[2008 Projects]
CMAP/ Red Hook Through History
RED HOOK THROUGH HISTORY
Groundswell Community Mural Project ©
www.groundswellmural.org
Acrylic on Wall
8 x 119 Ft
2008
Lead Artist: Conor McGrady
Assistant Artist: Jonathan Bogarin
Youth Artists: Malaya Murphy, Alexandria Santiago, Allena Wright, Elsa Salgado, Elisa Salgado, Dante Munno, Shanell Hunt, Jenifer Pichardo, Felicity Ford, Christopher Watson, Darlin Mercado, Yovanny Rosado, Jonathan Diaz, Angel Perez, Jeffrey Hernandez, Thomas Mendez, Jalesa Nelson
Volunteers: Chris Beck, Michael Viola
Location: PS 27, 27 Huntington Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn
Community Partners: PS 27
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
In spring 2008, 4th grade students at PS 27 worked with Groundswell artists to create a mural on one of the school’s exterior walls. Exploring the history of Red Hook, the mural narrative begins with a depiction of Native American life prior to European colonization in the 1500’s. Moving chronologically from portraying a Native American hunting party, the mural traces the early settlement of the Dutch, who gave this distinctive part of Brooklyn its name – with Red Hook meaning a point or peninsula with red clay. Images of the migration of the African American community to the area in the post civil war years are followed by those of dock workers on the piers, referencing Red Hook’s history as a busy shipping port for most of the 20th Century. The mural closes with the rejuvenated neighborhood of Red Hook today – with bay, ocean liners, tug boats following a depiction of PS 27 itself. The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in the background remind the viewer of the rich history of immigration to the neighborhood.
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