The Q at Parkside

(for those for whom the Parkside Q is their hometrain)

News and Nonsense from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Lefferts and environs, or more specifically a neighborhood once known as Melrose Park. Sometimes called Lefferts Gardens. Or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Or PLG. Or North Flatbush. Or Caledonia (west of Ocean). Or West Pigtown. Across From Park Slope. Under Crown Heights. Near Drummer's Grove. The Side of the Park With the McDonalds. Jackie Robinson Town. Home of Lefferts Manor. West Wingate. Near Kings County Hospital. Or if you're coming from the airport in taxi, maybe just Flatbush is best.

Friday, May 11, 2018

Mere Mortal Murals

Say that five times fast. Or not. It's late on a Friday and it's time to get stupid with gummy bears and flavored seltzers. Why is St. Croix suddenly, like, EVERYWHERE? And those skinny cans too.

A new muralist is about to take her muse to the wall at the SE corner of Hawthorne and Flatbush. Katie is her name, and muralling is her game. And she's no hack. She did the gorgeous and giant mural that adorns the soon-to-be-demolished building at 80 Flatbush. You know the one - looks like a chalkboard full of modern hieroglyphics? It's incredible. So now Katie Merz is on the case on Fenimore. Read more here.

In the meantime, some locals took to a new-fangled electronic message board called Facebook to complain about change. Jesus! That thing went up since after I started this here blog, by the good folks at PLG Arts, back in 2011. It's not exactly landmarked or nothin' and it was lookin' pretty ratty. I mean catty. But way back in 2011, long before Twitter became a part of the national identity, why I was...




4 comments:

diak said...

I think the mural at 80 Flatbush is great. We'd be lucky to have anything nearly that spectacular. But truth is, Cezanne could come back to life and paint that wall and someone would complain. Or around here, many someones...

And speaking of complaints—Habib Deli? Where this mural is going to be? They deluged the neighborhood with menus today. There were five on my stoop alone. Expect this trash to be littering the streets for days to come.
So, thank you Habib Deli for contributing to the beautification of PLG.
And go fuck yourselves Habib Deli for spreading your litter throughout PLG. I'll never patronize your store...

Bob Marvin said...

I got those menus today too [although just 2 0r them], so I agree with diak's assessment of the deli. From what the reporter who wrote the Brooklyn Paper article told me I think it was the building manager who contracted with the artist.

When we created the original mural I had a bitter complaint from a tenant that we were painting a mural, rather than her apartment. She had a point, but probably thought that the landlord was paying for the mural, rather than judst providing a wall for volunteers to beautify.

Anonymous said...

Surprised they didn't call the cops on that wall.

Bob Marvin said...

Who are "they" and why would they have called the cops?