” Saturday & Sundays 1st Annual Mural Arts Festival Transforms Vacant Walls Into Works Of Art In Hamilton Park Neighborhood.”

June 10, 2021 By Art Fletcher & Kevin Peterson Reporting For: Englebrook Independent News,

JERSEY CITY, NJ.- On Saturday and Sunday residents from The Hamilton Park Section, as well as residents throughout Jersey City, were able to witness, 50 artists transform tens of thousands of once graffiti covered vacant walls, into magnificent pieces of art.

     Artists from local and national levels. Whether standing upon ladders or perched high in aerial lifts, some with brushes in hand, others with spray guns, and many with simple cans of spray paint, reshaped a once plain urban landscape into a vibrant urban art gallery. 

     Even as temperatures soared into the mid-nineties on both Saturday and Sunday. Artists as well as onlookers seemed unconcerned with the heat. 

     Hamilton Park neighborhood residents along with visitors, listened to music, and enjoyed a variety of cultural foods prepared fresh in food trucks, there were even fresh baked cookies and other organic bake goods during the two day event.

     Mayor Steven Fulop announced  this past weekend event was the 1st Annual Mural Arts Festival,  which was a collaborative effort of The Jersey City Mural Arts Program and Mana Public Arts. 

     ” We started our Mural Arts Program seven years ago, and to be here today announcing the inaugural showcase for our esteemed public arts program is a testament to Jersey City as a known destination for international artists as well as the incredibly talented artists who live and work here,” Mayor Fulop said.

     The Jersey City Mural Arts Program initiated in 2013, and funded by a Clean Communities Grant. The Jersey City Mural Arts Program is a Mayor’s Office initiative that links established and emerging local, national, and international mural artists with property owners city-wide as part of an innovative beautification program that reduces graffiti, enhances local residents and is transforming Jersey City into an outdoor Art Gallery.

     Mana Public Arts was established in 2014 as an offshoot of Mana Contemporary, Mana’s Public Arts began as a contemporary art program devoted to large-scale, site-specific installations by renowned artists from around the world, Their Mission is to support public arts and the communities which they impact. 

     Sunday will mark our fourth visit to The Hamilton Park neighborhood, to enjoy a summer afternoon of Arts and Culture, as well as the enjoyment of friendship experienced throughout the area. We would like to thank, not only the many residents, but a special thanks thanks to Elna Mukaida, if not for her, we may never of had the opportunity of belonging to and sharing with all of the events.

     The Hamilton Park neighborhood received 35 New Murals this past weekend. The Artists creating the murals included  Ron English, Queen Andrea, Dragon 76, Woes, Boy Kong, Jose Mertz, L’Amor Supreme, and Local Artists Distort, Pawn, Emilio Florentine, Clarence Rich, Will Power, Paws, Mustart, RORSHACH, Joe Walks, and Max Sansing.

     Festival Sponsors included, Montana Paints, Mack-Cali, Harmony Dispensary Silverman, Cmpnd, Colossal Media, Airlite Qutar Museum Authority. Supporting Organizations include Jersey City Quality of Life Division, Jersey City Economic Development Corporation, Hudson County Chamber of Commerce, New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association, and Historic Downtown Jersey City.