Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

City to Paint Mural on Street Near TriBeCa Citi Bike Station

 Franklin Street is set to be covered with a latex painting as part of a citywide bid to put murals on the streets near Citi Bike station.
Franklin Street Art
View Full Caption

TRIBECA — Art is hitting the street in TriBeCa, to celebrate the rollout of Citi Bike.

The Department of Transportation’s Urban Art Program is slated to paint a slice of Franklin Street between West Broadway and Varick Street, home to a new Citi Bike station, with colorful street art, to mark the launch of the bike share program, officials announced.

The TriBeCa street mural will be the first in a series of Citi Bike station asphalt designs, said Emily Colassaco, manager of DOT’s Urban Art Program — though she did not specify where the next pieces would appear.

Brooklyn artist Emily Caisip’s whimsical feather design — which will be painted in either its bright blue or bright orange version — was chosen out of about 21 artist proposals for Franklin Street, Colassaco told Community Board 1 last week.

The city will coat the short block, which was closed to traffic to make room for the Citi Bike dock, with a special latex paint that will naturally wear away in about a year, Colassaco said.

Some CB1 members questioned whether the art was necessary, and a few complained about the closure of that part of Franklin Street, but most supported the design.

"We think it's a fun way to celebrate the program and the city's artists," Colassaco said.

Franklin Street's art is scheduled to go on display in August, she said.