BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
Shantell Martin, a Londonbased
artist, transformed the
outdoor Seaside Playground
in Rockaway Beach with her
dynamic, black-and-white
drawings.
Martin debuted the handpainted
16,000 square feet mural
in the “Big Yard” at Waterside
Children’s Studio School
located on the corner of Rockaway
Beach Boulevard and
B109 Street in Rockaway Park
on Oct. 12, as part of an effort
to revitalize and beautify the
neighborhood.
The abstract mural with
text and images will be visible
to passersby, guests atop the
new The Rockaway Hotel and
NYC travelers coming by air.
Martin’s work is characterized
by by larger-than-life
drawings, which often explore
identity as a critical pathway
to self-expression and ask,
“who are you?”
“My hope was to create
something bold, to create
something that encouraged
and amplified ‘PLAY’ and
something that would lead to
discovery,” said Martin. “I
love that right when you enter
the playground there are the
words, ‘YES, YOU ARE YOU.’
It’s affirmative, unapologetic,
big, bold, and positive. Especially
for children as they
navigate who they are becoming.”
The mural’s design recalls
her recent work at Governor’s
Island, the Oculus, and Lincoln
Center’s promenade in
collaboration with the New
York City Ballet.
As part of the program,
Martin led a socially distant
virtual workshop to engage
students, community members
and local artists invested
in the community’s beautification.
Martin’s process involves
talking with community members
of which the project is being
made for, but this year’s
COVID-19 pandemic presented
some difficulties.
“This time around was
quite difficult, as the pandemic
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.4 COM | OCT. 30-NOV. 5, 2020
hit just as we were getting
into it, but we really did our
best,” she said. “Luckily for
me, Michi and her partners at
The Rockaway Hotel, and Laura
Frank and Carolina Cisneros,
Co-Chairs of the Friends
of Seaside Playground (FOSP),
already have deep roots in the
area. But in general, I want
the community to know me
and my work and I want the
community to feel included in
the process of the work.”
Michi Jigarjian, partner
and chief social impact officer
of The Rockaway Hotel,
and Martin have known each
other for several years — so
when the time came to work
together, it felt like a great fit.
“Art can be the connective
tissue of a community, and we
are so honored to work with
Shantell Marin to bring her
iconic vision of unity to the
Rockaway peninsula,” said
Jigarjian. “Facilitating public
art initiatives for social
change is paramount to the
hotel’s social impact goals.”
Her design is meant to
Photo by Jorge Marrón
represent the vibrancy of the
Rockaway community, which
Jigarjian said stands out for
being one of New York’s most
vulnerable yet most resilient
community.
Martin’s proposal was the
unanimous winner of an open
call for submissions led by
Friends of Seaside Playground
(FOSP). The mural is the first
part of FOSP’s long-term vision
to revitalize the playground
for the community.
“Through the wonder,
movement, and layers of details
embedded in her canvases,
Shantell Martin’s work
naturally engages the collective
imagination and brings
people together,” said Frank
and Cisneros in a joint statement.
The submission was in
partnership with and sponsored
by The Rockaway Hotel,
with the “Big Yard” mural
made possible by the hotel,
7|G Foundation and Citizens
Committee of New York City.
Award-winning artist creates mural
at playground in Rockaway Beach
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