Undulating and interwoven white lines on the black surface of the “Big Yard” Seaside playground at Waterside Children’s Studio School make up a new 16,000-square-foot mural by award-winning artist Shantell Martin. Located near the new Rockaway Hotel and used by 700 students and numerous community members, the outdoor recreational space provides the ground for Martin to showcase her mural to pedestrians as well as guests who look down from the rooftop of the Rockaway Hotel.”
Photo by Jorge Marrón
The mural consists of iconic, monochromatic black and white interconnected lines, Martin’s signature style of drawing, that come together in various text and image formats in an effort to inject more energy and aesthetics into the Rockaway community and its urban beach landscape. “Because of the scale, there are multiple ways to experience the piece. What you have on the ground is very different from the experience you have of it from a higher perspective where you get to see how the lines, words, and faces are actually interacting with each other,” Martin said. “It’s all about discovery and letting people interact with it the way they naturally feel inclined to.”
The project is a response to an open call letter from Friends of Seaside Playground, a grassroots organization that hosts art and sports events for children, and its partners 7|G Foundation and The Rockaway Hotel. The committee sought proposals for a temporary mural at the “Big Yard.” Martin, who has previously presented her works on large scale screens at World Trade Center and on a former military chapel on Governors Island, was unanimously chosen by the committee. “When curating a public artwork, it is imperative that the work connects to the community that is living with it,” said Michi Jigarjian, Rockaway Hotel’s Social Impact Officer. “For Shantell’s piece in Rockaway, she centers on the empowerment of understanding ‘who you are’ and ‘yes you are you,’ which is a powerful message for a community as diverse and vibrant as Rockaway.”
Shantell Martin was selected unanimously to design the mural at the “Big Yard.” Photo by Jorge Marrón.
As an advocate for “forging new connections between fine art, education, design, philosophy, and technology,” Martin states on her website that she aspires her black and white drawings to be “more than an object of admiration disconnected from its inception,” and hopes that her works can redefine the role of the artist and the viewer. She is currently teaching as an adjunct professor at NYU Tisch Interactive Telecommunications Program and working with her students to “push the boundaries of storytelling, visual art, and technology.” “In general, I want the community to know me and my work, and I want the community to feel included in the process of the work,” she said.
Next, check out our article on the 10 New Public Art Installations in NYC October 2020.