A quick trip to Manhattan’s Chinatown this week offered the opportunity to check out some great street art.
First off was the Chinatown Mural Project’s exuberant Dragon Lion Medley on the exterior of Chinatown Lumber at 140 East Broadway. A collaboration between community activist Karlin Chan and artist Peach Tao @peacheeblue, the mural features a festive dragon and lion dance amid neighborhood fixtures such as PS 23, Church of the Transfiguration, and Wo Hop and Hop Kee restaurants.
The Chinatown Mural Project was founded earlier this year to install similar charming and “culturally appropriate” murals across the historic lower Manhattan neighborhood that “reflect the cultural and daily lives of residents of Chinatown,” according to the organization’s Facebook page. The initiative aims to attract tourists back to the once bustling neighborhood with Instagram-ready “selfie spots” and help the local businesses that have struggled during the pandemic.
Other Chinatown Mural Project works include Zodiac Dim Sum, the twelve Chinese astrology animals happily dining on dumplings and buns; Mahjong Social, featuring four pigeons playing the tile-based game; and Noodle Shop, starring a scallion-chopping tiger and a white rabbit serving up a bowl of noodles. The murals are filled with detail and whimsy and are sure to delight residents and visitors of all ages. There's a Go Fund Me page to help pay for supplies for Chinatown Mural Project. Click here to contribute.
On the wall of Emma Lazarus High School over on Eldridge Street (at the corner of Hester) are two recent murals curated by @eastvillagewalls. Street artist Mark Paul Deren @madsteez painted a touching tribute to the late LA Laker Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna who were killed in a plane crash in January. To the right is BKFOXX’s One Man’s Trash (is a mouse’s treasure), a stunning photorealistic ode to the Year of the Rat featuring a larger-than-life white rodent surveying his collection of golden trinkets.
On the opposite side of Hester Street, one block up, is BKFOXX’s The Wrath of God, an eerie black-and-white image of a mask-wearing skull. Just around the corner on Hester is a soothing collaboration between Adam K. Fujita @adamfu and Natasha May Platt @surfaceofbeauty. The piece features a striking neon violet heart by Fujita surrounding a delicate floral arrangement by Platt.
The cheerful postcard-like mural, Greetings from Chinatown, welcomes everyone at the intersection of Allen and Division Streets. The proud and loud ode to Chinatown was created in 2014 by artists Victor Ving and Lisa Beggs.
Large-scale letters spelling Chinatown contain landmarks and images found throughout the neighborhood, including a lucky cat, the Manhattan Bridge, the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory mascot, Canal Street "Louis Vuitton" bags, the Fung Wah bus, and Nom Wah Tea Parlor. After completing this eye-catching mural, the couple set out in an RV on a mission to create postcard murals in every state. They’ve completed 44 so far. Learn more at greetingstour.com and @greetingstour.
Take a trip to Chinatown and search for more street art yourself, and remember to support the small businesses while you're there.
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