Construction scaffolding and fencing are a ubiquitous part of New York City. In fact, there are nearly 9,000 sidewalk sheds in NYC, and they typically last for more than a year, according to city data. That adds up to a staggering two million linear feet. 

Now, 220 feet of that massive total looks a lot prettier thanks to local artists as part of NYC’s City Canvas program, which turns construction fencing into canvases. Next time you’re in East Harlem, keep an eye out for two newly unveiled murals on Second Avenue between 97th and 99th Streets. 

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You’ll see pieces by two artists, JR and Dario Mohr, that have taken over the construction scaffolding outside of NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan. 

JR presents a collection of black-and-white portraits of East Harlem residents, especially residents of NYCHA’s East River Houses. It is part of his Inside Out Project, which grew out of his TED Talk about using “his camera to show the world its true face.” So far, more than 600,000 people across 152 countries have participated in the Inside Out Project. The project is intended to spark conversations and collaborations that lead to social change.

As for Mohr, he collaborated with youth from East River Houses on his monumental works titled Adinkrahene. The collection is tied together through Adinkra symbols, which originated from the Asante Kingdom, and have recently become a ubiquitous symbol of the greater African Diaspora. Kids from the East River Houses contributed their own Adinkra symbols. The piece also features elements of works by Knii Shippie Afotey of Ghana and Faith Omole of Nigeria.

“The mural was originally inspired by my ancestry research beginning with a trip I took to Grenada,” Mohr said in a press release. “I really hope this resonates with the community in terms of the Black experience being beyond words, and I hope this piece makes us feel safe and connected to each other.”

I hope this piece makes us feel safe and connected to each other.

Mohr, a first-generation Grenadian-US citizen, is the founder and director of AnkhLave Arts Alliance, a nonprofit organization that presents BIPOC artists in public spaces. You may have seen art by AnkhLave fellows at Brooklyn Botanic Garden last summer.

Core Scaffold Systems sponsored the East Harlem art projects, but even after the scaffolding disappears, the art will remain on permanent display at Metropolitan Hospital.

“I really love that this mural was done in collaboration with the residents in the East River Houses, many of whom receive their care at Metropolitan,” NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan’s CEO Cristina Contreras said in a press release. “I think that it’s important for these residents, who are part of the fabric of this community, to see themselves reflected in this mural.”

I think that it’s important for these residents, who are part of the fabric of this community, to see themselves reflected in this mural.

The City Canvas program became official in late 2023, though its partner ArtBridge has been beautifying scaffolding since 2009. City Canvas acknowledge that the fencing and scaffolding are parts of the urban landscape, but “in most instances they are unappealing and represent the inconvenience of construction projects,” they say.

“City Canvas is a program designed to allow the installation of temporary visual art on eligible temporary protective structures in an effort improve the pedestrian experience for NYC residents and visitors across the five boroughs,” per the organization’s website.

These murals are proof that you can find art in the unlikeliest places in NYC, so so keep an eye out for this project and others from City Canvas when you’re walking around town. 

* This article was originally published here

In a world of online tools that let you make banking transactions with the touch of a button, the idea of visiting a branch might seem unnecessary. 

 
However, if you haven’t visited your local branch recently, you might be surprised by what it has to offer. Your branch is much more than a place to deposit and withdraw money – it can offer the opportunity to build valuable relationships with people who can help you achieve financial independence.

Diedra Porché, Head of Community and Business Development at Chase, talks about how the bank model has evolved to maximize the branch experience for customers; how connecting with your local branch team can help you think differently about money and investing for your future. 

Q: How can a customer feel connected to a bank branch?

I love that question because we ask ourselves the same thing every day. Being part of the community means meeting with local leaders to find out what they need from us and then designing our branches around that. For example, at some of our community branches we have what we call a living room where we can host financial workshops, small business pop-up shops or nonprofit organization meetings. We also hire locally. You feel much more connected talking about financial aspirations with people from your community who went to the same high school, place of worship or maybe frequented the same recreation center down the street when they grew up.  

Q: How can I build a relationship with my bank?  

Customers should feel comfortable sharing their goals, needs and wants with their banker. Also, it helps to remember the Community Manager is there to help solve your finance challenges and build a roadmap for success. You might have a short-term or long-term goal to open a business, build your credit, become debt-free, buy a home, or save for retirement, and our community team can help. At Chase, we strive to make dreams possible for everyone, everywhere, every day. Your financial future starts with building those relationships. 

Q: How can customers change negative perceptions they have about managing their money?

Far too often, customers are intimidated when they visit a bank. Our goal is to demystify banking and money myths empowering people to make the right decisions. For example, a big myth is assuming you need a lot of money to have a bank account. You don’t! Another myth is you need to carry a balance on your credit card to build credit —  actively using your credit card can demonstrate that you can use credit responsibly, but carrying a balance won’t necessarily improve your credit score. Finally, having an understanding of mobile and online banking safety is key. There are so many safeguards and protections in place to guard your personal information and funds. 

Q: What’s an easy step one can take to shift their financial behavior right now?

Cultivating self-awareness is a good first step. Start by taking inventory of your spending. Be honest with yourself about what you need and what you want. Too often, people confuse the two, which leads to bad decisions. Rent is something you need to pay. An extra pair of shoes is something you may want but before you buy them ask yourself if that’s the best use of your hard earned money. Too often, our beliefs and our fears shape our financial realities. If any of those beliefs are limiting your financial behavior, it’s important to question and examine them, and then decide you’re open to learning something different. 

