By Caroline Zuba
City-dwellers are all too familiar with street and public art. They pass by a work every time they exit their residencies. Williamsburg has always been rich in street art, regardless of the current increase in gentrification. Popular and unknown singers commission works to promote their own forms of art, and individuals showcase their talents.
As a resident of Greenpoint, bordering on Williamsburg, I have had the opportunity to pass by incredible works of street art every time I walk to the train. Each Friday in particular, I walk to the L train, and the route I take is one filled with art. The sides of buildings depict beautiful, large images, my favorite being what I refer to as the ‘tiger boy’ – a boy with piercing brown eyes, a rich brown background, and wearing a tiger print.
What I have found most appealing, however, is not the large murals that immediately catch your eye. For people who look down on the ground as they walk – like myself – there is a new world of beautiful artwork beneath your feet. Part of you feels compelled to walk around it, but there is nothing particularly special about it. It is almost miniature, almost hidden, but very much there and very bright.
To be unfair to the artists involved, I originally walked past these pieces of sidewalk thinking that a child had drawn on the sidewalk. On a slow day, I stopped to engage with what I had originally discarded as a colorful mess on the ground.
I found a group of stencils, skillfully placed nearby a park and nearby a popular café. One depicted Hillary Clinton. It is two images of a younger-looking Clinton looking to the left, one labeled with the caption ‘Hillz’ and the other ‘Yaaas’, with both captioned with #IFeelLikeHillz. I researched the hashtag, and found that these stencils are being promoted as far as the artist can reach – I Feel Like Hillz is a Clinton merchandise group. But more importantly, it describes itself as a movement to unite behind women. While this art will eventually fade out, I think it was an almost cute way to promote a candidate and promote your viewpoint. In fact, it reminded me of Shepard Fairey.
Right next to the Clinton stencil is a stencil of Leviticus. I thought it was a beautiful contrast of the political and the religious, as it is something that many Americans have continued to 
struggle with separating.
The stencils I have described do not individually affect the environment of the neighborhood. Yet, when all the art is looked at all together, when you realize that you cannot walk a block without seeing art, and when you see the amount of people who stop to admire it, you realize how truly powerful these little pieces are. You notice that the stencils add to a politically charged culture that is evident in Williamsburg, and that they add to an inspirational feeling.
