Then and Now

Houston Bowery Wall, NYC 2008 || Photo by Katherine Gomez

Welcome to the first posting for my street art blog. I am so excited to get this project underway. The idea for this blog has been on my mind for a long time. As an 80's kid growing up in Queens, NY, street art has always been part of my life. Those first heavily graffiti walls I encountered on my way to or from school served as my early exposure to this art form. I immediately fell in love with graffiti, not realizing the cultural and social-economic stigma that would later become synonymous with those innocuous bubble letters and bright colors.   

Unfortunately, during the early 90's this art form was not only associated with crime, gangs, drugs and poverty but was targeted for eradication by local government agencies. For a more detailed and historically accurate account on the early beginnings and how local government eventually criminalized graffiti you can check other sources, starting here. 
In the mid 90's life moved me out of Queens and into rural Lancaster, PA where I spent 15 years. 
Fast forward to 2011 where I find myself back in Queens, NY. 
The city I found was significantly different than the one I remembered nostalgically. 
I find myself in a city where Bansky chooses all five boroughs as a gallery exhibit for his work. The neighborhoods I once knew as "the hood" are now home to hip, young, upper middle class professionals whose walls are decorated by intricate murals. The artists are internationally recognized and are now household names. And sadly, I notice that more and more, glass and steel structures are being erected. These homogeneous structures leave little concrete for art.

Brooklyn, NY, 2014 || Photo by Katherine Gomez

 
Which brings me to the reason why I finally decided to start this blog. I want to catalog the beautiful murals that come up over night and with the same ease are brought down. For those who are lucky to live in NYC, I will be posting the exact location of these murals. Hopefully you can take a trip and get to experience these murals for yourself and feel. Hopefully, they will make you feel something or at least make you appreciate the artistry.