Residents of Astoria, Queens and artists alike express the impact of street art in their community.
By Vanessa Santana
ASTORIA, QUEENS — What was once a barren, industrial neighborhood is now a trendy, vibrant block characterized by colorful murals. Every day, residents of Welling Court experience one of New York City’s most underrated art scenes.
Marissa Bou, 20-year old Welling Court resident, emotionally responds to one of the pieces. “Every time I walk past it, it gives me the chills.”
“That mural is a testimony to all of those suffering in the system, and besides it being fine art, having it here brings attention to deeper problems in society.” She says, referring to Katie Yamasaki and Caleb Neelon’s tribute to Kalief Browder.
This, like dozens of other socially powerful murals, is part of a street art collection called The Welling Court Mural Project. Welling Court is a small street in the westernmost part of Astoria, Queens. It is located nine blocks west of Astoria’s 30th Avenue train station.
The idea of transforming this industrial, yet residential area of Queens to a lively maze of murals came from local resident Jonathan Ellis. In 2009, Ellis noticed the dangers his community community faced, so he aimed to foster change.
“It was full of gang tagging, everywhere. There were crack houses around here back in the late 90’s.” Ellis said, “But still a lot of great people and families living here.”
Ellis and his wife had an admiration for graffiti art. “We’ve always thought it was pretty awesome- the artistic kind, of course,” he said, “And at the time I saw video on CBS Sunday Morning about an event in Paris every year where artists come together from all over the world to spray paint their works. And I thought, why not do this on our block!”
In efforts to uplift his community through art, Jon Ellis reached out out to a Brooklyn-based organization called Ad Hoc Art.
Ad Hoc Art, an organization aimed at beautifying communities by showcasing artists from all over the globe agreed to support Ellis’ vision. “Without hesitation, we thought, what a better place to put these murals, than Astoria!” says co-founder Alison Wallis Buxton.
“What makes this city different from Bushwick, Williamsburg, Harlem, and other places in Manhattan and Brooklyn are the residents.” Buxton shares, “It’s one of the few places that isn’t suffering from gentrification in the same way as the other boroughs. The area is still mostly made up of immigrant families, and it’s a place where ethnic culture is still being held on to.”
According to census data, Queens is the most ethnically diverse county on the east coast, and ranked amongst the top five most diverse counties in America. Astoria is home to over 100 nationalities, and this diversity is mirrored through the modern artwork.
The Welling Court Mural Project fuses the talent of new legendary artists, to beautify a neighborhood of people from all parts of the world.
(All photos by Vanessa Santana)
“I like it, because it’s more than just a bunch of squiggles and names spray-painted on a wall.” says 40-year old Dejaun Porter, “For those of us that have been here for a while, it all means something more.”
This concept of spreading social consciousness is something that most of the street artists aimed for. “Educating people is the most important part. People need to learn that spray paint, graffiti, public art and murals are not scary. It’s not a sign of a bad neighborhood.” says the well-known New York City native muralist, Lady Pink.
Lady Pink continues, “This is done to bring artwork to all the common, ordinary, working class people who might not go to a gallery or museum on their free time.”
Welling Court is turning into a tourist and art-lover’s attraction. “There are a lot of people, I guess they are tourists, who walk down the block with their cameras, just taking pictures of everything right next to our houses.” says 13-year old Aaron Mendez, a Mexican-American teen who was raised on Welling Court.
“Sometimes they block off our street, to film movies and shows. J’Lo was here once! But I didn’t get to meet her.” Mendez shares, his group of friends burst out in giggles. “But it makes me feel lucky to live here, because I see it every day.”
There are over 80 different murals in the area, all expressing distinct messages. Many of them, like the tribute of Kalief Browder by Katie Yamasaki and Caleb Neelon, promote the reality of social injustices.
Others help spread awareness on global political issues with the use of social media. The “Journalism is Not a Crime” piece located on 11-22 Welling Court is part of the #NotACrime campaign. This campaign sheds light on the Iranian journalists who have been prosecuted. Nicky Nodjoumi, Iranian-American artist who was exiled from Iran for creating controversial art, painted the piece.
Danielle Mastrion and Lexi Bella’s piece “#SaveYazidiWomen” also uses social media to spread awareness on the recent issue of Yazidi women who have been raped, tortured, and enslaved by ISIS.
Many of the pieces aim to spread love, positivity, and unity such as Peat Wollaeger’s “We All Have Eyez” tribute to Bob Marley that reads “One Love” on the side. These messages equally resonate with the community.
“It’s amazing that people who live around here, or even visitors, can be reminded of peace and love through murals. The world needs more of that.” says Akilah Muelens, a 20-year old resident from St. Maarten.
“Eyes are the window to your soul,” says renowned stencil artist, Peat ‘Eyez’ Wolleager, “We [people] use our eyes to observe art. So as street artists, our goal is to captivate and inspire the souls of everyday people.”
Pictured: Author, Vanessa Santana (photo by Ashika Kuruvilla)