In honor of the radio station WNYC’s 100th birthday, Alison Stewart’s “All Of It” program is celebrating 100 pieces of art in New York City. Each month, Alison speaks with an expert in the art world about their 10 favorites. This month, Alison talked to Jaime Rojo and Steven P. Harrington, co-founders of Brooklyn Street Art, about 10 pieces of art in the streets that they think all New Yorkers would like to know about.
Since it was a radio show, it was impossible to show, only to tell. BSA fans have written to ask us for pictures of the pieces discussed, so here they are!
The list is unscientific and offers a wide selection of art styles and disciplines in New York’s public sphere. Please don’t take it as an indicator of importance or value; rather, take it as a casual survey of things you may see around town.
We’re celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of the next by thanking BSA Readers, Friends, and Family for your support in 2024. Picked by our followers, these photos are the heavily circulated and “liked” selections of the year – shot by our Editor of Photography, Jaime Rojo. We’re sharing a new one every day to celebrate all our good times together, our hope for the future, and our love for the street. Happy Holidays Everyone!
We are deeply grateful for the fans and friends we meet in cities, at symposia, or on cozy living room couches. In times of economic, political, and social uncertainty that leave many feeling like we’re standing on a precipice, one thing remains clear: the future lies in our friends, families, communities, and especially our kids.
If you know a young person, support them. Guide them. Remind them that they are doing a good job and that they matter. Your encouragement can make all the difference.
Who’s in town this week? New York is no stranger to visiting street artists, but the thrill never fades. Right now, we’ve got Kiwi sensation Owen Dippie here to blow minds with his latest piece, plus the wild Italian trio Canemorto. These graffiti-street artist-fishermen from Brianza, up North of Milan, are kicking off a three-day performance at Matta. Come by to see what is the catch of the day, and they might be speaking their own brand of “Canemortish”. The three-day event will be fresh Thursday through Saturday – let’s see what they’ve reeled in for you!
Shout out to the Brooklyn Museum, which hosted hundreds of guests at the gala opening of a new show featuring 200+ Brooklyn artists Friday night. A celebration of the museum’s bicentennial, the collection gives a stunning overview, a diverse array, and an appreciative stage for many artists working here today. The Brooklyn Artists Exhibitionis organized by Jeffrey Gibson, Vik Muniz, Mickalene Thomas, and Fred Tomaselli and coordinated by Sharon Matt Atkins, Deputy Director for Art. If you can’t get to NYC, take a virtual tour of the exhibition.
Also congratulations to Museum of Graffitti for their first show in Shanghai. Co-founders Allison Freidin and Brooklyn native Alan Ket have mounted MOG’s very first exhibition on mainland China, “Street Echos”, right in the heart of the Changning District of Shanghai. A year in the making, the show combines an explanation of graffiti’s humble roots with the current status of the art form.
And here we go boldly into the streets of New York to find new stuff from: Jeremy Deller, Joe Iurato, Veng RWK, Jason Naylor, Stikki Peaches, Muebon, CP Won, Never Satisfied, Mena Ceresa, and Brozilla.
The conventions are done and dusted, and the candidates are locked in. Everyone’s got their pick: some are waving the Kamala flag, while others are riding the Trump train. But while the political stage is buzzing, the street art scene is still playing catch-up. The new Democratic contender hasn’t exactly made it onto many murals yet. But if you want to know how folks are really vibing, just check out the street portraits—artists are always a step ahead of the polls when it comes to capturing the public mood.
Here is our weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring ERRE, Hops Art, BK Ackler, Hops1, Wane COD, PHD, DRIK, Mack Colours, Olig, Souls, No Name Stencil, RAIZE, Scottie Marsh, Ques, 718 Crew, and Wild Cat.
We were looking at the description and lineup of this new Punk exhibit and thinking about how it extends to the early and current mural/street art scene at play today… Opine, as one may, about the roots of this scene and our rigorous academic attempts at qualitative mastery, but the average street artists cares nary a whit what you think, for the most part. It isn’t just our anti-intellectual age; it may simply be antithetical to what street art was ever intended to be. There are those who construct gates to enclose a favored few to make pronouncements about what street art is or isn’t, but the artists who produce work on the streets may not bother climbing the fence to get in their club.
It’s the ironic, rebellious, spirit of D.I.Y. that makes street art and graffiti most attractive for us —not its ability to make money for some nor burnish the reputation of another but to draw us together. The open access to self-expression is so alluring, and it is a testament to how truly innovative artists know how to seize a moment, transform a space, begin a dialogue, or weigh in on one. Create camps? Attempt to consolidate power? It is a folly. Why reject a corrupted and unfair pecking order only to reconstruct one? As we see more anniversary shows heralding punk and its origins, we recall that it was the liberty promised that was so appealing and the destruction of corrupt institutions that was most needed. The aesthetics may have become commodified. It’s spirit, never.
