Long Island City, NY, November 6, 2025 – Long Island City Partnership (LICP) is proud to announce the unveiling of “Bee Present” a new mural by artist Mon Iker. The mural pulls inspiration from local fauna and flora from adjacent Queensbridge Park, and Huichol pattern making. The mural features a dandelion, a symbol of resilience and restoration, growing amongst seasonal living Japanese knotweed and a bumblebee pollinating a red clover.
Bee Present serves as a visual and symbolic bridge between Queensbridge Park, residents, and the broader Long Island City community. Through its vivid colors, geometric Huichol-inspired patterns, and depiction of local plant life, the mural reflects the interconnectedness of nature and community.
“We are thrilled to unveil Bee Present, a mural that celebrates the spirit of Long Island City through art, nature, and community,” said Laura Rothrock, President of Long Island City Partnership. “This project transforms Vernon Boulevard into a more vibrant and welcoming corridor, connecting neighbors, local businesses, and visitors through its bold imagery. Bee Present shows our dedication to creating spaces that make people feel good, spark connection, and brighten our community.”
Artist Mon Iker added, “This mural is vision and understanding of public art as a healing force, Bee Present is a gift to the local community emphasizing mindfulness, beauty, and joy as powerful connectors. Inspired by the weaving of Wixárika pattern making, Mexican spiritual iconography, and everyday transportation signage such as stop signs and yellow road markings, this vibrant mural honors plants and animals as sacred kin and teachers while simultaneously inviting passersby to pause and be present.”
Mon Iker is an interdisciplinary artist and clinical herbalist whose work explores the intersection of social and environmental justice. Their practice spans painting, photography, film, and activism, with work shown internationally and featured in The New York Times. Iker has helped grow the world’s first queer museum, the Leslie-Lohman Museum, and led arts programs for youth at Groundswell and Scribble. Their work, both artistic and herbal, seeks to reconnect people with nature through creativity and healing.
Bee Present was made possible through funding from the NYC Department of Transportation’s Community Commissions Initiative. This program provides funding for community-based organizations to commission artists to design and install temporary public art on NYC DOT infrastructure across the city, bringing creativity and culture directly into public spaces.
“The Community Commissions Initiative is about bringing art into the everyday lives of New Yorkers,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “Bee Present is a wonderful example of how artists, community partners, and public agencies can come together to transform public spaces, celebrate local culture, and create meaningful connections across neighborhoods.”
The mural also strengthens LICP’s mission to foster collaboration between artists, residents, and local businesses. By transforming public spaces into canvases for creativity, LICP continues to build meaningful connections across Long Island City’s diverse neighborhoods while enhancing its cultural and environmental identity.
Additional collaborators for this project include Janovic Paint & Decorating Center who donated extra paint and supplies for the project, New York City Department of Transportation Bridges who provided additional storage space under the bridge, and all the community volunteers including Silvercup Studios who helped prime and paint the mural throughout the process.
For more information about Bee Present, please visit licqns.com/publicart or contact Angel Hart at [email protected].
About Long Island City Partnership:
Long Island City Partnership (LICP) is the local economic development organization for LIC. LICP champions economic development efforts that benefit the neighborhood at large, along with its members, composed of businesses and organizations reflective of LIC’s industrial, commercial, retail, science and technology, residential, cultural, and tourism sectors. LICP works to attract new businesses to LIC, support and sustain existing ones, engage residents and visitors, and promote a vibrant and authentic mixed-use community. LICP also manages the LIC Business Improvement District (LIC BID) and LIC Industrial Business Zone (LIC IBZ), providing business services and assistance.
About NYC DOT Art
The New York City Department of Transportation’s Art Program (NYC DOT Art) partners with community-based, nonprofit organizations and professional artists to present temporary public art on NYC DOT property throughout the five boroughs for up to eleven months. Artists transform streets with colorful murals, dynamic projections and eye-catching sculptures. Sidewalks, fences, triangles, medians, bridges, jersey barriers, step streets, public plazas and pedestrianized spaces serve as canvases and foundations for temporary art. Since 2008, NYC DOT Art has produced over 500 temporary artworks citywide. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dotart and @nyc_DOTArt on Instagram.
About Community Commissions
Community Commissions is a signature NYC DOT Art initiative in which the agency collaborates with community-based organizations to commission artists to design and install temporary, site-responsive public art on NYC DOT infrastructure, including medians, triangles, sidewalks, and asphalt. NYC DOT displays artworks for up to 11 months at designated community sites. Artists were selected through the Community Commissions open call based on artistic merit and strong proposals that demonstrated a connection to the site’s cultural context and the partner organization’s mission. Community-based organizations were selected from a 2023 RFP for their mission and vision in supporting art that celebrates their communities. This iteration marks the return of this initiative for the first time since 2020. The program began in 2008 with the inception of NYC DOT Art.
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