Tillies Mural Project

Thank You Helpers!

2009-04-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

We are ready for the dedication and for YOU to PUT YOUR DOT ON

Join us TUESDAY, APRIL 28th at 7pm!

VANDERBILT AND DEKALB in BROOKLYN!

Thank you to Angela, Craig and Gabrielle!

Mural Dedication

2009-04-27T04:34:00.001-07:00

ADD YOUR DOT ON TUESDAY!

Paint By Neighborhood---By: Scott Olster

2009-04-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

Paint by neighborhood: Tillie's mural aims to connect old and new Fort Greene

By Scott Olster
July 09, 2008

Barely maintaining balance at the top of a painters ladder, with a steel ruler in one hand and a graphite pencil in the other, Ellie Balk, 31, an artist from Clinton Hill, fixed her eyes on a 9-foot white circular canvas she painted the previous night on a bare red brick wall at the corner of Dekalb and Vanderbilt avenues in Fort Greene.

Reminiscent of a full moon at dusk, the canvas is the outline of Balk's latest community mural, a map of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, with Grand Army Plaza to the south, the Brooklyn Navy Yard to the north, DeKalb and Nostrand avenues to the east, and Atlantic Avenue and Hoyt Street to the west. "Just a little bit of Prospect Heights and a touch of Bed-Stuy" is how Balk describes the mural's outer bounds.

Located in the Fort Green Historic District on the eastern wall of Tillie's of Brooklyn, a local coffeehouse and mainstay of the Fort Greene arts community, the mural is a community collaborative project, a thread that runs through all of Balk's art.

Balk, who lives in a studio apartment half a mile from Tillie's, aims to bring together community members who would otherwise not interact, particularly long-time residents of the neighborhood with newcomers. "Seeing how close we are to each other inspires people to be more accepting. It helps people connect," Balk said. "When you talk about where you live, you are putting your guard down," explained Balk. She has used murals, and specifically map murals, several times before with city public school students as a tool to foster common ground among peers.

Balk independently developed the mural's vision and design, but has recruited friends and volunteers, many of them impromptu volunteers, to help with the painting throughout the week. As a capstone to the project, community members are invited to paint a dot on the mural to mark where they live this Saturday.

"Now at least I won't get lost," quipped Diego Campo, 30, a flamenco guitarist and music producer. "But there won't be any street names," responded Selena Hounds, a graphic designer from Harlem and Balk's friend, stationed at the curb behind a bulky overhead projector displaying a transparency of the street grid onto the canvas.

Indeed, the mural's model, resting on the brick wall, is a wordless mixture of deep reds, blues, purples, and greens, each shade delineating one neighborhood from another.

The mural project at Tillie's is the product of a year's worth of effort, from grant proposal applications to direct fundraising, as well as community board and Landmarks Preservation Commission approval hearings, all driven by Balk.

"This project has gone through every possible review," said Kathleen Hayek, Fort Greene resident since 1994 and President of South of the Navy Yard Artists (SONYA), a community arts nonprofit organization, and a fierce advocate of Balk's project, referring to a close 8-6 Community Board vote and the Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimous vote in approval of the mural.

Hayek and SONYA teamed up with Balk to create the SONYA Mural Arts Fund, an initiative spearheaded by Balk that will support public art and mural projects in Brooklyn with a focus on education. "It fits SONYA's mission perfectly. We are looking to take this to the next mural," said Hayek.

Balk first contacted Hayek for assistance in gaining community support after enduring a mixed reception to her mural proposal at a Community Board 2 meeting and receiving angry emails from community members. Some residents feared that approving Balk's mural would lead to a bombardment of mural and public art projects on the Fort Greene Historic District, according to Balk.

The fear of changing building facades is just one symptom of a powerful undercurrent of concern with the changing face of the neighborhood. The limited contact between long-time residents and newcomers is in no small part related to this concern. "I don't know the new people. It's an upscale crowd. I wonder who some of them are," said John Oliva, 60, an MTA track worker and Fort Greene resident since 1975, as he observed the mural painting with reserved curiosity last Friday.

Newcomers have demonstrated a clear interest in claiming a stake in the neighborhood's identity. "You have to make your home your own," said Dave Maziarz, 24, an employee at a photography agency. "This area was made a historic district because it is still relevant. [To stay relevant,] it must continue to reinvent itself," noted Sheila Akbar, 28, a Ph.D. student in comparative literature at Indiana University.

Despite initial reservations from some, neighbors who passed by the painting could not help but stop and take in the scene. All afternoon, passersby slackened their pace along DeKalb and Vanderbilt to comment, inquire, and even to volunteer. "It's like a whole new world," remarked a man in a leopard-print shirt and a red trucker's cap, while a couple power-walking in sweats shouted, "Yay, we love maps."

Afternoon settled into evening and the projector's light gained prominence. A pair of walkers could not resist the urge to make shadow puppets by the light of the projector. A few others peeked around the corner to see if a movie was being shot. Small crowds formed and dissolved, made small talk, and pointed to where they lived on the emerging mural. Balk had accomplished her mission.

