If you like that one, check this out!
PRESS RELEASE For information: fbendheim@gmail.com
tel: 718-753-1659
For release immediately: 6/1/06

Unusual Public Artwork Installed in Park Slope, Brooklyn

A large, collaged mural made of food packaging has been installed on
Carroll Street near 7th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn, on an exterior wall of Key Food. The unusual site-specific work, was created by Brooklyn artist, Fred Bendheim, working with 56 students from the 2nd Grade of The Berkeley Carroll School. The
6 foot x 10 foot mural depicts a bouquet of flowers, and is called "Recycled Bouquet". The theme was chosen because the site is next to a large flower market which belongs to Key Food. The mural is made of hundreds of pieces of food packaging which have been artfully put together by the second graders and the artist. It literally changes garbage into fine art.
"The work brings many elements together", says Mr. Bendheim. "It connects the school, which is up the street, the grocery store, the flower market, the children, and the community. It also connects children's art, pop art and fine art. It works on many levels." Even the label is made from recycled flower-wrapping paper.
"Recycled Bouquet" took many months to create and it was a collaborative effort. Mr. Bendheim first obtained permission to use the wall from Mandel Foods. Then he worked with the school's art teacher, Judi Barrett, and her art classes, first in deciding what was appropriate for the location, then in collecting the food packaging from the community, cutting and sorting the packaging into colors, and then collaging the pieces together at his studio. Framing the mural was also a challenge, since it was large, fragile and had to be weatherproofed.
The artwork, which will stay at the site indefinitely, has met with kudos from the
community. "People like it because it is a great improvement over what was a non-descript grey wall where garbage was placed. It is colorful and playful, yet it appeals to many people on different levels.
This is Mr. Bendheim’s second art piece made for the location, near a busy intersection in the heart of Park Slope. Two years previously, the artist collaborated with Judi Barrett and a class of her third graders from the school to make a mural inspired by billboards. It consisted of food painted by the children on to advertise- ments provided by Key Food. Mr. Bendheim is primarily known for his abstract paintings which he makes in his nearby studio in Park Slope. A Brooklyn gallery which has shown his work, Simon Liu, Inc. was one of the sponsors of the new mural.
“People liked that piece too”, said the artist of the earlier mural. “But it wasn’t designed to last more than a couple of weeks. Since they take so much time and people appreciate them, I wanted the new piece to last longer, so it has been set inside two large pieces of plexiglas and sealed with industrial epoxy.”
“I think the importance of these pieces is that they give children the opportunity to feel that they can make a contribution to their community”, said the artist. “They also pose a challenge for the adult viewers, because they are obviously artful and yet they are made by children. A lot of people don’t know what to make of them.”