ChalkFIT 2019

Fall is a colorful time of the year—you know, the changing leaves and all that—but in our neighborhood we have another reason why this season is always filled with some lovely hues. Every October, illustration students at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) create bold and inventive murals on their building facades on Seventh Avenue and West 27th and 28th Streets. This year, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the school’s founding, the panels depict ninety historic moments, events, and people from over the last 75 years as well as panels that look forward to the year 2032. Events illustrated include the 1945 V-Day celebrations, the 1956 Elvis performance on the Ed Sullivan show, the 1997 death of iconic rapper The Notorious B.I.G, the 2018 marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and, looking into the future, the impending destruction and alien invasion of New York City in 2032 (well, we hope this timeline isn’t accurate). We always enjoy seeing the student artists at work and the finished results. Alvin Sumigcay, a senior illustration major at FIT, explained to NY1 they often receive feedback about the artwork from pedestrians: “Someone passed by and said, ‘Oh, I was at that Elvis concert back there.’ So I think nostalgia plus something to look forward to, that’s why we have something for the future as well.”

ChalkFIT 2018

Every fall senior illustration students at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) create temporary murals at Seventh Avenue and West 28th Street, just down the block from our office. This year over fifty students interpreted the theme, "The future of the human experience." In addition to the yearly theme, the individual murals were inspired by everything from robots and technology, science fiction horror, and the immigrant crisis, to kewpie babies and propaganda art. Visitors can download the Arilyn AR App (on iTunes and Google Play) on their smartphone to enjoy the animation and augmented reality features of the murals.

Dream

Each year since 2013, illustration students along with select alumni and professors at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) have created beautiful and colorful murals along Seventh Avenue. The seventy-seven murals painted in acrylic on the three by six foot blocks of limestone are only a couple blocks from our office. This year the theme is “Dreams," a reference to the uncertain future of recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.  “It’s really a new experience to them,” Dan Shefelman, an assistant professor of illustration at FIT’s School of Art & Design, tells Chelsea Now about the students. “Most of them haven’t worked this big, on-site, with people watching. In the painting process, it’s as much of a performance as a piece of art. It’s amazing to watch the students realize how much people like what they do.” Student Melissa Cicero tells NY1: "I'm used to canvases and paper. It's a challenge. But I accept challenges." The murals will be up until spring.