Artists transform section of the Bronx with massive murals on building facades
NEW YORK -- A neglected area of the West Farms section of the Bronx is coming to life again with some color.
CBS2's Thalia Perez has more on the group of artists making it happen.
"You can see the change. The people are smiling. This is a walkway for kids going to Habsburg School and it was just neglected," Wen Cod said.
It's an art walk along Boone Avenue from 172nd Street to the Cross Bronx. It's where Cod and a group of artists have taken the initiative to clean up the streets and create massive murals along the building facades.
"It's also a beautification effort, so we removed a lot of trash. We met the community. The kids love it," artist Queen Andrea said.
Andrea has been a muralist since the 1990s. To make this effort happen, Cod says he first had to get permission from all the building owners who were already struggling to keep their walls graffiti free.
The goal the group says is to inspire anyone walking through area and the hundreds of feet of building facade afforded that space.
"We've already had class trips and talked to the students and even conducted some workshops. While we're painting, they get to ask the artists questions and interact with the artists," Cod said.
"I think it's great to look at as you walk through the neighborhood. It's like a beautification," neighbor Ken Lewis said.
All of the artists donated their time, as well as the paint and supplies.
"We have a group of artists here from Japan, Germany, Denmark, Canada," Cod said.
"I'm having a good time. The walls are being prepped for the event this week. We scrapped and put a base coat and decided to put something on this one," artist Jamie Hef said.
Cod said he hopes to attract tourism to the area and possibly make the street a destination to visit.