Tillie's of Brooklyn is located at 248 DeKalb Avenue in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. For more information on the mural project, go to http://tilliesmuralproject.blogspot.com.

Video is here!!

2008-08-05T17:04:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who came to participate in this event. A dedication ceremony is in the works for late September early October.

Dot Day!

2008-06-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who participated! We got a lot of dots and will offer another chance to add your home to the map in a couple of weeks...

Video pt. one

2008-06-19T20:15:00.001-07:00

Here is the first take of the video in progress. For some reason the blog won't let me up load so here is a link to it on You Tube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V07Gvmdd1zE

Phase III: Part VI

2008-06-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

It's dark. It was late.

After a long day of playing "I spy" for eye sores, it was to the point where we could say it's done, or it was just too dark to be a perfectionist.

Looking forward to Saturday for the addition of the dots!

Phase III: Part V

2008-06-18T16:33:00.000-07:00

End of day five....now it's time for perfection!

Phase III: Part IV

2008-06-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

end of day four...

time lapse movie coming soon!

Phase III: Part III

2008-06-16T17:02:00.001-07:00

Phase III: Part II

2008-06-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

End of Painting Day Two

Phase III: Part I

2008-06-16T08:58:00.001-07:00

End of Day one of Painting:

Phase Two: the Projection!

2008-06-14T13:35:00.001-07:00

On Friday, we projected the image using an overhead projector and a transparency of the map image. I first made the lines in pencil, then with help, painted the lines in.

There was a lot of buzz around this illuminated event...thank you to everyone who stopped by! A special thanks to Selena Lounds, Dylan Parker and Michelle for their help painting and to Dan Ceusters and Kathleen Hayek for being great cheerleaders! Special thanks to Scott Olster for his interest in the project and facilitating great community conversation.

Full Moon: Phase One

2008-06-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

We broke ground, or rather wall on Tillie's Mural!

After an intense power washing, we were visited by angel Paul who helped up fix the missing mortar. We then drew the circle using wire and oil pastel. We filled it in using weather-proofing sealer.

It looked like a full moon....

Special thank you to Amos and Romi...my manly heros and to Paul, our mural angel who floated in with the right tools just when we needed a solution. Thanks also to Angela Earley, the talented artist who did the high ladder painting into the wee hours of night...

Projected Painting Schedule

2008-06-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

I am planning on painting on these days and seeking volunteers for any time that you are available and want to jump in...

Corner of Vanderbilt and Dekalb in Clinton Hill/Ft. Greene Brooklyn. Side wall of Tillie's Coffee Shop.

C or G to Clinton Washington, Clinton Side, one block west to Vanderbilt.

These dates and times are subject to change, dependent on weather.

Friday June 13th: 6-?: Projection of the image and drawing out the map

Saturday June 14th: 12-4pm: General Painting

Sunday, June 15th: 12-4pm: General Painting

Monday, June 16th: 3-7pm: General Painting

Wednesday, June 17th: 3-7pm: General Painting, push to finish and details

Thursday, June 18th (if needed): 3-7pm

Saturday, June 21st: 12-6pm. Community Painting day and Dedication Ceremony. Refreshments provided by Tillies. Come put your mark on the Mural!

Sunday, June 22nd: 12-? exterior varnish and general finishing

Dedications and Donations

2008-06-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

This mural is being made possible with donations from community members and organizations.

South of the Navy Yard Artist has partnered with me to create SONYA Mural arts Fund, which will be used to create and implement murals and public art project that support youth and neighborhoods in Brooklyn. The public is invited to make tax-deductible donations by visiting SONYA's website: http://www.sonyaonline.org and click on donate, then note " Mural arts fund" under special instructions so the funds can be allocated properly.

With fiscal sponsorship and support from SONYA, this mural is being funded by a grant from the Puffin Foundation and with a generous donation from the Society for Clinton Hill. It is also supported by: the Landmarks Commission, the Community Board of Kings County, building owner Danny Browne, Tillie's owners, Patricia Mulcahy and Amos Yogev and many enthusiastic community members.

Sketches of what to expect

2008-06-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

Painted sketch of image for wall

idea of what's to come...

this is the map of Clinton Hill/Ft. Greene that will be projected on the wall.

Tillie's coffee shop is on Delkab ave and Vanderbilt Ave: the exact center, both east and west and north and south, of Clinton Hill and Ft. Greene. The purpose of the mural is to connect these two diverse neighborhoods in one place and to raise awareness of just how close we are to each other. The blank wall of Tillie's is perfect for this venture.

And we're off!

2008-06-02T12:42:00.001-07:00

With much planning finished, we are getting ready to start painting our community mural starting on June 13th with a projection and painting session starting around 6pm. We will continue to paint throughout the week. I have been reluctant to set a schedule for the week of painting, but as it gets closer I realize that I might have to...so stay tuned for that.

On Saturday, June 21st from 12-6pm we will have our dedication celebration and community painting day where everyone will be invited to participate by adding a dot to the mural, denoting where they live.

This is a really exciting project and we hope that it unifies this very diverse and quickly changing neighborhood.

Keep checking the blog for progress pictures and schedules!