Notice something different cropping up along Tillary Street this week? A new public art mural of worker bees buzzing back and forth is now on display along the 200-foot concrete traffic barrier there. The nonprofit group behind the artwork, Groundswell, and the city Transportation Department will formally unveil the mural on Saturday morning at 11 am, at the intersection of Tillary and Jay streets in Downtown Brooklyn.
Per Groundswell’s press release:
Groundswell is proud to unveil “Worker Bees”, a new 200 ft long work of public art in Downtown Brooklyn. In partnership with the Department of Transportation, Groundswell’s Teen Empowerment Mural Apprenticeship (TEMA) after-school group created this 200 x 3.5 ft mosaic and acrylic mural for a 200-foot long concrete traffic barrier at Tillary Street in Downtown Brooklyn. The mural team took a small process in nature (pollination) and showed its significance on a larger scale. Focusing on human interaction and interference with nature, the mural displays similarities between humans and bees (e.g., work, class, hierarchy).
Translating these similarities into a visual narrative, the mural follows the path of bike/car traffic, starting at the beginning of the traffic barrier and ending at the traffic light at Cadman Plaza where people travel to and from work. The piece is on both sides of the 200-foot long barrier.
For more information about the project, visit Groundswell’s Web site.