Aesthetic: a prominent and commercialized aspect of Bushwick. Walking from Bogart Street to Morgan Avenue, the walls were adorned with entertaining and humorous graffiti and street art. Each store aligned along the streets had an accompanying street art to advertise and decorate its exterior. Numerous of parking lots were decorated with street tags and other colorful designs adding to the neighborhoods vibrancy.
Ranging from vibrant colors to cute-eyed monsters, these pieces of art have opened Bushwick as the center for tourism. Whether guided or self-guided, the streets have developed and claimed itself as a main source of income to the neighborhood. Galleries and art collections are predominant throughout the community – offering local art events to raise money for certain organizations within the community. These art filled streets seem to have become a staple in advertising and welcoming those into the neighborhood.
With an interview with a local construction worker, I asked him if he witnessed the creation of the abundance of street art along these newly constructed walls. He stated that a few were prominent, but it wasn’t until around 2015 that the street art became flooded along all the streets. He stated – with a tone of annoyance – that the art has made it difficult to work around in fear of destructing the art thus getting backlash from the community.
As of 2017, the community holds 60 galleries that include work from both local and out of state artists. With a postindustrial aesthetic, locals and visitors can see Bushwick as the mecca for trends and “artsy” vibes. The streets beg for people to take a picture and post them across all social media platforms. Bushwick, then, has become the epitome for #artsy.
Bushwick’s local online paper – The Bushwick Daily – reports weekly events including free concerts for locals, paint fests, and numerous of other art oriented activities. The community has used art as a center for building connection and commercialism throughout the neighborhood.
One of the biggest events is hosted by the Bushwick Collective – the same company that runs the guided graffiti tours. The block party is the biggest community event of the year in Bushwick. The event hosts numerous of graffiti artists, street art, music, and food trucks for all to enjoy. This year, the event is hosted on June 3rd with admission tickets. This event is yet another example of how Bushwick has focused on art as the source for connection and entertainment within the community.
By: Claire Ng
Great stuff. Good photos!