American Oystercatcher by Stefen Reed
Location: 3740 Broadway, New York, NY 10032
Painted: May 14, 2017
(This mural has since been removed.)
Sponsored By: Robert Deckey
About the Bird: A semi-migratory shorebird, the American Oystercatcher makes its home on beaches and salt marshes along the East and Gulf Coasts. It has a unique foraging system of hammering or prying open mussel shells in shallow water. According to Audubon’s climate projections, it stands to gain breeding and wintering range in North America—but those models don’t take into account sea-level rise, which will most certainly erode existing and potential habitat as temperatures continue to notch upward.
About the Artist: Stefen Reed is a street artist who works in traditional mediums, including canvas painting, still photography, and videography. He's best known as a cinematographer for the musical film Welcome to Harlem. In his downtime, he volunteers at a local organization called the Children’s Art Carnival of Harlem. “I chose the American Oystercatcher because all of the other birds were taken,” he says. (Brutally honest, and also not true.)
Former Location: