Writing On The Walls in Brownsville

Writing on the Walls is a public mural arts initiative based in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Brownsville, a small, working-class neighborhood in central Brooklyn, is home to mostly blacks and Hispanics. The hardscrabble Brooklyn neighborhood, with the unofficial motto "Never ran, never will," is also at the bottom of the barrel for robberies and shootings and is the murder capital of New York. Jobs are tough to find, and poverty is hard to root out for an area that has the city's highest concentration of public housing developments. 


Writing On The Walls was conceived by artist and community revitalizer N. Carlos Jay in 2014. The Writing On The Walls Art District, which is located off Belmont avenue between Mother Gaston Boulevard and Rockaway Avenue, currently contains 12 public murals. To date, eleven internationally renowned urban artists have completed murals in the Belmont commercial enclave. The artist have worked along with youth and seniors within the community to create these murals. Each artwork represents the individual artist's vision within the mandate that it must be inspired by the Brownsville community.


N. Carlos Jay was inspired to do this project for his father, Charles H. Jefferson, who was born and raised in Brownsville. His father was diagnosed with cancer last year and wasn't given much time to live. He wanted to dedicate an art project to his father who has been a big inspiration to him throughout his life. He decided to do it his dad's old stomping grounds and was looking for something big to transform the once vibrant section of Brownsville, and arrived at a simple idea: "Brownville's large stock of buildings, many with shuttered gates, would become giant canvases for some of the greatest art in one place. These images will inspire and spark change within a neighborhood with a forgotten rich history" Starting with the Belmont avenue area of three separate buildings, his goal is to create a center where people could gravitate to and explore, and to develop the area's pedestrian potential.


The reaction of the community at large has been extremely enthusiastic and recently Local News 12 interviewed the Writing On The Walls curator and one of the artist regarding the project. Ten more murals are currently being planned but to continue the project we are asking for your help by donating to the cause! The majority of the project has been self funded by the curator and the participating artist so were looking to raise $10,000. The money raised will help fund these new murals and provide a dedication for the man behind the inspiration of these murals, Charles H Jefferson. 


We are offering a variety of perks depending on your level of contribution to this project including limited edition high quality prints of the murals, custom artwork from select artist of our collective, T-shirts and more!


We sincerely hope that you’ll help us in making sure this project continues and once you contribute, we want you to know that you’ll immediately be considered a part of the Writing On The Walls family. We truly believe this is an opportunity for all of us to have a part in bringing change to a community that sorely  needs it... right now.



http://brooklyn.news12.com/multimedia/french-artist-paints-giant-mural-in-brownsville-1.10816253

https://youtu.be/CN2G-e1zTAM

http://streetartnyc.org/blog/2015/08/31/writing-on-the-walls-in-brownsville-brooklyn-part-i-with-werc-el-nino-de-las-pinturas-eelco-bk-foxx-lexi-bella-fumero-and-n-carlos-j/


#writingonthewalls #charleshjefferson #brownsville #brooklynisthefuture