art, and community on Grand Street.