Park Slope artist’s work featured on LinkNYC kiosks

May 31, 2018 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Brooklyn artist Julia Rothman’s work that is on display on LinkNYC kiosks is based on illustrations from her book “Hello NY.” Photo courtesy of LinkNYC

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The city’s LinkNYC kiosks are being turned into mini art galleries, thanks to an innovative new program that allows paintings to be posted on the sidewalk structures.

Julia Rothman, an artist from Park Slope, is one of the creative talents whose work will be included in the new program called #ArtOnLink.

Several kiosks across the city will display illustrations from her book, “Hello NY.”

“My drawings are mostly about capturing small New York moments or details: a man changing the signs in a theater marquee, an MTA worker cleaning the tiles, people looking at art at the museum. I hope that viewers walking by see my work and it inspires them to appreciate all the small New York moments around them,” Rothman said.

The new #ArtOnLink program, announced this week by LinkNYC and the city’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, was established to celebrate the beauty and culture in New York, officials said.

The works of five artists will be featured on LinkNYC’s 55-inch digital display screens.

“LinkNYC is a quintessentially New York initiative, so it’s fitting that more than 1,600 kiosks will showcase city-centric art made by local artists over the next year. We’re very excited for New Yorkers to experience the creativity, wit and skill of their fellow city dwellers who have rendered their own city experience for everyone to enjoy,” said Samir Saini, commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications.

The 9.5-foot-tall LinkNYC portals, which are meant to replace the old pay telephones that used to line the city’s sidewalks, are technology hubs that offer users free Wi-Fi, free phone calls, access to the 911 and 311 systems, maps and social networking platforms. The kiosks also serve as charging stations for people seeking to charge their cell phones and other mobile devices.

There are currently more than 1,600 LinkNYC kiosks on New York City sidewalks, although there are none yet are in Southwest Brooklyn. But thousands more LinkNYC portals are scheduled to be installed during the next few years. When all of the kiosks are in place, New York City will have the world’s fastest and largest free public Wi-Fi network, officials said.

In addition to Rothman, the artworks included in #ArtOnLink are: James Gulliver Hancock’s “All the Buildings in New York,” Nathan Pyle’s “NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette,” John Donohue’s “All the Restaurants in New York” and Jose Guizar’s “Windows of New York.”

“New York City’s local artists have a unique perspective on city life, and we are thrilled to give them a platform to showcase their work on LinkNYC,” said Ruth Fasoldt, director of Community Affairs for Link, the entity responsible for the LinkNYC kiosks.

The #ArtOnLink program “has created a unique way for New Yorkers and visitors to view and appreciate local artwork on the go,” Fasoldt added.

Hancock said he wanted his work to be included in #ArtOnLink “because I wanted to be part of the new New York.”

Rothman is thrilled to be a part of the unique street art program. “I see Links all around the city. I was thrilled to have my art appear on them and be seen by so many people. I really like that they only appear for a short time on the screen before it flips to the next image, so it feels like you caught a quick glimpse of something special amongst the other information and advertisements,” she said.