Sign of hope
New, multi-colored mural aims
to inspire on Atlantic Avenue
BY MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK
Talk about a pop of color!
The artist behind a new,
multi-colored mural in Downtown
Brooklyn is hoping his
work brings hope to those
who pass by it.
The piece, aptly titled
“HOPE,” was commissioned
by owners of the Atlantic Terminal
Mall and painted by
Brooklyn artist Jason Naylor
on Atlantic Avenue near the
corner of Fort Green Place.
Naylor, known for his
eclectic and colorful murals,
hopes the 20-by-24-foot piece
— tucked between Old Navy
and Marshalls — will bring
joy to Brooklynites during
the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This mural is a tribute
to the essential workers and
true heroes who are on the
frontlines of the pandemic,
who are giving us hope,” the
artist told Brooklyn Paper.
BROOKLYN
BRIGHT STUFF: The before and after. Madison International Realty
Film studio helping in hunger fi ght
Borough-based production company pays it forward during pandemic
COURIER L 32 IFE, MAY 15-21, 2020
“By injecting color, inspired
by the current rainbow drawings,
the goal is to stimulate
the senses in a positive way
and to spread hope, love and
positivity.”
Evan Walke, portfolio
manager at Madison International
Realty, the group
that commissioned the mural,
said he hopes the artwork
will help New Yorkers
through some of the city’s
darkest days.
“We believe this mural
conveys the message of hope
and that brighter days are to
come,” he said. “The mural
is dedicated to the essential
workforce, the true heroes
of this world. These heroes
are the ones that give us hope
that hold our community together.
Through these trying
times, it is important for our
community to celebrate this
sentiment of resilience and
courage.”
“HOPE” is the third artwork
commissioned by Madison
International Reality.
The group previously tapped
local artist Patrick Dougher
to create a mural inspired by
rapper Notorious B.I.G., titled
“Spread Love.”
Soon after, the group partnered
with a collective of
emerging artists from the
Museum of Contemporary
African Diasporan Arts to
create a calming mural titled
“Take It Easy.”
“We have always shared
an interest in public art and
the presence it can have in the
community,” Walke said, adding
that the Atlantic Terminal
Mall is an “integral part”
of the Downtown Brooklyn.
“We have welcomed art at
our properties as way to help
bring enjoyment to the neighborhood,
while also contributing
to the arts and urban
landscape.”
And, “HOPE” isn’t Naylor’s
only tribute to essential
workers since the outbreak of
novel coronavirus. On May 7,
the artist unveiled a painted
banner outside Memorial
Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
in Manhattan that reads,
“You have always been essential.”
BY BEN VERDE
A Greenpoint-based production
studio is stepping up
to help out during the pandemic
— offering help to both
their Brooklyn neighbors and
the entire city.
Broadway Stages, which
operates television and fi lm
production stages throughout
the borough, has leased
its East New York space to the
Campaign Against Hunger on
a pro-bono lease, allowing the
hunger-fi ghting group to harness
the resources it needs to
feed thousands of New Yorkers
each week.
“Their operations have
become so robust, that without
Broadway Stages, a lot of
what they’re doing wouldn’t
be possible,” said Samara
Schaum, a spokesperson for
the production company.
At the Broadway Stages
space, the campaign is able to
repackage thousands of meals
a week for distribution across
the city, at a time when more
and more New Yorkers fi nd
themselves unemployed due
to the coronavirus pandemic,
and food pantry demand is at
an all-time-high.
The three-month lease is
worth over $100,000, according
to Schaum.
On a local level, the production
company has lent a hand
to numerous causes around
north Brooklyn. To combat
food insecurity among seniors,
Broadway Stages donated
loaves of bread to the
79th Precinct in Bedford-
Stuyvesant, who then distributed
them to local seniors in
their homes. To assist with
remote learning, the group
donated school supplies to
roughly 100 students at PS 23
in East New York. And to help
out hard-hit Elmhurst Hospital,
Broadway Stages donated
400 shoe coverings.
That’s only a portion of
their efforts in the neighborhood,
which also include
a $2,500 contribution to the
North Brooklyn Angels mobile
food truck, the Angel-
Mobile, and a donation of
dry foods to the Cooper Park
Housing Association.
All of their efforts are
spurred by the company’s
community-fi rst mindset, according
to Monica Holowacz,
director of community outreach
for Broadway Stages.
“We’re really a company
that focuses on the community,”
Holowacz said. “We’re
very family-oriented and if
we can lend a helping hand
we’re very much happy to do
so.”
Campaign Against Hunger set up shop at Broadway Stagges. Campaign Against Hunger/Broadway Stages