Q: What’s one perception about banking that you’d like to change? 

I think folks are surprised there are so many resources available and accessible both at our branches and online, it’s always a good idea to visit a nearby branch and speak to a Community Manager or banker. Outside of what we offer in-branch, our teams also work with local neighborhood partners who provide a variety of  services to support the community, businesses and residents. I had a unique piece of feedback from an employee who started with the bank and had lived in the same community his whole life. When he visited his local community branch, he said, “Diedra, when I walked in, I felt dignified.” Every time I recount that story, it warms my heart because that’s what we want — we want our centers to belong to the community. 

The post Maximizing Your Bank Branch Experience appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

Our favorite sheep are baaaaaaack for the season on Governors Island.

For the fourth consecutive year, a team of upstate woolly animals has been “hired” to stroll the grounds at Governors Island and help control invasive species of plants to preserve the area’s ecosystem.

Evening, Chad, Philip Aries, Bowie and Jupiter have already left their home at Friends of Tivoli Lake Preserve and Farm in Albany to spend the spring and summer in Hammock Grove, where they’ll also be part of several public engagement events and programming that include hands-on wool activities, live sheep herding sessions, Q&As with on-site shepherds and more.

According to an official press release, since the program first kicked off in 2021, “the sheep have eaten roughly 14.5 acres worth of invasive plant species, starting with a whopping 8.26 acres that first year.”

The animal particularly love herbaceous vegetation—think grass, phragmites and flowering plants like mugwort and sunflowers. These plants happen to be competitive ones, crowding other species within the park and essentially creating a monoculture. By eating them, the sheep will help weaken them and prevent them from spreading too much.

In addition to keeping the vegetation under control, the sheep have helped free up thousands of work hours for the folks on Governors Island’s horticulture team, allowing them to focus on other goals “like building and landscaping new pathways in Hammock Grove that visitors to the Island can enjoy,” reads a press release.

Feel free to go meet the cuties at any point throughout the next few months. Find sheep-related programming details right here.

* This article was originally published here

If there’s one place where you will consistently hit the Tulum-meets-Miami theme without leaving New York City, it’s Gitano Island. And after a few months off for its annual cold-weather hiatus, the waterfront restaurant and lounge located on Governors Island is officially back for summer 2024, offering up another season of modern Mexican eats, mezcal cocktails and stunning skyline views.

The beachy lounge—which first brought its Mexico-by-way-of-Manhattan vibes to New York with Soho’s Gitano Garden of Love—first debuted on Governors Island in May 2022, and now is back for its third year. A five-minute ferry ride from Downtown Manhattan, the 27,000-square-foot venue is an instantly transporting one, done up with a jungle’s worth of lush greenery and 350 tons of actual sand. 

And while there will be plenty of returning attractions to Gitano Island this summer—including the disco ball-decorated Lotus Lounge as well as the restaurant’s Friday night dinner and dancing fiesta series, with music by King Lindo and Chris Moore—the food-and-drink menu has gotten an overhaul since last year. Highlights include the opulent black truffle mushroom sope, the 12-hour slow-roasted short rib birria, the branzino cooked in banana leaf, and the crispy chicken in red mole. All can be enjoyed on the wood pergola dining decks, which are fully covered, meaning that you get an indoor-outdoor experience without sacrificing those panoramic views of the city. 

The bar program is also pouring up a taste of vacation, with $22 specialty cocktails like the “Jungle Fever” (Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, chile, lime and cilantro), the “Golden Hour” (Hennessey, Combier, caramelized pineapple syrup and lemon) and the “Bird of Paradise” (Sipsmith Gin, El Tesoro Reposado Tequila, coconut vanilla, passion fruit and lime). There are also shareable punch bowls brimming with enough for eight to ten cocktails, in case you ferry over with a crew ($135). 

Check out the scenic space at Gitano Island, as well as some of those food-and-drink offerings, below:

* This article was originally published here

This summer, Sutton Foster will be reprising her role as Princess Winnifred the Woebegone in the revival of the hilarious musical Once Upon a Mattress. The show is scheduled to begin previews on July 31 and then open on Broadway at the Hudson Theater at 141 West 44th Street on August 12.

The production enjoyed a successful run earlier this year as part of the Encores! program at New York City Center, leading critics to predict an eventual transfer to a bigger stage.

The Broadway adaptation of the show is by Emmy Award winner Amy Sherman-Palladino, of Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel fame. Following its limited engagement through November 30, the show will move to Los Angeles for a four-week run at the Ahmanson Theatre from December 10 to January 5, 2025.

Once Upon a Mattress, a loose re-interpretation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Princess and the Pea fable, was first mounted as a musical back in 1959, featuring a book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer; music by Mary Rodgers and lyrics by Marshall Barer.

Back then, the protagonist, an awkward princess in a fictional medieval kingdom, was played by Carol Burnett. New York actress Sarah Jessica Parker then took on the role during a 1996 revival, making Sutton the third performer to tackle the part on Broadway.

Tickets for Once Upon a Mattress will go on sale to the general public on May 29 at 10am right here.

* This article was originally published here