Visit to Jersey City, New Jersey
We only had a few minutes to look around Jersey City. At the entrance as we drove into the city, we were greeted by this pylon sculpture with “Historic Downtown” messaging supporting stylized iconography with JC in a letter and Jersey City written on the edge. Landscaping and a flagpole give this traffic island a dignified and cared for feel.
Jersey City has a fairly active mural program. Here a wall has a strong graffiti aesthetic and the messaging “Masters of Distortion.” In the foreground is a stamped asphalt crosswalk that has not held up well under the heavy traffic each day.
This front of building sports an extensive mural by the artist Gaia. It blends European or colonial themes with indigenous themes. In some ways it is reminiscent of the work of Diego Rivera.
Porta restaurant has a combination of a color wall where their primary business is. Then a narrative history mural with a riverboat, clock tower, and statue of liberty torch is visible. Also up a neighboring four-story building are figurative colorful swirls and other decorations.
In the distance just above the vehicles in the photo is the wave mural. We had seen it up close and wrote about it previously. In this context it was more of a billboard scale and was subdued with an environment dominated by tall buildings.
On our way out was saw this “Welcome to Jersey City” message on a patterned concrete brick wall. The colors are vibrant and the mural grabs the attention of people, even if for a second as they race by.
The beams of this overpass are painted black with the message, “Liberty Science Center, Where the Future Comes to Play.” To have this messaging so close to the attraction creates a sense of excitement and also builds awareness about the nearness to the center.