Here is our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Alice Pasquini, Homesick, Judith Supine, Mike King, WERC, Pussy Power, Kane, Kone, Chris Haven, 6147, SLASH FTR, Geraluz, Coes Sneakers, AIC, and Skribblz.
Superhero or superfan, there is something here for everyone, and usually high quality. Street Art festivals worldwide have become dull and safe, perhaps because some are funded by tax dollars or their curators lack vision. The selections at the Bushwick Collective may not make a cohesive story, it’s true.
However, a sense of history, respect for graffiti’s roots, community, narrative, and free-wheeling organic creativity cuts a through-line that still feels fresh as a summer breeze in the shade of a tree. We have so many images of this year’s block party celebration that we had to split the collection into two parts.
On this Summer Solstice, we wish you strength and the wisdom to see the truth. The false will fall away.
Summer in the city with the hot asphalt, the humming of air conditioners, the tantalizing tune of the ice cream truck, the delightful shrieks of children in the playground, the BBQ smells on the sidewalks, the breeze coming from the ocean, the cacophony of songbirds, and the desires that long days bring.
Who can conjure a more intoxicating feeling than the feeling of summer? We let ourselves feel free from layers of woolen clothes and stiff limbs. When only a pair of shorts and a tattered T-shirt will do, we lay down and look at the sky, the grass soft beneath us. We hold court on rooftops, fire escape stairs, and front stoops. We celebrate the outdoors and soak in the summer rain. We are all children again, refusing to come back inside.
Joe Ficalora’s Annual Bushwick Collective Block Party is one of our official summer parties in New York City. This block party is unique, with a perfectly balanced combination of art, music, performance, and food trucks. This year’s edition was no different. International, national, and local artists came prepared to get up and get it done. Graffiti writers and street artists took over blocks and walls, bringing a vibrant palette of color, forms, ideas, icons, idols, themes, thoughts, and games with them. The public who came to see them painting live spent a full day enjoying art being made and dancing to the energy of hip-hop performers. We invite you to enjoy Part 1 of the offerings on the street, with Part 2 coming soon.
The Bushwick Collective Block Party, scheduled for Saturday, June 1, from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm at 7 Scott Ave, Brooklyn, NY, is an iconic annual event that has evolved from a simple mural painting jam into a large-scale cultural and community festival. Founded by Joe Ficalora in 2012, the event aims to renew the neighborhood through art on the street, transforming the area into an open-air gallery with murals created by artists from around the world. This transformation has made Bushwick a popular destination for locals and tourists.
This year’s festival promises an exciting lineup of live music performances, headlined by renowned hip-hop artists such as Raekwon, Fat Man Scoop, Statik Selektah & Friends, NEMS, Termanology, Tony Moxberg, Lil Dee, Chandler, Home & Abroad, XAVR, and many other special guests. Hosted by MC DStroy and featuring DJ Evil Dee in the mix, the event is set to rock the block.
Beyond music, the Block Party offers various activities and attractions. Spanning several blocks, the festival features curated NYC food vendors, artist and merchant vendors, street art merchandise, original artwork, and prints. Visitors can enjoy giveaways, product sampling, and the opportunity to meet some of their favorite street artists and graffiti writers from around the world. As Joe always ensures, the event emphasizes community engagement and celebration, drawing thousands of visitors each year who come to experience the ever-evolving cultural scene of Bushwick. With its inclusive nature, the Bushwick Collective Block Party is a much-anticipated celebration that highlights the neighborhood’s transformation and rich cultural heritage.
DATE AND TIME: Saturday, June 1, 11:00 am to 6:00 pm
LOCATION: 7 Scott Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11237
GENERAL ADMISSION: Free with some ticketed events. Click HERE to purchase your tickets.
ABOUT THIS EVENT
HOSTED BY: MC DSTROY /ON THE MIX: DJ EVIL DEE
MUSIC LINEUP – RAEKWON , FAT MAN SCOOP, STATIK SELEKTAH & FRIENDS, NEMS, TERMANOLGY, TONY MOXBERG, LIL DEE, CHANDLER, HOME & ABROAD, XAVR, & many other special guests.
VIP BEER GARDEN / Front Stage Access Requires Purchase of tickets (limited availability) In and Out Access, Private Bathrooms, Free Gifts, Pizza, Snacks, Front Stage Access, Auto Entry to a special gift prize contest, and MUCH MORE!
