I loved this project from the moment I heard about it. It presented an opportunity to beautify Hoboken and to make a meaningful statement about equity and inclusion — topics I feel really strongly about. I can’t claim that I’ve come up with anything super-profound, but I’ve really tried to create something subtly meaningful that will also induce a smile in those that see it. We could all use a smile these days.
— I’ve been really touched by the outpouring of enthusiasm that people expressed while I was working on my mural. Kids, in particular, were loving it. A bunch of people were already doing walking tours to take them all in.
In approaching this project, I wanted to find something that was uniquely “Hoboken” and I wanted to address the theme of equity and inclusion in a meaningful, but very fun way. I also didn’t want to create a banner, or use words as a call to action ... but rather show something simple that conveys that we’re all one, yet all different. To do it, I went full on silly.
The utility boxes immediately reminded me of the size and shape of Hoboken’s signature building, the brick row house. So I made one and I populated it with true Hoboken natives, pigeons. I wanted to place them in normal situations: reading the paper, having a cup of coffee, walking the baby, doing the laundry and interacting just as we all do. I also wanted to make wonderfully different, so I made them the brightest colors I could find, and I accented them with rainbows.
We’re all struggling right now, and I thought it vitally important to use this opportunity not just to make a comment on equity and inclusion, and not just to relate those issues back to something uniquely Hoboken, but to also simply make something that invoked a smile, or maybe even a laugh. I think we could all use that.
