Artist beautifi es outdoor dining barriers
BY JESSICA PARKS
A southern Brooklyn artist
hand-painted a handful of
outdoor dining spaces on Bay
Ridge’s Fifth Avenue, transforming
the colorless barriers
into vibrant displays throughout
the thoroughfare.
“It brings positive attention
to a business in such a
time of hardship and struggle
for a lot of people,” said Nicole
Stuart, a local artist living in
Bensonhurst.
The project, conducted in
collaboration with the Bay
Ridge Fifth Avenue Business
Improvement District, aims
to help small business owners
spruce up their dining spaces
and bring more attention to
their eateries.
“It brings a much different
space,” Stuart said. “Something
as simple as now having
your name hand-painted, I feel
like that is a different vibe. I
just think it brings attention
in a different way and people
appreciate it.”
Stuart, who founded Building
Brooklyn Street Art, an
organization promoting community
based street art, said
she is constantly scouring
free space outdoors to use as
her canvas — most recently
working with the BID to paint
a selection of public benches
along the avenue.
“I will be driving around
and any free space I see, I
think, ‘A mural would look
great there,'” she said. “So to
me, it was just like, this is open
space we should be using and
it’s currently not that appealing
to the eye — let’s fi x this.”
For the BID’s executive director,
COURIER L 4 IFE, SEPT. 25-OCT. 1, 2020
the project just seemed
“natural” — a way to support
local restaurants during the
pandemic while promoting
the neighborhood’s artsy feel.
“The restaurants are really
happy — it just brightens
things up, it makes their outdoor
space look better and everyone
seems to really enjoy
it,” said Amanda Zenteno.
In under two weeks, half a
dozen area restaurants were
sporting designs from Stuart.
“We were not sure how
many businesses were even
going to have applicable space
for it,” she said. “But then it
all went quickly, I did all six
spaces in a week and a half.”
All the artwork was conceived
with input from the local
restaurant owners, who
were asked to select three colors
emblematic to their restaurant
to start off, which Stuart
then tried not to stray from in
an effort to keep costs covered
by the BID low. “Businesses
including my own are on the
struggle bus right now,” Stuart
said. “So we were trying to
make it affordable.”
Owners of Bay Ridge’s staple
for German fare, Schnitzel
Haus, said Stuart’s design
has ramped up their presence
on the avenue — showcasing
their business name better
than ever before.
“I like the whole branding
aspect of it,” said Amber Urban.
“We have our name out in front
of the building, but there is a
tree in front of the building so
it’s not necessarily visible from
the street. This gives us more.”
The colors also help their
outdoor dining spaces stand
out among the 31 restaurants
currently open for outdoor
dining on Bay Ridge’s Fifth
Avenue, Urban said.
Stuart hopes to beautify
even more barricades throughout
the borough.
“I am super passionate
about this stuff, I just feel like
it should be like this,” Stuart
said. “If I can make one person’s
day better, one more patron
come to their business,
why wouldn’t I want to try to
facilitate that?”
The BID also aims to continue
the collaboration with
Stuart, as well as other artists.
“Frankly, we are going to
keep doing it,” Zenteno said.
“It’s our goal to fi nd more ways
to bring art to the avenue, a little
bit every year.”
(L) Artist Nicole Stuart poses with the mural
she painted for Gino’s. (R) The outdoor dining
barrier Stuart painted for Schnitzel Haus.
Photos by Meaghan McGoldrick