Papergirl-Brooklyn
Nov 7, 2020 / Photo: Courtesy of Papergirl-Brooklyn
Having learned about Papergirl-Berlin in 2008, Sina Basila Hickey decided to do her own version of the open-sourced art project in Albany in 2009 — then expanded the project to Brooklyn and Manhattan in 2010. Ten years later, she pursued another version of the project in Brooklyn with the help of visual artist and culture promoter Annie Del Hierro.
But when the pandemic hit, the two had to think on their feet to transform the prospective Papergirl-Brooklyn into something safe-yet-stirring. What resulted was a wonderful amalgamation of public art, education, technology and neighborhood pride.
The original Papergirl Project allowed people to experience art more intimately by distributing artwork to them by bike, similarly to how paperboys delivered newspapers in the early 20th century. But since the pandemic has made interacting, touching and engaging more risky, Hickey and Del Hierro had to rethink how people could engage with art in a public setting.
The two ended up utilizing Del Hierro’s past experience with wheat pasting to create installations in eight different Brooklyn neighborhoods, comprised of prints from artists all over the world. The installations also include a QR code that will take viewers to a neighborhood-specific episode of the project’s podcast “Papergirl Radio.” Throughout the episodes, the pair speaks with neighborhood residents and highlights organizations making a difference in the area. They also feature original music by different artists.
“You can go to a location, you can listen to the podcast, you can talk with people, you can look at the art,” Del Hierro explained. “We want it to be a sensory experience.”
The pair recommend listening to an episode while looking at its coinciding installation — but the episodes are also available on their website, Spotify and Apple Podcasts for people to listen to regardless of where they’re located.
To source the artwork for the installations, Hickey and Del Hierro issued an open call earlier in the year and ended up getting submissions from many different countries. The pieces, which feature an array of mediums and subject matter, intertwine interestingly in the different installations, amplifying a captivating combination of colors, characters, messaging, stories. The combination of the pair’s efforts is a multi-sensory masterpiece celebrating art as well as the diverse demographic of people who call Brooklyn home.
Hickey still plans to distribute the artwork in original Papergirl Project fashion, but said she and Del Hierro are adamant that it be done by the most safe and sanitary means. She also hopes the project will continue, whether it be done by her or someone else interested in advancing the Papergirl tradition.
“We'd love to pass it on to somebody else. I mean, it is an open source project, and I think it's just going to evolve,” Hickey explained. “That’s what I like about the project is there's a lot you can do with it and take away from it and take these pieces and give those pieces — and so it likely won't be in the very same form.
More about Papergirl-Brooklyn and its multifaceted installations can be found on their website.
