Street art in New York: two projects to check out in Queens!

I love street art, and if you also belong to this group, New York is a full plate this regard. I think it’s amazing how this kind of art can completely transform a place. It is a form of expression and attitude. I like to see the creativity in a corner, in a door, in a high wall, a window. Also, street arts always yield great photos. I’ve talked here on the blog about The Bushwick Collective, a very nice project in Bushwick, Brooklyn. A few days ago, I went for a walk in Queens with a friend to check closely two super cool projects of street art: Top to Bottom and Welling Court Mural Project.

Top to Bottom project is a public mural located in the south of the Queensboro Bridge in Long Island City, in addition to being a creative lab community. Under the creative direction of James P. Quinn, the paintings take the walls of a warehouse. 50 local and also international artists transformed the place with vibrant colors and creativity. The coolest part is that the street art also takes the rooftop  – and needless to say the view is spectacular, right? Do not forget to get around the entire building to see all the arts – and remember to look up and also go to the rooftop. One of the paintings is signed by a Brazilian artist, Binho Ribeiro – when going there, just look the owl that is above the art that appears in the first photo.

Address: 43-01 21st St – Queens. Use E or M subway lines, get off at Court Square-23 Street Station. From the station to Top to Bottom, you will walk 5 minutes.

Welling Court Mural Project is located in Astoria. In 2009, the Welling Court community reached out to Ad Hoc Art—a design house known for their out-of-the-box thinking and culturally relevant artwork. The folks in the Welling Court area wanted to develop what they knew could be the cultural aesthetic of their own neighborhood. Welling Court sits near the base of Astoria Park bordering the waterfront on Vernon Boulevard with a lovely community garden as its center point. The many brick warehouses with large steel door docks seemed like prime real estate for ground-to-top-floor murals. In May of 2010, the 1st Welling Court Mural Project debuted 44 different pieces of art. Since then, the collection has grown to 80+ artists and over 120 different works of art. I was amazed with the number of arts and the beauty of each. The area is very quiet, residential – and reminded me Bushwick. The arts are at Welling Court and 30th Ave. I recommend exploring the area, checking the near streets because there is much to be seen – and do not forget to look at all sides.

Address: 11-98 Welling Ct.  Use N or Q lines and get off at  30 Av. You can walk (10 to 15 minutes) or get a bus (Q18 or Q102). If you wanna check both projects on the same day, get the 169 bus (bus stop is located next to Top to Bottom) until 30th Ave.