Community Corner

Plot The Block Cleanup Day

Beautifying Monroe Street with plants, flowers and a sidewalk mural

Sponsored by the Brooklyn Arts Council and the Citizens Committee for New York City, Plot The Block is a cleanup day on Monroe Street.

Plot the Block Cleanup Day will take place Saturday, June 25, on Monroe Street between Tompkins and Throop Avenues, from 11:00am - 4:00pm. The event is the brainchild of Nikita Hunter and will be a day of block beautification where residents will sweep up the block and plant flowers and trees.

The event also will encourage kids to talk about gentrification changes in their neighborhood by creating an impromptu mural-- on the sidewalk!

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Hunter, a schoolteacher, first conceived of the sidewalk mural while working with her art students. She said, her classes studied the works of artist Romare Bearden and discussed how art often is a projection of the social and environmental influences of the times, which opened a dialogue of how they view their own neighborhoods.

"I asked them what their block looked like, and what things they've noticed taking place on their blocks that are positive and what things are not positive," said Hunter. She said the discussion immediately lit up.

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Hunter also had a friend who did murals. So with her friend's help, she began developing a framework for installing sidewalk murals. So far she has done three, one at the Gather Brooklyn Great Pumpkin Fest, another in front of the now defunct Brownstone Books and another in front of the Macon Library.

There will be 10 kids participating in this weekend's sidewalk mural-- a Girl Scout troupe and other children from the neighborhood. The event will start with a discussion on gentrification and a designation of themes. Then the kids will paint. The paint eventually washes away, so the mural is temporary. Hunter is inviting all children who would like to participate to come out.

Invited guests include Senator Montgomery, A Million Trees (NYC), The Citizen's Committee for New York City and the members of the Monroe TandT Block Association.

Plot The Block Cleanup Day

10:30-11:00 - Check-in

11:00-12:00 – Million Trees Presentation/Workshop

12:30  - Senator Montgomery/Representative for Ground Breaking

12:00- 2:00 – Girls Scouts and Plot The Block – Ground Mural

12:00 – 2:00 Monroe T and T Block Members Clean, Plant and Install shrubbery and flowers on the block

2:00-2:30 – Break – food and snacks are available throughout

2:30-3:30 – Wrap up/Clean up

For more information about the program, contact Nikita Hunter at 917-532-1917 and visit their website. http://plottheblock.weebly.com/index.html


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