L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano W a l k i n g d o w n Mulberry Street, gela- t o a l l a n o c c i o l a i n hand, I couldn't help but watch the old man wearing a vest and a coppola animatedly talking to his friend in Sicilian. If I had snapped a picture, you would have guessed that they were in Italy, but the background gave it away. They were in Little Italy in New York City. Behind them was a colorful, abstract mural of Audrey Hepburn, created by street art muralist Tristan Eaton. A c u r i o u s j u x t a p o s i t i o n , b u t both belonged: those men who held the stories of the past in t h e i r h a n d g e s t u r e s , a n d t h e mural that represents the Little Italy of the present, reaching into the future. Thanks to the Little Italy Street Art Project, the neighborhood is peppered with these vibrant and colorful m u r a l s c r e a t e d b y a d i v e r s e group of street artists. I spoke with Wayne Rada, founder and curator of L.I.S.A. P r o j e c t N Y C , a 5 0 1 ( c ) 3 n o n profit organization that works in collaboration with the Little Italy Merchant's Association. He explains how they started painting the town red (and blue, a n d g r e e n , a n d y e l l o w , a n d pink, etc.), creating Manhattan's first and only mural district. Rada used to work as a man- ager and producer in the come- dy industry. In 2012 he worked with Caroline Hirsch, owner of t h e s t a n d - u p c o m e d y c l u b Caroline's On Broadway, and Louis Faranda, to produce the New York Comedy Festival. "Instagram was really coming into the fold. As a collector of street art, graffiti and contempo- rary art, I suggested that we put up some funny murals in the city. We wouldn't use logos or put up any kind of signage. We would simply put up art for the sake of art," he said. The art- works would be connected to the Festival via the use of social media and hashtags. Some of t h e a r t i s t s i n c l u d e d G I L F ! , Hanksy, and Ron English, who created the "Temper Tot" mural portraying a green baby Hulk. Why Little Italy? It's a his- toric district, which means that billboards and advertisements (eyesores that compromise the neighborhood's historic charm) are not allowed, but artwork is. I t w a s t h e d a y b e f o r e t h e press conference. The murals had been painted and signed; e v e r y t h i n g w a s s e t . T h e n Hurricane Sandy hit, rushing through New York in a fury. "It crippled lower Manhattan. It was horrible. We were in the dark. Downtown was power- less," said Rada. Little did he know, the storm was a blessing in disguise. The clouds parted and one by one merchants and business owners came out to assess the damage done to their restaurants. What they found amidst the mess was people walking around, snap- ping pictures of the art they saw on the walls. "The merchants were excited because most peo- ple obviously only come there to eat. Giving them another rea- son to visit Little Italy was a great idea," he said. In an effort to protect the murals they gave the program a name and established it as a 501(c)3 charity, and so L.I.S.A Project NYC was born. "Being Italian is all about family and when I think about that I think of the first three letters. FAM… Food, art, and music. They have food, music in the summer, and we just brought the art," said VINCENZA DI MAGGIO Little Italy Street Art Project: Enlivening the Streets of a Historic Neighborhood, One Mural at a Time Rada. The charity is run by Rada, R e y n a l d o R o s a , a n d R o b e r t Ianniello, owner of Umberto's C l a m H o u s e . T o g e t h e r , a n d with the support of the Little Italy Merchant's Association, t h e y h a v e p u t u p o v e r 2 0 0 murals. "We think of ourselves as not only creating free, cultur- al events for the community, but also as a resource on how to p r o d u c e t h e s e e v e n t s , a n d enhance your community in a good way," said Rada. There are three kinds of loca- tions that they focus on: home- less shelters, schools, and areas t h a t b e n e f i t t h e c o m m u n i t y . There is a lot to take into con- sideration when deciding which murals to put up. For instance, they collaborate with the build- ing owners. "Sometimes you h a v e t o c h a l l e n g e p e o p l e t o embrace art, because they can be so afraid of it," said Rada. If a mural is to go up on one of the walls of the three historic blocks, they tend to use artwork that commemorates the immi- gration experience. For exam- ple, located at 161 Mulberry S t r e e t i s a m u r a l e n t i t l e d "Cursum Perficio" (which trans- lates to "My Journey is Over" in Latin) by artist Beau Stanton. It depicts an immigrant passenger ship from the early 1900's. In vibrant tones of green and grey, the artist honors the historic neighborhood's role as the final, long-awaited destination for immigrants after a treacherous and nerve-racking trek across the Atlantic Ocean from their home country. There is also, "Liberty" by Tristan Eaton, located on the corner of Mulberry Street and Canal Street, which features a colorful portrait of the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of hope and new beginnings for immigrants. Other murals by Italian artists also raise a glass (or in this case, an espresso cup) to Italian heritage. Using black and pas- tels, Alex Pasquini created a m u r a l e n t i t l e d " R e a d i n g t h e Future in My Espresso," depict- ing a young girl looking into her cu p . A n o th er mu r al b y Lex i Bella features a portrait of the i c o n i c a n d b e a u t i f u l S o p h i a Loren. In a technology driven age, L.I.S.A. Project NYC aims to put up murals that celebrate Italian heritage, but also create ideal photo of moments. "The reality of it is that selfies and people putting their phones on sticks, it's something tourists and New Yorkers do. [Italian culture] coupled with some jaw- dropping photo moments that w i l l a t t r a c t p e o p l e a n d t o u r groups… those two ideas sup- port the project," said Rada. Over the past decade, Little Italy has sadly lost some of its Italian charm. Higher rents have forced established restaurants and shops to shut down. The fear is that soon enough tradi- tions such as the San Gennaro feast will be lost with the pass- ing of an older generation, and the iconic neighborhood will be engulfed by Chinatown, disap- pearing into the fabric of New York City until it's all but a memory. It's for this reason that the L.I.S.A. Project NYC is so important. It's helping to keep Little Italy alive by catering to and attracting a younger audi- ence, and offering visitors a free c u l t u r a l e x p e r i e n c e . " L i k e today, it's a nice, beautiful day to go on a walk, have an espres- so and a gelato, take a look at t h e m u r a l s . Y o u d o n ' t e v e n h a v e t o b u y a n y t h i n g , " s a i d Rada. Once you find one mural, you're on the look out for the next, and before you know it you'll find yourself on a mini scavenger hunt, uncovering for the art treasures of Little Italy. Audrey of Mulberry by Tristan Eaton - The LISA Project NYC. Photo: Rey Rosa Photography NEW YORK ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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