OPEN TO PUBLIC – 3 blocks of curated NYC Food Vendors, Artist & Merchant Vendors, Djs, Main Stage w over 35 plus live performances, street art merch, original artwork, prints, and pins available.
Spring is astoundingly colorful on the street in New York this year, with many new graffiti writers and street artists joining the existing throng and bringing their skills to a wall near you. At times, it appears now that we have as many artists as tourists in New York, but if they roll a suitcase, it is probably full of cans.
Here is our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Ron English, Homesick, Basquiat, Huetek, Biggie Smalls, Hops Art, Akira Toriyama, Blanca Romero, 2DX, Nike Kasio, Gouch NKC, Theme KED, Maximilian Romero, EA EO, Browine, Sintez One, FSG Park, and Jaek El Diablo.
We’re celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of the next by thanking BSA Readers, Friends, and Family for your support in 2023. Picked by our followers, these photos are the heavily circulated and “liked” selections of the year – shot by our Editor of Photography, Jaime Rojo. We’re sharing a new one every day to celebrate all our good times together, our hope for the future, and our love for the street. Happy Holidays Everyone!
It is reported that as a child of 6, Brooklyn’s Basquiat became a junior member of the Brooklyn Museum, thanks to his mom Matilde. Helping him discover and explore artists work and his own creativity was foundational to his later development in studio and as a street artist, along with partner Al Diaz as part of SAMO@. This year Jean Micheal’s sisters Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Basquiat expanded and more fully recounted his personal story for many thousands of his fans, art world documentarians, and educators with their touring KingPleasure exhibition.
Seeing this image of Basquiat as a boy reminds us that children’s creativity should be encouraged and nurtured, no matter what field they pursue. For artist SEF 1, who painted this mural, it was his connection to the graffiti and street art story that compelled him to do this portrait on the street. “It seemed to me that I owed him this last tribute in which I present him as a child, with the innocence of kid who dreams of being someday a great artist making drawings in his notebooks, creating the basis of his adult artistic practice.”
We’re celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of the next by thanking BSA Readers, Friends, and Family for your support in 2023. Picked by our followers, these photos are the heavily circulated and “liked” selections of the year – shot by our Editor of Photography, Jaime Rojo. We’re sharing a new one every day to celebrate all our good times together, our hope for the future, and our love for the street. Happy Holidays Everyone!
“I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small. Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.”
– First man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong, in a speech to Congress, September, 1969. In a speech to Congress (16 Sep 1969).
We’re celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of the next by thanking BSA Readers, Friends, and Family for your support in 2023. Picked by our followers, these photos are the heavily circulated and “liked” selections of the year – shot by our Editor of Photography, Jaime Rojo. We’re sharing a new one every day to celebrate all our good times together, our hope for the future, and our love for the street. Happy Holidays Everyone!
You heard it all year in 2023 – this has been the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop. There has been an endless parade of commemorations taking many forms all over the city, although people like KRS-One want to know where everybody was during the first 49. But that train already left the station, so scold all you want.
This summer in Bushwick, Brooklyn, artist Huetek unveiled a mural that’s a true nod to the origins and icons of Hip Hop. Crafted in the vibrant lead-up to Joe Ficalora’s annual block party, this piece is a treasure trove for those steeped in Hip Hop lore. At its heart is 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, revered as the cradle of Hip Hop.
Huetek’s mural is more than just a visual feast—it’s a homage, encapsulating the essence of Hip Hop through a montage of iconic images. Each numeral of the address transforms into a canvas, featuring recreations of photographic documentation of pioneering artists who represent the raw, early days of the scene. These snapshots provide us a precious visual legacy of legendary performers.
For some it is a roll call of Hip Hop royalty. You’ll find the Bboy spirit alive in the depiction of Ken Swift, immortalized by Martha Cooper’s lens. Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers, captured by Joe Conzo, represents the Emcee. The Dj element features Kay Slay (Dez), as seen through Henry Chalfant’s photographic eye. And the Graffiti Writer? None other than Dondi White, again through Martha Cooper’s documentation.
Huetek’s work is a vivid reminder of Hip Hop’s roots and a celebration of its cultural pillars. It’s a visual journey through the genre’s history, inviting onlookers to delve deeper into the stories and faces that have shaped Hip Hop culture. This mural isn’t just a piece of art; it’s a slice of history, painted on the streets of Bushwick, waiting to be discovered and appreciated by those who understand its deep-seated significance.
BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
