News banners to line Grand Street--Sponsorship available

The BID is now seeking sponsorship for new streetlight banners

Logos will be placed at the three dots.

Our street lights are receiving a makeover. After 2 years of our previous blue-green street banners, we’ve worked with Brooklyn artist Morgan Winter to shake things up.

Drawing inspiration from the Brooklyn-native perennials the BID planted through the Hort this past spring, Morgan applied her vibrant technique of stencil drawing over water color to bring life to our banners.

While we cannot wait to install our newest art piece following a busy summer of 10 new murals, we first need sponsorship from local businesses that make our work possible. Whether your business is ground floor retail or out of your apartment, displaying your logo on these eye catching canvasses shows everyone your contribution to the community and bring more attention to your brand.

As a 501(c)(3) non profit, the majority of your contribution will be tax deductible and your sponsorship will go directly towards improving our shopping corridor with our 2,800 hours of cleaning in fiscal year 19.

The implementation of new colorful street banners is central to our Grand Street Arts Initiative to invest in Brooklyn artists and to cultivate an art collection that better represents the community of creatives that make Williamsburg unique.

If interested in sponsoring, please reach out to john@grandstreetbk.org. Look out for the streetscape changes in the coming months.

Chongkho opens with Thai fusion + public art

Chongkho opened its doors last week bringing classic Thai cuisine with fusion options along with new public art to the neighborhood.

Chive dumplings served with a sweet soy sauce

The latest restaurant opening on Grand Street, Chongkho at 562, comes with a diverse Thai fusion menu and has already made its mark on the neighborhood. Before its opening, signs of life appeared at the former home of Desy’s Clam Bar when a new mural by JPO popped up on its gate. Chongkho and JPO connected through a family friendship, and he agreed to paint the gates to liven the new site while also contributing the 11th new mural on Grand Street in 2019.

Before that however, Chongkho got its start when Apichada, the chef + owner, was working in the hotel industry in Manhattan when she realized she wanted to open a restaurant. She took the L train into Brooklyn and decided to skip Bedford and get off at the Grand Street station looking for an open place. She landed at 562 and got to work opening the location with her daughter Orawan.

The result is a menu that consists of a mix of Thai, American + international cuisine. You can order every Thai classic from curry to pad thai, and everything from mussels to pasta to burgers as well. The eatery also has a unique selection of summery beverages like Thai iced tea and butterfly pea lemonade. Chongkho has the makings of the perfect destination when you’re seeking comfort food of any origin, and the perfect compromise when you and your SO or friend can’t agree on where to go. Either way, be sure to stop by and try a bit of everything. You can see the full menu here and you can follow them at @chongkho_bk.

The gate of Chongkho painted by JPO
Photo credit @walkinggirlnyc

JPO paints gate at 562 Grand Street

The piece was commissioned by the incoming Thai restaurant Chongkho

The work contains elements signature to JPO pieces

Grand Street received yet another original work from a well-respected street artist last week when artist JPO (John Paul O’Grodnick) painted the gate of the former site of Desy’s Clam Bar.

JPO is a NYC based artist whose art appears across the city, in galleries, and even in clothing lines. His paintings can be easily recognized by the abstract puzzle-like shapes of people depicted in vibrant color. His art has been used by the Governor’s Ball music festival and GAP, and his work can be found in DUMBO, Little Italy, and various NYC locations.

The incoming Thai restaurant Chongkho commissioned the work, bringing the district its 11th new mural this year. See other notable works by JPO here and follow him @JPOart. Follow us @grandstreetbid for the most up to date news on our arts initiatives.

New Damon Johnson mural brings color to Key Food

Damon returned to the neighborhood for his second piece on Grand Street

The mural can be seen at 575 Grand Street

Damon Johnson returned to Grand Street for the second time in a month’s span to paint his signature graffiti art flowers + hummingbirds. The artist who was once a Grand Street neighborhood resident is now based out of Portland, and completed the work while visiting.

Working closely with Damon and Key Food, the BID facilitated the effort to make the space available for the mural to be painted. The art now brings color and vibrancy to a wall often tagged with graffiti.

This piece is now the 10th new mural on Grand Street in 2019, creating a street art collection that more faithfully reflects the large community of artists the neighborhood has fostered for decades. With the growing collection of murals, Grand Street will likely see continued attention from future artists looking to admire or break into the NYC street art world.

The mural now sits next to the installation from fellow New York artist BiscoSmith, and complements Damon’s other work at 723 Grand Street, bookending the central part of the district.

You can find the work on the eastern facing wall of 575 Grand Street in Williamsburg. Tag pictures of the mural with @damonnyc and @grandstreetbid.

Artists paint Pride inspired murals at 723 Grand Street

The BID worked with the Lisa Project to bring art to the neighborhood.

