In the past decade, the Bushwick neighborhood has become a significant destination for domestic and international street artists alike. Residential, commercial, and industrial buildings have all served as large-scale canvases for muralists to engage with the history, sites, and people of one of the most dynamic neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Each summer, many of the murals that adorn the buildings in the community change over, as artists paint over the old works in order to give new life to the walls of Bushwick. Due to this high turnover, local residents and street art aficionados visiting from around the world do not have much time or information available to fully appreciate these remarkable, time-sensitive works. Recently, local curator Anthony Huffman, started organizing and offering walking tours aimed at addressing this problem.
Huffman has carefully curated and independently researched a walking tour designed to provide greater context surrounding key works of art while simultaneously introducing guests to some local establishments—who serve as important business partners in making the Bushwick Collective a success each year. Tours feature renowned artists such as Phlegm, How & Nosm, Pixel Pancho, Beau Stanton, and Louis Masai among others. Over the course of these excursions, guests are provided with basic information about each mural, such as artist biography, artistic motivation, and how the content and style relate to local architecture and the community’s rich past. Unlike other walking tours, these are intentionally focused on a small number of murals, which allows participants to parse out the symbolism and meanings as a group.
About the Guide
Huffman is an art historian, independent curator, and cultural critic based in Brooklyn. He has held short-term curatorial posts with private collectors, art non-profits, museums, and commercial galleries. Most recently, he served as an assistant project manager and public art curator for the Arts & Design division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), where he helped manage the permanent Percent for Art collection and develop contemporary, site-specific art installations throughout the New York City subway.
Book a tour: https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/351924
