Downtown Brooklyn Partnership (DBP) in partnership with the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) today began installation of ground murals – known as “asphalt art” – within the pedestrian spaces of the neighborhood’s Shared Street network. New York City-based artist, Isolina Minjeong, was selected to create vibrant art that complements the streetscape with her work titled Fear No Frontier.
In addition to Downtown Brooklyn’s signature planters, granite blocks, bike corrals, and street furniture, this new public art will enliven the public realm, visually connect the area’s core streets, and increase safety by delineating pedestrian priority zones. NYC DOT’s Shared Street initiative is a key element of DBP’s Public Realm Action Plan to reclaim streets for people and beautify Downtown Brooklyn’s streetscape.
“Every year, the new asphalt art serves as a reminder that Downtown Brooklyn is a true people-first neighborhood,” said Regina Myer, President of Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. “Isolina’s vibrant new artwork welcomes pedestrians to this dynamic neighborhood that is always evolving. We are grateful for our partners at NYC DOT for working with us to improve our streets and look forward to the streets being transformed into inspiring works of art for everyone to enjoy.
“Fear No Frontier will help make these bustling Shared Streets in Downtown Brooklyn even more dynamic and welcoming to all,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “This project represents our fourth consecutive year collaborating with the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership at this location, as well as NYC DOT Art’s second partnership with artist Isolina Minjeong—a testament to the power of teamwork.”
Inspired by her Korean and Peruvian heritage, Isolina combines bold text, vivid patterns, and ancient myths to share visual wisdoms through muralism. Luck and superstition have deep roots in both Korean culture and the spirit of NYC. Isolina’s ground murals will transform Downtown Brooklyn’s pedestrian spaces into visual blessings, exploring how language, symbols and illustrative storytelling can make meaning. Fear No Frontier will adorn approximately 10,700 square feet across the Shared Streets and spaces adjacent to the Jay Street busway.
Bridge St + Fulton St
Isolina’s design is rooted in myth and folklore, depicting powerful animals of fortune, such as tigers, dragons, and wolves, each embodying the courageous spirit that defines this city and its people. The murals weave guardians of luck, text, symbols of home, and floral offerings into gestures of hope and persistence. Just as flowers push through cracks in the pavement and homes are built in even the most unlikely places, New Yorkers continue to carve out spaces of belonging, care, and renewal. This mural is a tribute to that resilience, a reminder that luck is not just found but made through perseverance and community.
“Tigers, dragons, jaguars—these creatures aren’t just from old stories,” said artist Isolina Minjeong, “they’re protectors of the everyday, reminders that resilience is something we walk with. I wanted these murals to feel like quiet blessings—symbols of strength and care rising up from the streets themselves.”
These enhancements are part of DBP’s Downtown Brooklyn Public Realm Action Plan, created in partnership with design firms Bjarke Ingels Group and WXY architecture + urban design. The plan puts forth a series of transformative measures that will take Downtown Brooklyn from a traditional central business district to a citywide leader in designing a people-centric downtown. Expansion of Downtown Brooklyn’s Shared Street network is one of the plan’s key recommendations.
Also known as “pedestrian-priority” streets, Shared Streets are designed to slow travel speeds where pedestrians and cyclists are prioritized, and motorists are treated as guests. On Shared Streets, necessary vehicular access is maintained for loading, carting, parking, and other services, and slow vehicular speeds are preserved through traffic calming measures, signage, street markings, and the addition of public space amenities in expanded pedestrian spaces. The Shared Street model was launched in Downtown Brooklyn on Pearl and Willoughby Streets in 2019 and is being expanded across blocks in the core of Downtown Brooklyn.
Pearl St + Willoughby St
About Downtown Brooklyn Partnership:
The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership is a not-for-profit local development corporation that serves as the primary champion for Downtown Brooklyn as a world-class business, cultural, educational, residential, and retail destination. Managing three Business Improvement Districts
(BIDs) that cover Downtown Brooklyn – the MetroTech BID, Fulton Mall Improvement Association, and Court-Livingston-Schermerhorn BID – the Partnership’s diverse activities include attracting new businesses and improving the environment for existing companies, facilitating the construction of public spaces and streetscapes that promote an active and cohesive community, supporting and promoting Downtown Brooklyn’s cultural assets, and encouraging a sense of place and an engaged civic community.
About NYC DOT Art:
The New York City Department of Transportation 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. Over the past 12 years, NYC DOT Art has produced over 475 temporary artworks citywide.
For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/dotart + @nyc_DOTArt.
About Isolina Minjeong
Isolina Minjeong is a New York City-based artist who blends manga with ancient mythology in her mural and ceramics practice. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Her work has been exhibited at Court Street Collective (2025), NADA Miami (2023), the Spring/Break Art show (2022), and the Tchotchke Gallery (2022), amongst others. For more information, visit: https://isolinaminjeong.com/ + @isolinaminjeong
About Shared Streets
Downtown Brooklyn Partnership has worked closely with the NYC Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) to create Shared Streets in Downtown Brooklyn, starting with Pearl and Willoughby Streets in 2019, and expanding in 2022 to include Bridge Street, Hoyt Street, and Elm Place. Creating a safer, pedestrian-friendly street network and investing in memorable places with distinctive character are key recommendations of DBP’s Public Realm Action Plan.
