Brooklyn has been a center of pilgrimage for many years for veteran and young graffiti artists competing for neighborhood walls to display their artwork. Graffiti, which began as an ideologically subversive act, has evolved over the past decade into a popular art form that has gained widespread recognition in international galleries and influenced marketing campaigns, graphic designers and the fashion industry. 

In Bushwick you will find both a thriving art community and accessibility of public spaces – both of which attract a large variety of local and international artists who continue to maintain street art through various art techniques and mediums. 

Bushwick Collective
The highlight of the neighborhood’s graffiti is the “Bushwick Collective” street gallery, the main streets in the project: Jefferson Street + Troutman Street + St. Nicholas Avenue.The curator of the Bushwick Collective is Joseph Ficalora, experienced quite a few family tragedies while growing in Brooklyn (among others: his father was robbed and murdered in the middle of the street and his mother died of cancer). In his adulthood, Ficalora decided to set up the project to make the residents of the neighborhood happy. He received approval from the business owners in the area and the city authorities and then invited well-known graffiti artists from all over the world. The well-known artists were joined by young and kicking artists, and together they all turned the neighborhood into a paradise of street art. 

When to visit?
This is of course a street gallery that is open 24/7, but after working hours and on weekends the place is relatively busy, so it is recommended to arrive on weekdays in the morning and at noon. The month of June has two advantages here: the weather is pleasant and suitable for street tours and at this month the annual collective block party of Bushwick takes place.
It is a festival of street art, music, food and live performances. The atmosphere and feature in the neighborhood usually begin a few weeks before the festival.