A community art project honors the resilience of Ukrainians; will be on display at Veselka

Top photo by Mike Krautter for Citizens

This past Saturday afternoon, the Citizens branch on the SW corner of Second Avenue and Ninth Street hosted a neighborhood art event ... where residents participated in the creation of a large-scale art piece and wrote personal messages of support to Ukrainians abroad. 

Citizens collaborated with Ukrainian-born, New York-based artist Misha Tyutyunik to create a canvas with members of the neighborhood that will be installed tomorrow (March 3 at noon) at Veselka, which became a hub of community-led relief efforts for Ukraine since the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. 

The event raised funds for World Central Kitchen to aid Ukrainians impacted by the war. 

Here's more via the EVG inbox... 

Citizens also began collecting postcards with messages of support from New Yorkers to be sent to Ukrainians displaced by the war. The postcards feature the mural Citizens installed in Little Ukraine in 2022, and were available at the event and will continue to be available for the next month at the Citizens branch in the East Village. New Yorkers can fill them out with their own messages of hope, resilience and love... The aim is to collect 365 postcards to mark each day of the war. 

Tyutyunik's new work for Veselka is titled "An Evening in Kyiv 2023." 

A look at the just-finished mural 'Ukraine: A History in Solidarity'

Photos by Steven

Yesterday, Ukrainian-born artist Misha Tyutyunik finished his mural at the Citizens Bank branch on Ninth Street and Second Avenue.

Here's a look at the final work...

He started the piece, titled "Ukraine: A History in Solidarity," on Saturday... which included a public participation segment. Read our previous post for more details.  

Saturday's parting shots

Photos by Mike Krautter

As reported earlier today, Ukrainian-born artist Misha Tyutyunik (above, right) started painting a large-scale mural at the Citizens Bank branch on Ninth Street and Second Avenue.

The piece is titled "Ukraine: A History in Solidarity." From noon to 2, there was a public participation portion ...

In addition to the mural, Citizens is matching $25,000 in funds donated directly to the East Village-based Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA). 

Tyutyunik is expected to finish the mural tomorrow. 

H/T Steven!

A mural ' to honor the indomitable spirit of Ukraine'

The new Citizens Bank branch on Ninth Street and Second Avenue is marking the one-month anniversary of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine with a new mural. 

Via the EVG inbox... 

Ukrainian artist Misha Tyutyunik will be painting a large-scale mural with public participation at the Citizens Bank branch in Little Ukraine, East Village. This mural was designed with the people of Kyiv during Tyutyunik's time in Ukraine during his Fulbright program. The mural is a gift from Citizens to its neighbors to honor the indomitable spirit of Ukraine. 

The bank opened branches across New York City in February with a mission to support the neighborhoods they are in. In addition to the mural, Citizens will announce a donation to UNWLA, a women-led organization [based in the East Village] that has taken extraordinary efforts to raise money to help Ukrainian refugees. 

Signage shows that the work will take place between noon and 2 today...

Citizens of the neighborhood prepare to say hello to this new bank branch

Photos by Steven

The HSBC-Citizens Bank switcheroo officially happens today on the SW corner of Second Avenue and Ninth Street...

Not sure what kind of festivities will take place to mark the occasion. (Do banks still give away toasters? If not, then they should.)

As previously reported on EVG, HSBC agreed last spring to sell 80 of its 148 U.S. branches to Providence, R.I.-based Citizens Bank. 

As the bank branches turn on 2nd Avenue

Meanwhile, in bank branch news... as you likely know, HSBC agreed last spring to sell 80 of its 148 U.S. branches to Providence, R.I.-based Citizens Bank. 

The HSBC on the SW corner of Ninth Street and Second Avenue made the cut and will transition to a Citizens Bank on Feb. 17. 

Ahead of that, workers yesterday installed the deep-green Citizens signage (with the daisy wheel logo ) ... EVG contributor Steven was there to mark the occasion...

... and at the end of the day, a temp HSBC was back on the marquee...

HSBC arrived here in the spring of 2010 ... before it was a bank branch, the Max Brenner's Chocolate by the Bald Man haunted this space. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• New HSBC reminds customers not to bring guns into the branch 

• Exclusive: The new HSBC branch will have two ATMs!