[2008 Projects]
SUMMER LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE/ New York City is a Rollercoaster
NEW YORK CITY IS A ROLLERCOASTER
Groundswell Community Mural Project ©
www.groundswellmural.org
Acrylic on Cement
600 Sq Ft (on multiple walls)
2008
Lead Artist: Belle Benfield
Assistant Artist: Chris Beck
Youth Artists: Michael Lashley, Talia Mariduena, Jarei McKeiver, Jonathan Ramirez, Adam Tarakhan,
Stephanie Castanera, Jimmy Mercado, Richard Porte, Ifeatuanya Chiesjina, Pury Soliver, Hericka Solano
Volunteer: David Noel
Location: 190th & Broadway, MTA tunnel entrance, Washington Heights
Community Partners: Department of Transportation, Office of the Mayor
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
As part of Groundswell’s Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) 2008, the NYC Department of Transportation and the Office of the Mayor collaborated with Groundswell for their first project together: New York City is a Rollercoaster. The team of muralists collectively designed a lively image to transform and revitalize the entrance way to a 900-foot-long subway underpass. Prior to the completion of the mural the underpass was a dark and unwelcoming tunnel. It now features a vivid tableau of the history and diversity to be found in Washington Heights. One passerby said to lead artist, Belle Benfield, “It is no longer dark and scary. I’ve been here 25 year never did I think this day would come, thank you.”
The imagery and title for the mural were taken from the poem, "New York is a Rollercoaster" by one of the youth artists, Pury Soliver. The mural presents the number 1 train as New York’s rollercoaster, zooming around the cloisters, past city workers and over the George Washington Bridge. On its journey the train passes a Lenape Native American (an original tribe that lived in Manhattan), neighborhood artists, and Klezmer, Merengue and Irish musicians. The Dominican Republic is depicted by three butterflies, representing the Maribal sisters, who were underground freedom fighters executed by the Trujillo dictatorship. The mural team themselves can be seen in the rollercoaster.
In August the mural was officially unveiled by Mayor Bloomberg, who stated that, "This is a wonderful example of how community members, City government and the nonprofit sector can come together to help beautify a neighborhood and make New York City a better place to live. Public Art has a way of transforming the landscape, creating dialogue and bringing people together and this mural has turned an underground tunnel into a beautiful work of art that the community can be proud of." DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan also stated that, "This mural transforms a walk-through corridor into a bright community showcase."
Read the Press Release from the Office of the Mayor
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