ROCKAWAY BEACH — Volunteers and artists gathered in Rockaway Beach over the weekend to begin painting what is being called the longest mural in New York City.
The Parks Department invited artists and designers to submit proposals to beautify the plain barriers as canvases for art.
Ten finalists were selected out of over 50 submissions and were then voted by community members, who selected designs by three artists.
The mural was painted along a one-mile stretch of barrier, and Benjamin Moore donated over 400 gallons of paint for the project.
The barriers have been placed on Shore Front Parkway to create a temporary walkway, which will act as a makeshift boardwalk on the peninsula.
Miles of boardwalk were destroyed during Hurricane Sandy, and the walkway will separate the street from the new path.
The project was made possible thanks to a partnership with Parks and the NYC Department of Transportation, the Community Affairs Unit (CAU) of the Office of the Mayor, NYC Service, New York Cares, Benjamin Moore, Rockaway Beach Civic Association, Rockaway Artists Alliance, and Friends of Rockaway Beach.