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.