Wheeling Around: ‘Art in Motion’ NYCHA Bike Tour

On August 8, the Public Housing Community Fund (PHCF), NYCHA, the NYC Department of Transportation (NYC DOT), Upway New York, and Thrive Collective co-hosted “Art in Motion – Exploring Public Art at NYCHA,” a 14-mile bike tour that took 20 riders to 12 unique public artworks on NYCHA campuses from Manhattan to Brooklyn. The event offered participants a unique opportunity to engage with public art and the rich cultural histories rooted in NYCHA communities. The bike tour is featured on Bloomberg Connects and can be viewed here. 

At each site, riders learned about the behind-the-scenes process for each installation piece and the process for engaging communities in public art. Upway New York provided e-bikes for riders, and NYC DOT donated 30 free helmets.

“Art in Motion offered riders an opportunity to see New York City from a fresh perspective through dynamic artwork that sparks movement, storytelling, and discovery,” said Kemi Karim, Senior Manager of Art and Culture at the Public Housing Community Fund. “NYCHA communities are rich in creativity, culture, and energy, and the bike tour highlighted this through powerful images reflecting shared histories and passions. We’re grateful to NYC DOT and our partners for their support in making this experience possible, and look forward to continuing spreading art across public housing.”

“Art has the power to transform public spaces, tell the stories of our communities, and bring neighbors together,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “The Art in Motion bike tour offered a unique opportunity to experience a series of incredible murals and installations across NYCHA campuses, each reflecting the unique history and character of the communities they represent. We extend our sincere appreciation to the Public Housing Community Fund, the Department of Transportation, Upway New York, and Thrive Collective for their partnership on this enriching venture and encourage all New Yorkers to come experience the amazing artwork on display every day on many of our campuses.” 

“At Upway, our mission is to make safe, reliable e-bikes accessible to more people and help accelerate the shift toward sustainable transportation,” said Stéphane Ficaja, co-founder of Upway. “We’re proud to support Art in Motion because it brings together community, culture, and active mobility in a way that helps more New Yorkers experience the city beyond a car.”

“For more than 90 years, tens of millions of New Yorkers have created homes and cultural traditions at NYCHA developments throughout the boroughs,” said Jeremy Del Rio, Executive Director of Thrive Collective. “The bike tour showcases some of the enduringly beautiful public art that NYCHA families and artists have cultivated for generations. We are honored to co-host the first ever tour of this kind.”

The bike ride kicked off with a tour of several installations by Thrive Collective: four murals at Riis Houses at 152 Avenue D in the East Village; Choose Joy & Create Memories and Live ARTfully at Riis Houses; and Flourish at Bracetti Plaza at 251 East 3rd Street. Riders made their way to Avenue C, where they learned about Campos Plaza and Loisaida Thrives by Thrive Collective — two murals rich with historical details, cultural references, and community context unique to the Lower East Side. The tour continued at Opening the Edge by the Design Trust for Public Space and Roots/Raices & Islanders by Thrive Collective at Lillian Wald Houses in the Lower East Side. The last stop was Baruch Houses and ShapeShift at Baruch Houses near the Williamsburg Bridge. 

The group then crossed the Williamsburg Bridge into Brooklyn, where they stopped at Kingsborough Houses and toured three powerful art installations on the campus: Exodus & Dance by Richard Barthé, Migration by Jerome Haferd Studio and Creative Urban Alchemy, and Still We Rise by Fulton Art Fair. Next, the tour continued to Bushwick Houses, touring Bushwick Rooted by Crystal Clarity and Creative Urban Alchemy. The final stop on the tour was to see Legacy by Thrive Collective at the Borinquen Plaza Senior Center at 80 Seigel Street. 

PHCF has worked to expand public art across NYCHA campuses through a number of different resident engagement programs. This includes “From Roots to Arts: Celebrating NYCHA’s Cultural Heritage” across five NYCHA campuses spanning all five boroughs. This innovative artist-in-residency pilot program was designed to enrich and expand culture, heritage, and art narratives within public housing by placing local artists and residents at the forefront of this endeavor. In addition, the organization recently launched the “Climate Action Grant” murals, five citywide public art pieces created in collaboration with NYCHA residents, artists, and community art partners. 

Photo credit: Tameek Williams