Emily Gretta 
Passers-by near 7th and Jackson Resiliency Park over the past few months have noticed the coming together of a vibrant mural. The mural was designed under the direction of the City of Hoboken’s Division of Cultural Affairs. Local muralist Emily Strauss designed and painted the mural, which features local scenes and Hoboken residents. A ribbon-cutting was held on Monday, September 29th to celebrate the new mural and its subjects, the residents of Hoboken. Read on for more about this new mural in Hoboken’s Resiliency Park.
About the Mural
Annie McAdams, the head of Arts Education and Public Art within the City’s Cultural Affairs Division, led the effort to get the mural project started. Part of this division’s purpose is to scout out places in Hoboken that have the potential to showcase public art. These panels in Resiliency Park proved to be a great spot, as it has previously been just a subject of graffiti. Annie was able to connect with local mural artist Emily Strauss and her team at Mural Painter Inc. to bring the idea to life.
Muralist Emily Strauss at the unveiling celebration.
The team decided that it wanted the mural to be a reflection of Hoboken’s community over the years, so they asked community members to submit photos that depict their pride in being a Hoboken resident. Annie describes one of her favorite aspects that makes the mural special. “The laundry on clothing lines between apartments is just such a unique symbol of what Hoboken looked like back in the day,” she said. Photos illustrated in the mural range from old photos of relatives in Hoboken to more present-day moments. The team also used photos from the Hoboken Historical Museum for inspiration.
Read More: Hoboken + Jersey City Murals: The Stories Behind Them
The mural itself is 225 square feet and includes numerous faces of many of Hoboken’s unsung heroes. Teachers, coaches, and community leaders are depicted through bright colors and smiling faces. Some of the subjects of the mural were at the unveiling and when asked what they hope the city can take away from having the mural here one word was common in every answer: unity. The mural shows the diversity of the city in both age and ethnicity.
About the Art
Emily Strauss and her team were commissioned to make this mural by the Office of Cultural Affairs. While Emily was not born and raised in Hoboken, she has called The Mile Square home for nearly a decade. She is also a business owner in town with her mural art company based in the Neumann Leather building. She was tapped to create the mural and got to work right away. The entire process, from the initial ask to the ribbon cutting, was just about two months. “We worked for about two weeks off-site, gathering the photos and digitizing them with our incredibly talented graphic designer, Aaron Martin. After that, we worked on-site for about six weeks,” Emily shared. Thanks to the great relationship with the City of Hoboken and little to no rain in the forecast, the project was completed in exactly six weeks, which was the original timeline. Emily gives all credit to her team who worked tirelessly to make sure the project came to life.
The team at work. Photo courtesy of Emily Strauss.
In addition to residents’ contributions to the mural, what makes this project so special is the involvement of Hoboken’s youth. Emily and her team were able to start providing youth art classes focused on mural making, held by the City’s Division of Cultural Affairs. The intent of these classes is to make art education accessible to all community members, so there was just a nominal fee to enroll in the program, and the fee was waived for children who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
In these classes, kids learned about the art of mural painting, and were even able to contribute directly to the mural by painting parts themselves. Emily expressed her gratitude for working with these kids; she said “kids are like sponges”, as they absorb new information so quickly and easily. She was inspired to see the kids’ strong interests in the arts, as they asked questions about her business and how it runs.
See More: A Guide to Public Art in Montclair, New Jersey
During the unveiling ceremony, Mayor Ravi Bhalla and Councilman Michael Russo both shared that what is now the park, playground, and mural used to be a towing center. It’s not home to a stunning, 2,025 square foot mural that tells a rich history of an ever-evolving community. Councilwoman Emily Jabbour expressed her thanks to the families who shared their stories and photos to make the mural possible.
Hoboken children participated in the creation of the mural. Photo courtesy of Emily Strauss.
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