On the Wall: Four Decades of Community Murals in New York City Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been waiting for this book for years! On the Wall makes a significant contribution to the history of art and neighborhood life in New York by providing an undated and in depth examination of community murals. I am unaware of any history of community mural production in New York City, and this book fills that void. I love how the authors divide the chapters with sets of years and then focus on a group of significant murals. The reader gets a real sense of the aesthetic and social factors that make up the creation and reception of the murals. This is important because it situates the work in the overlapping worlds of art, community life, and politics.
The authors have done a significant amount of original research in the form of interviews. This is vital; this history is simply not available. This book will appeal to those interested in murals, art in general, New York City, urban expressive culture, and the expressive life of politics.

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Energizing the visual landscape since 1968, New York City's community murals beautify, educate, protest, celebrate, and often motivate residents to action. Collaborations between artists and neighborhood groups, these painted walls reflect the social, cultural, and political climate of their times.
The result of six years of research and hundreds of interviews, On the Wall brings to light murals that were hitherto "lost" to history or unknown outside their immediate surroundings. Documenting six chronological periods, the book highlights significant murals and introduces the artists and sponsors that created them. In relating the many fascinating stories behind the murals, the authors describe the interactions between artists and residents--including the controversies that have led to the destruction of several notable murals.
On the Wall gathers together 150 color images and offers an aesthetic perspective on New York's community murals in a lively and perceptive history.
Janet Braun-Reinitz, a painter and community muralist, is the president of Artmakers Inc. and coauthor, with Rochelle Shicoff, of The Mural Book: A Practical Guide for Educators. Jane Weissman, a writer and public relations professional, has been a participating artist and project director of several Artmakers murals. Amy Goodman is the host and executive producer of Pacifica Radio's Democracy Now! Denis Moynihan is outreach director of Democracy Now! Timothy W. Drescher is an independent mural historian and photographer and the author of San Francisco Bay Area Murals: Communities Create Their Muses, 1904-1997.

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