Block Party Celebrates the UCA Murals

The Church Avenue BID hosted a community-wide block party on Sat. June 16 to celebrate the completion of five colorful murals on business’s security gates on Church Avenue.  Designed by local residents, chosen by the community, and painted by a dedicated group of volunteers, Uncover Church Avenue successfully engaged merchants, residents, and artists in changing the look of their neighborhood.

Over 40 people gathered at the party for a Mexican lunch buffet at El Acurio restaurant (1217 Church Ave.), listened to live music from local DJ NYCTrust, and got their faces and bodies painted with designs inspired by the murals.  Assemblymember Rhoda Jacobs, Councilmember Mathieu Eugene, and 70th Precinct Community Council’s Ed Powell also came by to lend their support.

The participating sites and artists include: Bruce Zeines for Bonnie Youth Club (1221 Church Ave.), Rudjessy Secours for Richie Rich (1219 Church Ave.), Sherry Ginsberg Davis for Iglesia Pentecostal (1115 Church Ave.), Catherine Rutgers for Drive Time Radio (1111 Church Ave.), and Nu Ryu for Children’s Corner (1101 Church Ave.). George Glean, owner of Children’s Corner said, “We hope this will inspire other neighborhoods to do something small and get great returns”.

Bonnie Youth Club players admire their clubhouse’s new mural

Eric Banta from NYC Trust looks on as a UCA guest plays DJ in front of Richie Rich’s new mural

Alex Mena (pictured) and Jason Martinez painted eager guests with mural-themed designs

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UCA Murals to be Unveiled this Saturday, 6/16

The Church Avenue BID is pleased to announce the latest, and most colorful, additions to our district. Join us on Saturday June 16^th, from 1 to 3 pm to celebrate the unveiling of five new Uncover Church Avenue murals installed on commercial gates along the Avenue. There will be delicious Mexican food provided by El Acuario, live music from Brooklyn-based DJ NYCTrust, and face painting with a special UCA twist.

When:        Saturday June 16, 2012, 1 to 3 pm
Where:       El Acuario (1217 Church Ave., between Argyle and Westminster Rds.)

A sneak peak is below. Come this Saturday and see all five of Church Avenue’s amazing new murals.

Bonnie Youth Club designed by Bruce Zeines

RSVP to Melissa Skolnick at 718-282-2500, ext. 63237 or melissask@churchavenue.org.

UCA Murals in Progress

There has been a lot of activity for Uncover Church Avenue in the past few months. Notably, the five chosen design have begun to be installed on the sites! A big Thank You to all of the volunteers at Brooklyn Tech High School, the 70th Precinct Explorers, and, of course, the UCA artists who made this possible. The painting process has been guided by our dedicated murals specialists Erica Harris and Areta Buk.  All photos below have been taken by Erica Harris. 

Richie Rich and Bonnie Youth Club primed and ready to be painted

Erica Harris and Bruce Zeines at Bonnie Youth Club

Brooklyn Tech students painting Richie Rich

Brooklyn Tech students after a hard days work in front of Richie Rich

Areta Buk painting Iglesia Pentecostal in front of a young Church Avenue passerby

To see the completed murals, Save the Date for the unveiling on Saturday, June 16th. More details on food, music, and activities to come shortly….

Uncover Church Avenue on News12 Tonight!

News12 will be airing a story on Uncover Church Avenue tonight at 5:30 pm (in brief) and 8 pm!

The UCA exhibition was filmed, including close ups of submissions, and artist Catherine Rutgers was kind enough to say a few words about her chosen design and the impact of the program as a whole.

See below to find out how to catch your favorite Church Avenue murals. Availability is dependant upon your cable provider. 

Cablevision: Channel 12
Time Warner: Channel 156
For online viewing, login in to the following link: http://www.news12.com/Login/home_login

Reminder: This Thursday, February 23rd is your last chance to see the Uncover Church Avenue exhibit. If you haven’t seen (or want to revisit) all of the submissions, head over to the 2nd floor of the Flatbush Branch Brooklyn Public Libary (22 Linden Blvd., off Flatbush Ave.).

