A commemoration was held to
celebrate the completion of
a gigantic mural depicting
humanity’s influence on
climate change along the
exterior of Hunters Point
Community Middle School in
Long Island City on Oct. 21.
To honor the artwork’s official completion,
students from the campus, elected
officials and the artist himself held a ceremony
christening the piece overlooking
the East River and the United Nations
headquarters.
After Federico Massa (also known as
Iena Cruz) was awarded first place in a
street art competition held by Green-
Point EARTH 2020: Screens2Streets, he
was commissioned to create a painting
that would represent the community of
Newtown Creek while also drawing attention
to the changing environment.
Over the course of 10 days, Massa
was elevated using an aerial work platform
to the vivid work of art to life so
thousands of residents and passersby
can enjoy its beauty for years to come,
making it a multi-generational experience.
It is with this sentiment that the celebration
kicked off, with two young students
from Hunters Point Middle School, who
took to the podium to express their admiration
for the eye-catching display.
Due to the current pandemic eighthgrader
Briana Naranjo attends remote
lessons, so it was exciting for her to see
the finished product in person.
“It is inspiring because it showed me
that expression can happen on a much
larger scale. It shows art happens in
many different ways, shapes and sizes,”
Naranjo said.
On the other hand, Heronima Valledor,
another eighth-grader from Hunter’s
Point Middle School, is participating in
blended learning, so she had the privilege
of watching the creation process
unfold over the two-week period.
“I have been lucky to view the process
of the mural. Some of the things that I
think are intriguing about this piece, artistically,
is the contrast of colors between
the bright blue and vibrant orange. How-
ART
Eco Art Newly unveiled mural at Long Island City
school brings awareness to climate change
BY DEAN MOSES
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