Welcome to Bay Ridge

The “Welcome to Bay Ridge” mural by Mister Kaves celebrates the Brooklyn Way

To commemorate the Brooklyn Nets’ 10th anniversary in Brooklyn, the team commissioned Thrive Collective students and artists to interpret “The Brooklyn Way” in public art murals in four Brooklyn neighborhoods: Bay Ridge, Coney Island, Flatbush, and East New York. This first collaboration welcomes people to Bay Ridge, on the side of a city-owned building at the entrance to the neighborhood’s primary commercial corridor on 86th Street. NYC Council Member Justin Brannan co-sponsored the project led by local artist Michael “Mister Kaves” McCleer.

A multi-dimensional artist born and raised in Bay Ridge, Mister Kaves began as a graffiti writer and bboy in the early 1980s, and has collaborated with Thrive on numerous school murals since 2016. As a founding member of the Rap/Rock group Lordz of Brooklyn, he co-wrote and recorded “The Brooklyn Way” in the 2006, and as an actor he has been featured in numerous films. As an entrepreneur, Kaves and his family own the Brooklyn Firefly restaurant in Bay Ridge, the Brooklyn Pop exhibit. in Industry City, and Pigtown Atelier and tattoo studio.

This design celebrates the cultural heritage and figures with ties to Bay Ridge, including: Albert King, Chef Rawia of Tanoreen, Chuck Connors, John Travolta & Karen Lynn Gorney, Pee Wee Reese, and Lordz of Brooklyn.