June 2, 2016 By Michael Florio
A new mural captures the essence of Sunnyside.
The mural, which was completed last week, was designed by a Sunnyside student and painted by a Sunnyside artist on the wall of The Lowery, a bar and kitchen that will open on the corner of 43rd Street and 43rd Avenue.
Anne Muldoon, co-owner of The Lowery, and her partners decided they wanted to find a way to showcase the community on their wall. Muldoon, who lives next to P.S. 150, reached out to the school regarding the project and was put in touch with art teacher Anne Cunningham Wine.
Cunningham Wine then had her students each draw pictures that incorporated the neighborhood. Muldoon and her partners, along with the local painter Simon Robinson, went through the submissions to choose one to adapt as a mural.
“It was a really difficult choice,” Muldoon said. “All the kids are so talented and had great pictures.”
Ultimately, the drawing submitted by Arpad Tomity, a 12-year-old from P.S. 150, was selected.
“The drawing replicates Sunnyside,” Muldoon said. “You can see the buildings and we felt it very much fit the neighborhood.”
Muldoon and her partners were also fans of how colorful the drawing was.
“It is bright, colorful and fun,” she said.
The mural design made for an end of the year project for the students in Cunningham Wine’s class, according to Muldoon.
She has received positive responses since it was painted, she said.
“A lot of people stop and check out the mural,” she said. “The community seems to love it and we love the feedback.”
She plans to add a plaque to the mural and host an unveiling where she can officially thank the school, Cunningham Wine, Tomity and Robinson personally. She is planning on hosting this event after The Lowery opens.
She was hoping to have the mural painted after the bar/kitchen opened, but she is still waiting on the City for the green light to open. As the school year was coming to an end, she decided to go forward with the mural.
Muldoon said she could not talk about specific issues with the City process but stated that the Lowery is ready to open once the paperwork is cleared up. The timetable remains up in the air.
“We are ready and want to open,” she said. “It is breaking our hearts that we are not open.”
The Lowery will be a neighborhood bar and grill offering American cuisine and craft cocktails as well as beer and wine.
Muldoon is hoping to become a new “go-to” spot for Sunnyside residents.
“There are a lot of great neighborhood locations in Sunnyside,” she said. “We are happy to be an addition to the neighborhood.”
“We cannot wait to be a part of this community,” she said.
