A Great Neck resident since the Seventies, Bonnie Siracusa is known in the art world as the “art genie,” in which her magical hands paint whimsical realism. She truly finds inspiration everywhere. “I especially love all the year-round great community events that Great Neck offers. Plus, our town’s top schools and beautifully maintained parks are beyond compare,” Bonnie said.
Millies & Mushrooms
Still, while Bonnie lives in gratitude, she laments the quiet of what used to be. In legendary fashion, Millies Place and Mushrooms drew people from Manhattan and all over Long Island.
Later at The Gardens Shopping Center, there were hot spots that featured live music and dancing. “There was an array of successful family businesses and restaurants. Nightlife was bustling down Middle Neck Road, starting Thursday nights through 4 a.m. every weekend,” Bonnie wistfully recalls. Today, it seems there is less buzz in the air. Outside of the always-booked hair salons and barber shops, of course.
For shopping, Bonnie recalls the Great Neck Department Store, Camp and Campus, Jildors and Posterline.
“Of course, like many I still miss Bruce’s Bakery and Restaurant,” she said.
As a teen, she loved La Kookoo, a Psychedelic head shop, Cheeze of the World for their handmade apricot rolls and Baskin-Robbins on the corner of Elm and Middle Neck Road, where Spectacles is now in place of a former Cadillac dealership.
Today, Bonnie regularly enjoys the Great Neck Diner, which evokes the good times she had back in the day at Fredericks.
“In the 1980s, I would go there daily for breakfast and spend the morning reading all the newspapers and magazines there. It was my library,” she said.
While Bonnie forged many new friendships with the regulars, she is thankful that the old school luncheonette was “rescued” by the present owners. “The family is so welcoming to me each time I go there—I love that place,” she says.
The Life of an Artist
As Bonnie puts it, “being an artist is the essence of my being and what I was put on this planet to do.”
A dabbler in the arts since nursery school, Bonnie has been hugely influenced by the town’s ethnic diversity.
“I always loved National Cultural Day in the public schools, where students and parents experienced and enjoyed each other’s customs and cultural traditions-from foods to dance and music,” Bonnie said.
Her kids were exposed to a whole new perspective on how people lived.
“I could see how close family ties in the Persian and Chinese cultures were important in raising successful kids,” Bonnie remarked.
Of special note is the Asian community’s very high standards of academic and artistic excellence. “I fell in love with Asian and Persian home furnishings,” which were duly represented in Bonnie’s colored pencil drawings and paintings, such as in “Exotic Dreams,” “Engagement Self Portrait,” and “Marti gras Masquerade.”
Murals & More
Bonnie’s expanded worldview greatly influenced her artwork, especially the idea of painting murals to embellish local communities and working together on beautification projects. Her most memorable artistic project in Great Neck was in 1984, when she executed her very first mural, commissioned by the owner of National Plant Designs, where Rothchild’s Restaurant now stands.
This led to other commissions and launched her prolific career as a muralist. (Psst: We aim to add to her local portfolio-read on!)
Bonnie’s work has been exhibited at the Spot on Spot Gallery, the art gallery at the Village Hall of Great Neck Plaza, the Great Neck Library, local galleries, banks, and outdoor craft fairs. The great Shirley Romaine, a well-known Great Neck resident, interviewed Bonnie for her cable show “Art Scene On Long Island.”
“Personally, Great Neck has been very supportive of me as an artist and to the arts in general,” she said.
We can all agree that our Great Neck Public Schools have excellent music, theater, and art departments. The Gold Coast Art Center, with its private classes, public performances, and exhibits, really tries to foster the fine arts. Bonnie primarily works in acrylic, latex, and exterior latex wall paint. She also incorporates fabrics and other mixed media into her work.
“I always love to tell a story with my art. If it is a community mural, I like to beautify, educate and inspire local pride through depicting its significant history,” she said.
Bonnie has improved unsightly wall graffiti with her gorgeous murals. Her personal art depictions serve as social commentary about contemporary situations and traditions.
The murals she did at the St. Joachim and Anne Residence in Coney Island, the Coney Island and Ryder Station Post Offices, Ozone Park Post Office, the National Association of Letter Carriers, and the Carpenters Union of Lower Manhattan were all highly accurate historical depictions of famous landmarks. She collaborated with a Coney Island historian for references, including a mural for the Brooklyn Dodgers with portraits of all the Boys of Summer, and ribbon cuttings with Mrs. Jackie Robinson and others. Bonnie executed a memorial for the Carpenters Union, which sadly lost 107 members on 9/11.
Great Gatsby Vibes
Dating back to the Jazz Age, Great Neck has a rich history as the chosen abode for many famous entertainers, artists, authors and playwrights. Destination: Great Neck Ltd. aims to spotlight and honor our Roaring Twenties legacy. We are patiently awaiting board approval of our “sign” permit application to install a mural in Great Neck Estates, featuring the world of “The Great Gatsby,” written by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
He lived to tell in Great Neck Estates, forever memorializing our town’s nouveau riche rivalry with bougie Sands Point across the Manhasset Bay. At DGN, we feel that Great Neck is missing the boat. We should be the worldwide locus, a destination, if you will, for all things Gatsby. On Bonnie’s bucket list? A Gatsby-themed Beaux Arts Gala.
As a top contender for DGN’s mural project, Bonnie welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with local student artists and organizations to nourish the next generation of artists. Bonnie’s advice to emerging creatives is to “follow your passion” and become active in the community. As for herself, she is always working on her craft, from 4-10 hours a day, when she is not playing tennis.
In her words, it’s not an easy way to make a living, but Bonnie is living out her dream. It’s an enchanting, beautified life, Ol’ Sport!
