Morrisania Air Rights Houses
x We❤️NYC
Nudge Art Mural

Led by:
Bronx-based Artist Andre Trenier & Marthalicia & Morrisania Air Rights Houses Residents

Since it is a part of the We<3NYC civic action campaign, community is the driving force behind the MAR Houses Nudge Art Mural. Residents came together for a series of design sessions which elicited the issues, values, and elements that they wanted to visualize in this 76-foot-long, 2-story-high mural. The final design is an iteration of both dozens of ideas and hours shaped by the community in which the mural resides.

In the community design sessions, the values of “Inclusion” and “Respect” came up repeatedly, as did the values of family, safety, intergenerational connection, love, and unity. The residents wanted the mural to be a source of both peace and inspiration for the viewer; it is designed to almost be an oasis amidst the bustle of the Bronx. 

The mural is rooted around the concept of the “tree of life.” The tree depicted is the Kigali tree, which is native to the African continent, where life began. The tree provides coverage, safety, and a nurturing environment for the silhouettes that represent the community at-large, including playing children, loving families, intergenerational duos, and differently-abled individuals. Carved into the tree are more of the values that the community wanted to encapsulate: “family,” love”, “our village,” “unity,” “safety,” and “pride.” All elements of the mural represent the MAR Houses community and the Bronx as a whole, set against a calming blue-sky and green-grass background. The rainbow which shines through the leaves signifies unity and equality – two other components that MAR residents wanted to be clearly represented. The skyline background of the mural is the Bronx itself, with the five buildings of the MAR Houses community being portrayed on the left. 

As a symbol of community pride, the MAR Houses are again represented with the letters M-A-R drawn in chalk, much like they would be in the respective neighborhood. On either side of the letters is the pink Breast Cancer Awareness ribbon and the rainbow Autism Awareness symbol, which are two causes that are near and dear to the MAR Houses community.

Lastly, since the mural is just down the street from Yankee Stadium, it’s only appropriate that it includes a fitted Yankee cap atop the words WE <3 NYC. In addition to representing the best of the MAR Houses and Bronx communities, this mural is also a love letter to the City in which it lives. This mural shows the power of community and creation in this City where we all belong.

Timelapse Video + Behind-the-Scenes Photos

Interested in learning more about our Nudge Art programs around NYC?

Brooklyn - Bronx - Gowanus Houses - Johnson Houses - Manhattan - Queens - Staten Island - St. Nicholas Houses - Townsend Harris High School - Wagner Houses

Resources

What is the WeLoveNYC campaign?

New York is a city of CONTRIBUTORS – volunteers who devote some of their time and treasure to making the city a better place. The pandemic brought out the courage and tenacity of New Yorkers, but it also resulted in problems that seem bigger than individual efforts can possibly solve. Collective action is needed, and that is what WE ❤️NYC is all about. Get involved and do your part to keep New York City the greatest city in the world. Learn more and find a way to get involved here: www.welovenyc.nyc

Interested in photography? Learn more about NeON Photography’s programming:

NeON Photography is a community created to provide both professional and creative opportunity in seven New York City neighborhoods (Brownsville, Bedford-Stuyvesant, East New York, Harlem, Jamaica, Northern Staten Island, and the South Bronx). The initiative offers photography workshops both in-person and online citywide. Our participants receive professional photography training in classes designed to introduce them to the elements and history of photography, as well as a range of technical skills, and the art of visual storytelling.

The NeON Photography workshops are a paid opportunity made possible through the Neighborhood Opportunity Network (NeON) that prepares participants to work as professional photographers. NeON Photography graduates have been hired for events across the city, some of those including Carnegie Hall, New York Fashion Week shows, music salons for Park Avenue Pianos, tennis tournaments with legend John McEnroe, and more.

Member Patrice Payne was onsite for the MAR Mural and captured an array of beautiful behind-the-scenes photographs of the mural’s creation.

See Patrice’s work here: https://www.patricepayne.com/mar-we-love-nyc-nudge-art-mural 

Want to learn more about DC 9 and their apprenticeship opportunities?

District Council 9 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) is an organization of painters, decorators, wall coverers, drywall finishers, sign painters, metal polishers, bridge and structural steel painters, civil service painters, lead abatement workers, glaziers and architectural metal glassworkers, paint makers, and allied tradesmen.

DC 9 FTINY is recruiting for three painting apprenticeship programs. Applications for each recruitment will be offered in-person for 10 business days or until all applications have been issued on a first-come, first-serve basis. If accepted, apprentices are required to report to the Long Island City, NY facility for training.

Learn more here: https://www.districtcouncil9.net/

What can I do to advance gender equality daily?

Check out the 10 genEquality Activations to learn about how you can advocate for and make change through your daily beliefs and behaviors. We share 10 core beliefs and behaviors that you can practice; they touch on social cues and cultural norms, daily communications (language and humor), and economic equality behaviors, choices, and values.

I want to help end hate and harassment by being a better bystander. What can I do?

Absolutely! Thank you for being part of the movement to end hate and harassment. Check out these free resources from our friends at Right To Be:

• Sign up for a training

• Check out their Bystander Guide
  

If you are experiencing, or have experienced, domestic and gender-based violence - help is always available to you.

• You can access information and resources to help anyone experiencing dating, domestic, gender-based, or family violence, including elder abuse, by visiting www.nyc.gov/NYCHOPE, or by calling the NYC 24/7 confidential Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-621-HOPE (1-800-621-4673) or TTY 1-866-604-5350.  

• The Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV) Training Team provides engaging, interactive training and technical assistance to support service providers in effectively identifying and responding to clients experiencing domestic and gender-based violence. ENDGBV tailors its trainings to meet organizational/agency staff needs. Read more about the Training Team.

• The Healthy Relationship Training Academy provides violence prevention workshops for young people ages 13-24 and staff who work with young people. Please read these FAQs and then request the appropriate Academy workshop(s).

• If you are sexually harassed or discriminated against based on a protected category under the Human Rights Law in New York City, please report this to the NYC Commission on Human Rights. Call (212) 416-0197 or fill out an online inquiry form.

• The Commission on Human Rights offers a youth leadership development program to identify human rights issues in their communities, develop solutions, and build their leadership skills.