A celebrated Queens artist has covered the scaffolding surrounding Flushing’s incoming mega-development, the Tangram, with a colorful illustrated mural that serves as a homage to the neighborhood.
Artist Lisk Feng created the 291-foot-long installation around the Tangram construction site at 133-36 37th Ave. with illustrations celebrating the generations of immigrants that have given the neighborhood its vibrant food and culture scene.
Feng, an immigrant from China now based in Queens, is an award-winning illustrator who has published several children’s books and has had her work published in the New Yorker and the New York Times, among other publications.
Feng worked with the local nonprofit ArtBridge to install the artwork through the new City Canvas pilot program that allows artworks to be installed on construction sheds and fences citywide. The program is a joint initiative of the Department of Cultural Affairs, the Department of Buildings, and the Mayor’s Office.
“New York City currently has 310 miles of construction fencing — a staggering amount that corrodes the vibrance of our city,” said Stephen Pierson, Executive Director of ArtBridge. “Through City Canvas, we can now transform this eyesore into canvases for local artists.”
The project was also in partnership with the Tangram’s developers F&T Group and SCG America.
The Tangram is expected to be completed in 2020 and will feature 1.2 million square feet of mixed-use space, including retail, residential, office, and hotel and entertainment offerings.
“Beautifying construction infrastructure is a great way to minimize the impact of long-term construction projects in our communities,” Council Member Peter Koo said in a statement.
“It is often difficult to envision the final product during the various burdensome construction phases of any development project, but this colorful installation helps to give us a glimpse of what will ultimately become a lovely amenity to the Flushing community.”
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