Intercruises Family

- Blog #12

The Opening of a New Beginning…

Smiles light up the streets around the New York area as restaurants re-open for business. Pedestrians stroll on sidewalks with renewed excitement and energy. Curbside cafes have popped up everywhere with the help of creative carpentry and green topiaries. Summer clad pedestrians wearing sunglasses and masks stop to scan menus and find seating. Others sip chilled drinks and nibble on tasty specials. Masks are required on all sidewalks and entries, but no one seems to mind as they scout seats distanced from fellow diners.

The temps are high as afternoon lunch turns into evening and happy hour arrives. Candles and strings of twinkle lights brighten the way for evening diners. As customers relax in tall chairs or cushioned seats, there is a palpable excitement in the air. They have earned this long-awaited bit of freedom.

The city is finally reopening from a cold winter of somber solitude. The past never to be forgotten, nor the price paid to get here. The uncharted path forward toward a new beginning is populated everywhere with sober reminders of where we have been, and signs of positivity for a new tomorrow.

This new tomorrow has enhanced the local street artists comeback. Back from the days that graffiti marred our subways and delivery trucks we have awoken to a new and more creative graffiti artist. Graffiti artists, street artists and muralists have been taking over public spaces during the pandemic, using their art forms to express beauty, support and dissent.

The Seventies called. They want their walls back.

While most New Yorkers grudgingly accepted New York City’s lockdown in March, one community eagerly embraced it: graffiti writers. Deserted commercial streets with gated storefronts offered thousands of blank canvases for quick tags, while decorative murals in gentrifying neighborhoods were sprayed over as the streets rendered a definitive critique.

From the South Bronx to East New York, a new generation of graffiti writers has emerged, many of whom have never hit a trainyard or the inside of a subway car. But like early taggers who grew up in a city beset by crime, grime and empty coffers, today’s generation is dealing with its own intense fears over the devastating effects of the coronavirus on communities and the economy.

“Does art dictate the times or do the times dictate art?” said John Matos, 58, a graffiti writer known as Crash who started out in the 1970s. “Before now, the streets were sanitized, with pieces that were cool and nice, and done with permission. Now, we’re back to the roots.”

Here are some examples of the new Art, in New York and around the world:

In Berlin, there's a mural of Gollum from Lord of the Rings worshipping a roll of toilet paper.

Artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada works on a 20,000 square foot mural of a health care worker in a parking lot in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the Queens borough of New York, Wednesday, May 27, 2020. The mural is to honor those who lost their lives during the coronavirus pandemic, especially minority health care workers. The portrait was inspired by Dr. Ydelfonso Decoo, an immigrant doctor who died from coronavirus complications while serving hard hit communities of color.

A person walks past a mural on a building on in New York City.

A woman wearing a face mask passes by a mural featuring Hanna-Barbera' s characters

Tom & Jerry mentioning the safe distance to be held from each other - "One meter" - in Rome.

A mural depicting a girl and a teddy bear wearing face masks that reads "I miss school" is pictured in the town of Ferizaj, Kosovo amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus. All schools remain closed in Kosovo since March 14 as part of coronavirus lockdown measures.

Street artist Lapo Fatai (R) finishes a mural in honor of medical workers, next to the Auxological San Luca hospital in Milan, Italy during the country's lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 infection, caused by the novel coronavirus.

An added impulse to Street-Grafitti Art is combining it with free food for those in need.

Francisco Ramirez hands out free food from a fridge, recently painted by the graffiti artist Hugo Gyrl, in Bushwick, Brooklyn. There are now 14 fridges throughout New York City and many more now popping up around the world.

Painted in bright yellows, purples, oranges and blues, the fridge has “Free Food” written in bubble letters across its freezer, with the same in Spanish, “Comida Gratis,” on its side. At community refrigerators, anyone is welcome to take whatever they want and leave behind food they don’t need, like extra produce.

It’s an outdoor explosion of street side excitement, being in an outdoor café or viewing someone’s art work from across the street, Coronavirus has forced everyone to find ways to form connections. This connection has spread around the world with everyone in on it. Every street artist expressing themselves with the hope for a cure, and for health workers on the front lines. The urge to be creative and the urge to share doesn’t stop, people are finding ways to get around it.

In an effort to better get to know our fellow employees:

The Intercruises blog would like to invite all staff to share a small paragraph about yourself with your fellow team members. This small personal section will be added to the blog. We invite you to share something about yourself – other occupations, business, interests, and talents. This is a great opportunity to share something, in your own words.

What you might not know about: Arlene Sparaco (writer-actress)

Arlene states, “I have been part of Performing Arts specifically writing and acting for many years. I was fortunate to teach drama to children in the after school program in Fairfield County where I wrote the lesson plans, plays and directed them for performances. I’ve written a novel and screenplay called, ‘A Shot at the Title’ which is being considered by a very prominent producer. I’ve also written a TV pilot, and a children’s book. I have been cast in several Indie Films, as well as web series. I’ve also performed on stage. I have done many films as a background actor such as The Irishman, The Joker, and Bridge of Spies directed by Steven Spielberg. This was a great learning experience and springboard to principal roles. During this time I have developed a wonderful support group of friends which I consider priceless.”