Day 664
The Bushwick Collective
October 24th, 2013
From the NY Times:
"What was the point of life then? You come down this block, you see graffiti on the walls, you remember all bad memories," he said. "I turn another corner, I see where my dad was murdered. I turn another corner, I have memories of my mom. There was nothing left for me to want."
Last year, as Mother’s Day approached, Mr. Ficalora took some paint outside his office to cover the graffiti across the street. By 8 a.m. the wall had been tagged. No amount of white paint would solve the problem. Feeling out of options, Mr. Ficalora started Googling "street art" — and his work as a curator had begun. He found artists he liked and e-mailed them invitations. There were just a few rules: nothing offensive to children, women or the local businesses, and no politics. No one is paid for the work. The artists donate their own supplies and time, and the building owners donate their wall space. The project took off quickly, attracting painters from Argentina, Russia, Singapore and South Africa.
