A famous mural paying tribute to Sunnyside’s diversity has been fully restored after a neighborhood crowdfunding campaign.
The mural, located on the corner of 40th Street and 47th Avenue, was completed last weekend after an online fundraiser raised more than $7,000 to fund the mural’s revival.
Nora Dantchev, who owns the building at 39-47 47th Ave. where the mural was formerly located, launched the fundraiser to cover the cost of materials and compensate Victor Ving, the artist behind the original mural who agreed to fly in from LA for the project.
Ving’s original mural paid homage to many of the most iconic elements of Sunnyside, including the Sunnyside Arch, the 7 train, Sunnyside Gardens and the neighborhood’s historic Irish community.
However, the mural was removed last year because the wall it was located on began to crumble, leaving Dantchev with no choice but to re-stucco the wall and the entire side of the building, removing the mural in the process.
Dantchev aimed to recreate the original mural and planned to hire Ving for the project, but the artist had since gone on to create a nationwide series of postcard murals in towns and cities across the US alongside his wife Lisa Beggs, causing the price of the project to soar.
Dantchev shared an update on GoFundMe last week that the project had been sufficiently funded, adding that the mural would be fully completed by the end of the weekend.
Now, the artwork once again adorns the side of the building, boasting several protective coatings that will preserve the mural for “years to come.”
Dirk McCall de Palomá, the executive director of the Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District who pushed for the mural’s restoration, welcomed news that the project had been completed.
“We are delighted to see this mural completed and restored,” McCall de Palomá said in a statement. “Kudos to Nora Dantchev and her family for their great work and determination to beautify Sunnyside.”
Dantchev previously stated that she would love to get the mural to the “finish line,” describing efforts to restore the artwork as a grassroots community movement.
She said similar projects are generally “privately or corporately funded” and added that other artists had reached out to offer their services but said it was crucial that Ving oversaw the project.
“We think that the community would be upset if the mural didn’t maintain its original postcard aesthetic that everyone loved and got used to for 14+ years,” Dantchev said prior to the mural’s restoration.