Mural by Damon Johnson

The Grand Street BID celebrated Pride month by bringing more public art to the district. Working with the Lisa Project and their 50 murals for 50 years initiative, the BID invited the group to include Grand Street in the project.

The Lisa Project brought artists Damon Johnson, Paul Richard, PaidMSD, SINNED & Ria Burns-Wilder. This is in addition to the murals commissioned by the BID which brought Don Rimx & Chris Jehly to the neighborhood.

The works take another step in solidifying Grand Street as a home to diversity and inclusion. Coupled with the Puerto Rican inspired mural by Don Rimx, the BID has sought to bring art to the neighborhood representative of our welcoming community.

See the new works on the western facing wall of Farmer Deli at the intersection of Graham Ave & Grand Street.

Works (left to right) by PaidMSD, SINNED & Ria Burns-Wilder.

Chris Jehly paints murals at Grand Seafood

The Brooklyn local artist is painting the gates at 98 Bushwick Ave

Street artists are continuing to come to Grand Street, this time painting the gates around the L station at 98 Bushwick Avenue. The Grand Street BID has commissioned Chris Jehly through the Grand Street based curation company Owley to paint the gates with a series of 3 murals, the first one is shown above.

Jehly is known for his works that are inspired by his immediate surroundings as he paints. On Grand Street, Jehly says that he would like to capture the beat of the neighborhood, and his first work has reflected that with its vibrance and bright colors.

The artist will continue to work on the gates during the weekends throughout the remainder of the month, bringing new elements with each new mural.

In tandem with the new mural by Don Rimx at 609 Grand Street and the Ellie Balk piece at 772 Grand, the BID has made it a priority to bring world class public art to the neighborhood. Watch Chris paint this weekend, and follow us @grandstreetbid and @ow.ley for live updates on the work.

World class art comes to Grand Street

The BID has commissioned artist Don Rimx to paint a mural at 609 Grand Street

Don Rimx has public works in NYC, Puerto Rico + more
Photo credit: @donrimx

Grand Street is about to become a lot more artsy. That is because the BID has commissioned a public art mural to be painted by well-known Puerto Rican artist with Brooklyn roots artist Don Rimx. Using Grand Street building walls as canvasses, the BID has made public art a priority in the past by partnering with Ellie Balk on several “Math Driven Art” pieces.

The work produced by the artist will be inspired by his impression of the neighborhood and informed by a documentary the BID has concurrently produced with Owley by interviewing small business owners + residents on their views of the community. The video will also document the painting process and be released after the completion of the mural.

Don Rimx, who is a former Grand Street area resident, plans to represent the small business community while tying in bright colors + themes of the neighborhood’s own Puerto Rican heritage. The wall will face west towards the Key Food at 609 Grand Street (Noorman’s Kil), replacing a graffiti coated surface.

In tandem with Owley producing a documentary on the community + painting process, the Grand Street Neighborhood Initiative hopes to substantially improve the beauty of the neighborhood, while linking the art with a sense of belonging in a cohesive manner.  

The Grand Street BID coordinated the public mural + video with funding from Council Member Levin.

See press coverage of the mural:

Greenpoint Star

Greenline

News 12

Don Rimx’s artistic influence extends across NYC, as seen in this work in East Harlem

Ellie Balk paints 4th “Math Driven Art” work on Grand

The Brooklyn artist is installing her latest project at Grand St & Humboldt Ave

Students from Williamsburg HS of Arts & Tech painting.

If you’ve walked anywhere out of the Grand Street L station it’s hard not to notice some of the bright, puzzle looking designs on the intersections of Grand Street at Humboldt, Graham, and Manhattan Avenues. Maybe you’ve stopped and read the plaques that are posted on the wall detailing each work. If you haven’t, you may be pleasantly surprised that there’s a story to be told for each one.

The paintings are all orchestrated by Brooklyn artist Ellie Balk, who made her name in the community by working with local public school students to create what Balk calls “Math Driven Art”. That is, art that’s conception + design comes from quantitative research, numerical formulas, and data.

With a portfolio of public art that crosses cities and expands internationally, Balk considers herself to be more of a composer. The process begins with an idea of transforming data + numbers into an artistic visualization. Balk’s most recent work seeks to map out students’ interactions throughout the day by genre (phone, face to face, social media) and create art by giving a color to each interaction in a pie chart.

The students of the Williamsburg High School of Arts & Technology were hands-on in bringing the piece to life. Each student involved with the project conducted research for 2 weeks, and contributed to painting the final work under the guiding hand of Balk.

With the completion of this latest installation, Balk will have led students in painting 4 walls on Grand Street alone, incorporating math with art and giving students a platform + opportunity to beautify their community.

See Balk’s work come to life this week at the southern corner of Grand Street & Humboldt Avenue, and explore her entire Grand Street collection throughout the neighborhood.