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Mural Depicting 'One Crown Heights' Needs a Home, Artists Say

By Rachel Holliday Smith | January 29, 2016 3:55pm | Updated on January 31, 2016 5:42pm
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The "One Crown Heights" mural is a collaborative art project spearheaded by the arts-based non-profit Groundswell and Councilwoman Lauria Cumbo.
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Groundswell

CROWN HEIGHTS — A new mural dedicated to the diversity of Crown Heights is taking shape in the neighborhood, but it needs a wall to call home before it can go on display, its creators said.

The “One Crown Heights” mural, designed by a group of local teens working with the art nonprofit Groundswell, is set to be completed this spring, said lead artist Danielle McDonald.

In it, 25 young artists have depicted dozens of images in an “intricate” design, she said, including scenes of bakeries, families and the West Indian Day Parade woven in with famous landmarks like the Weeksville Heritage Center and the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters.

“There are so many layers to the neighborhood and it’s impossible to simplify it, so the imagery is complex,” she said of the design. “The more you look at it, the more you’re going to be drawn into the story. At least, that’s our hope.”

The project got its start through funding from Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo, the district’s city council representative, who wanted to give residents “a visual image of ‘one Crown Heights,’” — a phrase borrowed from the the influential Lubavitcher leader Rebbe Menachem Schneerson, she said — after being called to too many incidents of violence between the black and Jewish communities.

“I wanted to create this mural project as a way to bring the Jewish, the African-American, the Caribbean community and new people of all different races and nationalities … all of these different voices together,” she said.

To get the content of the mural right, the Groundswell artists did months of research about the area’s history and culture, including reading newspaper articles, watching documentaries and touring the neighborhood with local leaders, McDonald said.

A particularly memorable moment, she said, was a visit to a Hasidic art gallery on Kingston Avenue, hosted by a longtime resident and rabbi.

“That was really cool because the kids got to ask questions about the [Jewish] community and dispel some myths,” she said. “It’s so segregated that there are a lot of stereotypes.”

Their research included learning about the Crown Heights riots of August 1991, which she said are a factor in the mural, but not its theme, despite the fact that the artwork will be installed just before the 25th anniversary of the violence.

“The focus is on the relationships between the different diverse communities in Crown Heights today,” she said. “The riots are just part of the history that we’ve explored in understanding the relationships, but it’s not the focus.”

The design for the mural is nearly done after several workshops and panel discussions were held to get community input on what should be included, McDonald said. But the group is still looking for a site — a building or wall — to put the artwork.

Cumbo hopes they eventually find a spot in the neighborhood where lots of people meet and pass by every day so “they’re reminded of the ideal of what the community can be.”

“The goal is to create this concept of people living together and to encourage people to continue to find ways to live together. Because it’s an ongoing process. It will never end,” she said.

Anyone looking for more information about the mural project or to get in touch with its creators are encouraged to visit groundswell.nyc or to call 718-254-9782.