Community Comes Together To Preserve Inwood Storefront Murals

INWOOD, NY — Shuttered storefronts have become an unfortunate reality of almost every New York City neighborhood.

However, artists in the Inwood community saw the boarded-up shops in the neighborhood as a chance to inspire and provoke residents and visitors.

During the racial justice and police reform protests in New York City that took place over the summer, local artists used the blank pieces of plywood covering up shuttered businesses to create murals of hope, healing, and activism.

On Thursday, local politicians and organizations teamed up to preserve the murals painted on Dyckman Street storefronts and put them into temporary storage.

Since many businesses on Dyckman Street have reopened since the beginning of summer, the murals were put on display outside the home of the Riverside Inwood Neighborhood Garden near Seaman Avenue and Dyckman Street.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer is leading the charge to preserve the murals, and she is partnering with the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA), GreenThumb and NYC Parks.

Brewer, GreenThumb and NYC Parks have worked with local offices, businesses, and community-based organizations to find long-term homes for the murals. On the other side of operations, the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance has worked with the artists to make sure the works remain properly preserved.

GreenThumb is a branch of NYC Parks that provides support to over 550 community gardens in New York City.

For now, the murals will get transported to a storage facility in Midtown Manhattan.