A Brooklyn-based textile street artist, Ellie d’Eustachio weaves a sense of community into every part of her process. Her deeply emotional artistic installments have been displayed both locally and internationally for audiences of all ages.
Ellie d’Eustachio is a Brooklyn-based textile street artist. Her solo and community yarnbombs have been published in the AP and Gothamist and are seen by thousands on scaffolding across NYC. She has been commissioned to produce large-scale installations for live events at Lincoln Center and in Prospect Park, and her art has been on exhibit both here and abroad. She is the recipient of an Awesome Foundation NYC grant.
Whether leading others in creating public art or crafting complex knit pieces that uplift, Ellie believes art is vital to our wellbeing. Many of her projects are driven by working collaboratively with others and creating meaningful, emotional visuals accessible to children.
What brought you to Park Slope?
Sheer luck? Accident? After living in Manhattan with roommates for 4 years I needed to find myself and find a space for myself. So in 2011 I reached out to some apartment listings on craigslist and ended up choosing the first studio I toured in Flatbush. It was tiny, dark, and right in the middle of a beautiful community of Brooklynites who cared and welcomed me and opened up a whole new world for me. I’ve been here ever since. Right near Prospect Park and making art for my community.
What is your most memorable Park Slope moment?
There are so many to choose from. My first chicken salad sandwich from Winner, eaten on the street during COVID. The day I stapled up a pigeon taking a huge poop on Donald Trump while the kids I babysat yelled directions out the window on how to place the poop and not a single person was bothered. Park Slope is full of so many of my memorable moments.
Describe your community superpower.
I think my community superpower is welcoming people in. I’ve spent so much time putting my own emotions into my art, but I’ve found so much of what I do resonates widely. And letting my work go by placing it out on the street has been like a big community hug. I’ve had people reach out to me after seeing my art at 3am and I’ve had people send me photos of their kids in front of my art. I think my art welcomes people’s feelings and makes space for them however and whoever they are.
If you could change one thing about the neighborhood, what would it be?
I wish the R train platforms didn’t feel so dark and lonely. I wish there was more public art.
What do you think Park Slope will look like in 10 years?
One thing that feels special about Park Slope is that a lot of small mom-and-pop stores seem to stay despite how much wealth has come into the neighborhood. I so hope that always stays the case. I think the small, locally owned businesses are what make Park Slope magic.
What are you reading, would you recommend it?
“I want my hat back” by Jon Klassen and anything by Christian Robinson. Yes I have a toddler, but I have been collecting children’s books for far longer than he has existed. I love Mr. Robinson’s layering of textures and the visuals that merge the real with the fantastical. I think, even if you don’t have a kid, children’s books are works of art. And I definitely suggest “I want my hat back.” It’s got great minimalist illustrations and a very dark twist at the end. I love dark humor, it helps me cope with our current world.
What is your greatest extravagance?
My greatest extravagance of all time was taking four months of maternity leave. I think there’s something really wrong with that. But there wasn’t a moment I didn’t feel lucky to get that time to mellow alone with my baby at our own pace. So few people who birth children in the United States get that freedom.
If you couldn’t live in Park Slope or in Brooklyn, where would you go?
Oooph. Not sure. Nothing else is like Brooklyn. Brooklyn is home. I’ve lived in some sort of city my whole life, but every once in a while I dream of living in a small house with a garden where I could plant layer upon layer of flowers. But truthfully, my family of three plus Fiona the cat had lived in a one bedroom apartment together for two years, it’s tight but we don’t have plans to change that any time soon.
Who is your hero, real or fictional?
I have a lot of heros. But my current favorite hero is Vanessa Raptopoulos. She’s the owner of Awesome Brooklyn, an amazing gift shop in Flatbush. She’s a female business owner, she sits on the community board, and she helped bring the PLG business association back to life. Her work is a master class in marrying doing what you love with supporting your family with supporting your community. She does it all and really is a “yes” person. She’s made it possible for me to start a Yarnbomb group and teach my art to my community. She spends so much time and energy lifting up other women and supporting small businesses and artists. She puts a lot of time into educating people on hyper local politics and teaches people how to make change. I think people like her make the world a better place and should be celebrated more.
Last Word, What’s turning you on these days?
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden. I had a huge financial shakeup this year and in all the chaos, walking in the garden and watching for signs of spring was so centering. To be able to step between city and forest and touch the earth and take up some space brings me a lot of peace. Peace is sexy. θ
