New York City is a global hub for street art, and no place showcases this vibrant culture better than the Bushwick Collective in Brooklyn. It started as a small initiative to revitalise the neighbourhood and now it has grown into a busy tourist destination. This open-air gallery, that here and there covers entire buildings, brings together local and international artists.
I had a chance to visit New York City in the spring of 2023. New York City was at the top of my bucket list and I had a very good time there. If I had been able to skip sleeping like the city does, I definitely would have done it, because there are so many things to see and so much to do in the Big Apple. One of the activities you can do is chasing street art.
Street art in New York City
I love street art. I am fascinated that these arts are not only beautifully made, but a lot of the times they have some heavy meaning, or they reflect on social matters or environmental issues, that are relevant in our day and age. They make you think.
In NYC you can find some of the best murals and I plan to write about the areas where you can find these walls in a series. Let’s start with The Bushwick Collective.
About The Bushwick Collective
The Bushwick Collective was founded in 2012 by Joseph Ficalora, when local industrial building owners provided empty walls for street artists to show their arts and beautify the area. It is a dynamic outdoor art gallery showing the works of artists from all over the world. Usually, the murals live approximately a year long and then the paintings are replaced with new ones.
You can get yourself a guide, who is guiding you through the streets and telling you about the artists and their arts. I wanted to do a guided tour, but I did not know when I would have time to go, so in the end I went by myself. You can easily spend several hours admiring these paintings, I spent around 4 hours there.
You can check here the webpage, FB, or IG of the collective.
Where is it located, how to get there?
It is located in Bushwick, Brooklyn, this is where the name came from.
Bushwick is easily accessible by the subway, you shall take the line “L” and get off at Jefferson Street. It is a hipster area with a lot of cafes and pubs and of course the murals. If you wander a bit farther, you can easily found yourself in a bit of shady areas. When I went, I wandered these streets all alone, but nothing bad happened, fortunately.
You can even attend to a workshop, where you can paint your own graffiti. Check out e.g. this or this page for both a guided tour or for a workshop.
But let’s see the artworks, these are some of my favourites from 2023, the rest see for yourself:
Visiting the Bushwick Collective is a must, whether you’re a seasoned street art enthusiast or just someone looking for an inspiring walk through Brooklyn. This neighbourhood offers one of the most exciting art experiences in New York City. With the ever-changing murals, rich history, and diverse artists, the Bushwick Collective is proof that art isn’t just found in museums, it thrives on the streets, too.
Stay tuned for the next part of this series, where we’ll explore more of NYC’s best street art locations!
