Bushwick Street Art: Where to Find the BEST Murals in Brooklyn (with pictures)

Are you looking for the best place to see street art in Bushwick? Well hop on the L train and head to Brooklyn: The Bushwick street art collective in Bushwick, Brooklyn is the best neighborhood for street art in New York!

The huge number of murals and other street art in Bushwick is concentrated in just a few blocks, making it easy to see gobs of street art all at once. The Bushwick street art project is constantly adding new murals to the mix, too, so you never know what masterpiece you’ll stumble upon.

Getting to Bushwick, Brooklyn is an easy subway ride from Manhattan. So what are you waiting for? Head on over to see incredible Bushwick street art the next time you’re in town.

And you know how much I like to pack my posts full of helpful information, so I also cover the many cool things to do in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Read on to learn not only about the Bushwick murals in Brooklyn but also where to eat and shop in Bushwick as well as other things to do in this cool Brooklyn neighborhood.

All about Bushwick Street Art, Brooklyn

Bushwick, the neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY, is one of New York City’s most colorful and street-art filled areas.

Walking around, you’ll probably notice that Bushwick is changing. The wholesalers and auto body shops in this working-class Brooklyn neighborhood watch as signs of gentrification move in. Zero-waste stores, craft beer, and tapas restaurants signal that wealthier residents are showing up.

Originally, Lenape Native Americans called this part of New York home. Then in the 1600s, a group of settlers got permission from the Lenape to form a community they called Boswijck, Dutch for “neighborhood in the woods.” (This peaceful agreement was later violated by European settlers and their descendants. They attacked Native Americans who lived in the hills around the original European settlement, annexing the area and expanding their territory.)

From its outset, Bushwick, Brooklyn was a community of immigrants. Its first settlers were Dutch, French and one of the first enslaved Africans brought to what is now New York, who had worked his way to freedom.

Nowadays, Bushwick is predominantly Hispanic: Almost 70% of people self-identify as Hispanic, with most residents’ heritage from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

History of street art in Bushwick and the Bushwick Collective

Since 2011, the Bushwick Collective—an organization of graffiti artists in Brooklyn who have turned this neighborhood into a street art mecca—have transformed an economically depressed area into one of the best places to see street art in New York City.

The Bushwick Collective was founded by Joe Ficalora, who was born in Bushwick. He wanted to transform a history of trauma—his father was murdered outside a subway station, and his mother died of brain cancer—as well as his home. So he began organizing other artists to make over Bushwick, turning the entire Brooklyn neighborhood into a street art gallery.

The Bushwick Street Art Collective works with artists, business owners, and the community at large to find locations for street art on a large scale. The organization also throws a party every summer, the Bushwick Collective Block Party.

Where to find street art in Bushwick

You might be asking, Where is this Bushwick graffiti? A better question: Where is it not?

You’ll see murals and graffiti as soon as you step out of the subway! Street art in Bushwick is everywhere: On walls above businesses, metal grates, even the sidewalk.

Most of the Brooklyn murals are centered around the main street in Bushwick, Wycoff Avenue. (This is where you’ll get off the L train subway at the Jefferson Street station.) Side streets, such as Troutman and Starr Streets, showcase murals and graffiti on almost every surface.

Although you’ll see a ton of Bushwick street art in just a few blocks, visitors who walk a bit farther afield will be rewarded. Off the beaten path murals were some of my favorites. So don’t stop exploring once you’ve seen the street art most visited by other tourists; keep going for fewer people—and terrific art. Walk a few blocks farther in each direction and you won’t be disappointed.

The many kinds of Bushwick street art

Murals are pretty clearly the most common kind of street art in Bushwick. Pretty much every spare wall, fence, and grate is covered in stunning, statement-making murals.

There are also small-scale Bushwick murals. Not all street art has to be giant and grand: You’ll find mini-sized murals on concrete traffic dividers and pretty much every other available surface. Keep your eyes out for other small-scale murals, for example near grates, on the sidewalks, or hiding in plain sight.

Bushwick murals and graffiti 

You’ll also find graffiti in Bushwick. What’s the difference between graffiti and murals?

Graffiti is stylized writing, often painstakingly painted with impressive effects. Graffiti isn’t necessarily tagging, though. What’s the difference between graffiti and tagging? Tagging is vandalism, often painted on by people marking their territory—literally leaving their mark. Whereas graffiti is often painted with the permission of the property owner and intended to be a more artful, lasting statement.

Sometimes murals and graffiti collide. I’m always super bummed when a mural that clearly took hours and even days to create is tagged. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, though.

Other types of street art in Bushwick

You’ll also find stencil street art in Bushwick. This form of street art is made by cutting a piece of hard cardboard, plastic, or other material to leave gaps that create a picture. Then the artist spray paints over the stencil, leaving an image behind.

Stencil street art is usually smaller in scale than the other Bushwick murals and graffiti, and you’ll notice it’s replicated multiple times. Since you can lay down a stencil and spray paint over it as many times as you want, you’ll find the same image or words over and over again, sometimes with slight variations.

Wheatpasting is another form of iterative street art. Instead of making a stencil and repeatedly painting a simple design, wheatpasting is a bit different.

This street art technique allows an artist to create a more intricate design, print multiple copies, then affix to a wall using wheatpaste—a mixture of water and flour. Wheatpaste street art is less permanent than street art using paint, since rain and the elements can make it deteriorate or fall off.

Finally, keep an eye out for other, even less traditional forms of street art in Brooklyn. I’ve heard there are sculptures of cats throughout this Brooklyn neighborhood, though I didn’t see any. And watch for telephone poles and other neighborhood structures cozied up in knitted “sweaters” and other fabric decorations.

The bottom line: Bushwick is literally an outdoor gallery full of all kinds of street art in Brooklyn.

Other things to do in Bushwick, Brooklyn

If you’re like me, street art in Bushwick is the biggest draw to this Brooklyn neighborhood. It doesn’t mean you have to stop there, though!

Here are other great things to do in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

Where to eat in Bushwick

Bushwick is now full of delicious, well-regarded restaurants: In my recent visit, new cafes, tapas spots, and restaurants were being installed as I walked around. While I didn’t have a chance to try all the Bushwick restaurants, general consensus says Sea Wolf is amazing for seafood; Archie’s, Roberta’s and Union Pizza Works for pizza; and Kave Espresso Bar for fancy coffee.

Some of the restaurants in Bushwick have also embraced the neighborhood’s identity as a street art mecca. Dock Asian Eatery, for example, puts stunning murals front and center. I have a feeling that Dock’s Japanese-Thai fusion food is even more delicious under its impressive murals.

My favorite restaurant near the best Brooklyn murals

When I was looking for restaurants in Bushwick, I opted for old school and no-frills. I ate a big ol’ plate of tacos from Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos, a counter service restaurant/tortilla factory.

The corn tortillas are obviously fresh since they only have to be moved about 100 feet from the factory to the kitchen, where staff make your tacos right in front of you. And for 3 tacos for less than $10, it’s hard to get a more delicious, more filling meal in Bushwick for better than that.

When I went on a weekday, I got my tacos in about 5 minutes. If you go on a weekend, though, expect a crowd: Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos has become quite the popular taco spot in Brooklyn!

The ordering process is a bit unusual at Tortilleria Mexicana: Look at the menu and write down what you want on an index card you’ll find on the counter. Make a note if your order is to go or to stay and write down your name. Then place the card back on the counter. You’ll pay for your food and drinks when it’s ready and they call up your order.

Where to shop in Bushwick

Bushwick is becoming more hipster, so it makes sense you can now shop for artisan-made clothing, accessories and other goods made right in this Brooklyn neighborhood. Check out Shops at the Loom, a series of stores, and studios in a converted mill.

Better than Jam is an artist and craftsman collective, where makers sell their goods and offer workshops. You can buy clothes, scarves, soaps and other goodies. Or bring a well-loved piece of clothing that needs an update and they’ll indigo dye it, giving it a whole new life. You can even have it shipped home to you if you’re just visiting Bushwick.

And if you’re visiting the Bushwick Street Art Collective on a weekend, you can check out the Bushwick Market. This flea market on the corner of Wyckoff and Willoughby sells used knickknacks. I can’t vouch for whether you’re more likely to find treasure or, well, not-treasure, but it can be fun to hunt!

See more art in Bushwick

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to visit Microscope Gallery in Bushwick, a space that showcases work from contemporary artists that combine digital, moving image, sound, and performance pieces.

But y’all know how much I love unusual museums in New York so I’m putting the Microscope Gallery on my list for the next time I’m in NYC.

How to see Bushwick street art in Brooklyn

To get to the murals in Bushwick, take the L train to the Jefferson Street station in Brooklyn. You’ll find yourself on Wyckoff Avenue, named for a Dutch family who settled here in the 1650s.

As soon as you pop up out of the subway entrance, you’ll see the Bushwick street art all around you.

Is it safe to walk around in Bushwick? I went alone to this Brooklyn neighborhood and was walking around side streets with my DSLR camera. I never ever felt the slightest bit uncomfortable. That said, you should always remain aware of your surroundings and stay safe.

In general, there were plenty of other people looking at the Bushwick Collective street art. People are pretty friendly—I asked a local to take my photo in front of one mural. Other people had brought along friends or mini tripods to take photos.

Bushwick street art: The best murals in Brooklyn

No matter how you see the Bushwick street art collective in Brooklyn, you won’t regret your visit. This neighborhood is the best place in New York to see street art I’ve found so far!

Do you know of other street art neighborhoods in New York? Let me know! I can’t wait to check it out when I’m hunting for more things to do in New York!

PS – Don’t forget to check out my guide to non-touristy museums in New York and my other street art posts!