Artists Announced for UCA Murals!

Church Avenue will have five new colorful and vibrant additions to the neighborhood in Spring 2012. The Church Avenue Business Improvement District (Church Avenue BID) is pleased to announce the designs selected for Uncover Church Avenue.

Uncover Church Avenue received over 50 submissions from artists throughout Brooklyn, including students from Erasmus Hall High School. After months of community voting, brochures distributed, and an exhibition at the Flatbush Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library (ending on February 24^th), the votes are finally in.

The participating Uncover Church Avenue artists include:

Bruce Zeines for Bonnie Youth Club (1221 Church Avenue)
Rudjessy Secours for Richie Rich (1219 Church Avenue)
Sherry Ginsberg Davis for Iglesia Pentecostal (1115 Church Avenue)
Nu for Children’s Corner (1101 Church Avenue)
Catherine Rutgers for Drive Time Radio (1111 Church Avenue)

The artists are a mix of local residents (Bruce Zeines, Sherry Ginsberg Davis, and Catherine Rutgers), a newcomer to Church Avenue (Nu), and an Erasmus Hall High School student (Rudjessy Secours). “This part of Church Avenue is a very interesting zone, with stores on one side and homes on the other”, states 20-year resident Catherine Rutgers, “My goal was to enhance a wonderful and complex environment, and bring eye-catching, refreshing brightness to the storefronts”.

Bruce Zeines's design for Bonnie Youth Club

Rudjessy Secours's design for Richie Rich

Sherry Ginsberg Davis's design for Iglesia Pentecostal

Catherine Rutgers's design for Drive Time Radio

Nu's design for the Children's Corner

 The Church Avenue BID applauds all of the artists who partipcated in Uncover Church Avenue and their commitment towards creating a positive and dynamic streetscape on Church Avenue.

Reminder!: There is one more week to check out all of the talented artists at the UCA exhibit at the Flatbush Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library (22 Linden Blvd., off Flatbush Ave.).

A Big Thanks to Our Supporters

We’re very happy to announce that Uncover Church Avenue has had a lot of support in the past few months.

Thank you to Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Ditmas Park Blog, and Brownstoner for getting the word out about the program. Additionally, the BID staff appeared on News12 and local cable shows, Sector B and Brooklyn 45, to promote UCA and Church Avenue.

Brooklyn Arts Council has joined AvenueNYC, a program of the NYC Department of Small Business Services, and Astoria Federal Savings Bank as the latest sponsor for Uncover Church Avenue.

We would like to thank all of the talented artists for their participation. Stay tuned… we will be announcing the chosen designs shortly!

Uncover Church Avenue Exhibit is Now Open

The opening night of the Uncover Church Avenue exhibition took place last night, Tuesday January 17th, and brought together artists, families, business owners, and community leaders to celebrate the creativity and dedication of the artists participating in the program.

Guests look at proposals for Children's Corner

Over 50 people gathered in the gallery space to view design proposals and cast their vote for the murals to appear on Church Avenue in Spring 2012. Guests were treated to a diverse assortment of dishes donated by popular Church Avenue restaurants, including curry chicken and roti from Shayna’s Restaurant, quinoa from Downtown Natural, freshly made tortilla chips and salsa from El Accuario, fresh fruit from Church Fruit Farm, and vegeterian spring rolls and dumplings from Am-Thai (opening later this month). Additional drinks and supplies were provided by Walgreens and Church Ave Pharmacy.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz thanked everyone involved, acknowledging the young artists participating in the program. New York State Senator Eric Adams, Council Member Matheiu Eugene, Community Board 14 District Manager Shawn Campbell  joined in support of the program.

John Ortiz, artist and student at Erasmus Hall, and his mural proposal

Young artist Jamaire Blading and his proposal for Bonnie Youth Club

Pitkin Ave. BID's Dan Murphy, Con Ed's Johari Jenkins and Phillip Halliburton

Amy and Nummy from Am-Thai with Council Member Matheiu Eugene and his Chief of Staff David Suarez

Thank you to everyone who came out and for those who were unable to attend, the exhibition will be on display through February 24^th, 2012.