On Wednesday, October 21st, HPPC hosted local elected officials, educators, and environmental leaders at a press conference recognizing the completion of a new mural across the street from Hunter's Point South Park.
The massive mural, which depicts the past, present and future of Newtown Creek, is located on the South wall of the Q404 Hunters Point campus building, which hosts the Hunters Point Community Middle School, The Academy for TV and Film and The Riverview School. The work is New York City’s first carbon neutral street art and is being created with mostly recycled and repurposed materials as well as a unique paint that absorbs pollution from the air.
The artwork stems from a competition launched during Climate Week, Sept. 21 through Sept. 27, by the UN and GreenPoint Innovations (GPI), a production organization focused on sustainability. The competition was also organized by The Climate Group and Newtown Creek Alliance. The competition, GreenPoint EARTH 2020: Screens2Streets, aims to spotlight global climate issues using art.
The winning piece — now being painted — depicts the past, present and future of the nearby Newtown Creek, a federal Superfund site. It includes birds, seagrasses, sassafras and smoke stacks. The mural illustrates the connection between industrialization, climate change and the health of local communities
Thank you to artist iena cruz for creating such a beautiful piece that speaks to our neighborhood and out waterways. We are so proud to have this work of art in Hunters Point!