The Jerome Gun Hill Business Improvement District (BID), in partnership with Bronx-based artist, Laura Alvarez, joined local elected officials representing Norwood on June 8 for a short, afternoon ceremony under the sunshine for the unveiling of the artist’s new asphalt street mural, located at the BID’s “Street Seat” area along Jerome Avenue’s shopping hub.

 

The BID, in partnership with New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), created the Street Seat in 2021, as reported, to bring more open space, seating, and placemaking opportunities to Norwood.

 

The Street Seat area is an engaging, accessible public space with free seating for use by community members. There, residents and shoppers can sit, relax, gather for free programming or simply enjoy a take-out lunch from a local restaurant while soaking up the atmosphere.

Each year, the BID commissions a Bronx-based artist to design and install an asphalt mural on the parklet and this year, BID officials said they were delighted to work with Alvarez and were excited to unveil the artist’s new work.

 

Jennifer Tausig, executive director of the Jerome Gun Hill BID, welcomed those gathered for the occasion. “We created this public space about a year ago for people to use, who may be waiting for the bus or may be waiting to go to City MD or may just want to sit and have a bite to eat,” she said. “We couldn’t have done it without the help of our elected officials and of course, our amazing artist, Laura Alvarez, so thank you to everyone.”

 

Alvarez is an illustrator, author, designer, visual artist, muralist, community activist and educator. Born in Valencia, Spain, she studied Fine Arts in Spain and England. In New York City, she juggles her City job, her career as an artist with her commitments to her Bronx community. She has been a teaching artist with several organizations and city agencies (more than she can remember). What she does recall are all the lives she has touched down through the years thanks to the arts. She says she knows there will be more.

 

Alvarez is interested in the connections people make with her art and said there is no better place to make those connections than in the streets. She has taken her artwork out of the studio, working in walls and step-streets in different countries and NYC neighborhoods. Alvarez likes to share her colorful designs that she hopes bring joy to the community, while planning the next wall she’s going to tackle.

 

She is the co-founder, vice-president and COO of BxArts Factory, a nonprofit organization, whose mission is to make art accessible to everyone in The Bronx. The organization’s philosophy is that everyone is an artist and it serves to help each person unlock their potential. Alvarez is also part of the Board of Directors of Artbridge, a non-profit that empowers local artists to transform prominent urban spaces into gallery quality exhibitions, focusing on New York City’s 300+ miles of construction fencing and scaffolding.

 

She thanked the BID for inviting her to be a part of the project. “It was really amazing,” she said. “Sunday, we had the whole community come and paint and help the basics of the base of the mural, and then I spent another two days with another local artist, just painting and everybody, for the most part, had a very good, positive reaction about it. They loved the colors and [..inaudible…] and I hope the community uses it and enjoys it like I enjoyed painting it all, so thank you.”

 

Alvarez has received several awards and grants which she has used to promote the arts among Bronx youth, and to create work that starts a conversation about ecology, womanhood, racism, tradition, inequality and immigration. In 2021, she published her first Children’s Picture Book, “Eggies Adventures at Poe Cottage.” She has exhibited all over Europe and New York, both collectives and solo works.

Tausig later introduced Ariana Cipriani, manager of neighborhood development at the BID, and added that the mural project had really been her brainchild and she had helped facilitate it.

 

 

She continued, “It’s really a community-driven project. Community members actually selected the design on Instagram out of the other murals that Laura had done. We’re just really proud of this special place. There aren’t a lot of spaces like this in Norwood where you can just have a lot of free programming, community events, giveaways in a space that is accessible and welcoming for all.”

 

Bailey said he thought the mural was emblematic of that community: full of vibrancy, full of color, full of life and full of passion. “So, I thank you for encapsulating what this borough and what this neighborhood is about in this piece of art. It is something that will inspire people as they drive by, and they’ll wonder ‘What is that?’ They may take a seat to drink a cup of coffee or a glass of water or their beverage of choice, and it’s very important to make sure that we continue to cultivate the arts, and to the BID, thank you so much for all that you do for cultivating art not just here, but everywhere throughout the years in your jurisdiction. Ms Alvarez, thank you so much.”

 

Tausig went on to say that Jerome Gun Hill BID was lucky enough to be represented by not one but two assembly members due to it being on the border between two districts.

 

Meanwhile, Assembly Member Nathalia Fernandez thanked the BID and Alvarez for bringing beauty to the borough. “We’re a fast-paced city,” she said. “We’re moving, we’re running, and sometimes we wait, and art helps us calm down. It lets us engage with emotions, with vision, and to have it right here in this little corridor is a beautiful thing.”

 

She added, “I’m so happy that we do have places like this that are helping our City and our [community] members relax and enjoy the little things, enjoy the colors, and think about what the images and shapes do for you. It’s really a bit of therapy and I think we need to see a little more of it around our City, so I’m really so happy to be here. I’d love to see the whole block in these rainbow colors, but this is great. I’d love to see it again, so thank you so much.”

 

For his part, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81) said, “Art energizes the community.” This was followed by some good-natured laughter as he was then drowned out by a couple of locals who happened to pass by carrying a speaker which was blasting out Hip-Hop beats. The group dutifully took their cue and “shook it down” briefly before the assemblyman continued.

 

“I’ve been coming here for a really long time,” Dinowitz continued. “I’ve seen this area through the best of times and the worst of times, but we’re going through pretty good times right now, and I think in large part that’s due to the hard work of the people. We have stores, and years ago, we had so many [inaudible/companies?].”

 

 

MPC celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021, as reported. In partnership with MPC, Jerome Gun Hill BID provides supplemental sanitation, security, marketing, events, retail attraction and beautification in the community. For more information, visit www.jeromegunhillbid.org or on social media @jeromegunhillbid.