Multimedia artist Mike Perry is leading a team of creatives in a community-preserving quest for Brooklyn. As an artistic and subtle jab at new condo developments, neighborhood residents are turning to art to maintain the area's vibrant culture.
A massive 22-acre land near the newly built Barclays Center will be home to two new residential complexes, which fueled Perry to start this project. The construction site's 820-foot fence is now home to a series of murals painted by Brooklyn's artists.
The murals, which took a few days to complete, are artistic and creative ways of reclaiming the space, but not are not destructive or negative at all. Instead, the murals are meant to be community-preserving. More importantly, they act as a reminder to future occupants to respect and absorb the well-established culture.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Community-preserving Murals
- The use of murals to preserve cultural identity and community in the face of new development and urbanization.
- Creative Reclamation of Urban Spaces
- The repurposing of construction sites and urban spaces through art, rather than destruction or gentrification.
- Subversive Art as Social Commentary
- Artists using their craft to make subtle, yet powerful statements on the effects of development on marginalized communities.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Real Estate
- Opportunities for developers to incorporate community-driven art projects as a means of preserving the cultural identity of the areas they develop.
- Art and Design
- Growth in demand for community-based art installations and murals that reflect the identity and values of the local population.
- Activism and Social Justice
- Growth in subversive art forms as a means of social commentary on the effects of development on marginalized communities, which in turn will lead to increased demand for such art and initiatives.
