Tucked away amongst a bustle of tiny shops down Front Street is the studio and storefront of Dumbo’s resident street artist, Craig Anthony Miller, or CAM. It’s a small space, but upon entering, you’ll feel immediately that you’ve stepped into a refuge from the industrial pathways of Dumbo and arrived in an urban oasis, covered in canvases and smelling faintly of incense.
““Dumbo found me,” CAM explains, flipping through a pile of pencil sketches as we sit across from one another in his studio.”
CAM, who grew up in Brooklyn, is a true and bred citizen of New York. Invested in the arts from a young age, CAM earned his BFA from St. John’s University in the late 90’s and subsequently began live painting all over Alphabet City. Around 2002, he made the transition into Street Art. It didn’t take long to become fully immersed in his new passion; he quit his graphic design job and began painting full time, specializing in murals and public art. And as for his move to Dumbo? “Dumbo found me,” CAM explains, flipping through a pile of pencil sketches as we sit across from one another in his studio. “A studio slot opened up. I ended up joining The 303 Collective, and I’ve been here ever since.”
““The Water Street mural was only supposed to stay up for about three to four months but it ended up lasting for four years. I think it really gave a voice to the neighborhood, and stood as a tribute to the development of Dumbo.””
In fact, pockets and corners of Dumbo’s side streets continue to ring loud and true with CAM’s colors, ever since 2009 when his Water Street mural put him on the map. That work, completed with the help of artists One-9, TRON, and Colby Kennedy, was a sprawling, orange and yellow hued scene of four elephants, each one representing the unique style of the artist who drew it. Like much of CAM’s earlier work, he took inspiration for his elephant from Lord Ganesh, a Hindu deity symbolizing success and the removal of obstacles. “The Water Street mural was only supposed to stay up for about three to four months,” CAM tells me, “but it ended up lasting for four years. I think it really gave a voice to the neighborhood, and stood as a tribute to the development of Dumbo. It was incredible to see how many people were drawn to it, whether it was to take their wedding photos in front of it, fashion spreads, or just to admire the work.” Since then, CAM has painted murals on Dumbo hotspots reBar and Pedro’s. Both works are mesmerizing and evocative of his signature panache: vibrant, fluid battle scenes, animals morphing into humans and vice versa, reminding passerby’s that good can always triumph evil, all in a puzzle-piece type style which echoes CAM’s graphic design background.
““I’ve always really respected a permissible public canvas. It’s a real opportunity to do your thing and have an endless amount of people be touched by your work.””
But don’t confuse CAM’s street art with graffiti, “There’s a whole culture around graffiti, you can’t mistake it.” he explains. “Street art, on the other hand, is everything besides graffiti.” As a street artist, CAM has only ever worked on permissible walls, usually commissioned works. “It was just never me, to go out and create something that would probably be covered up in a day or two. Graffiti can be so beautiful, but at the end of the day, the government will usually see it as vandalism, and so I’ve always really respected a permissible public canvas. It’s a real opportunity to do your thing and have an endless amount of people be touched by your work.”
CAM’s most recent mural is a set of the three enormous owls peeking out from behind the leaves of a few sparse trees, their bellies like stained glass on brick. Invigorated by the overwhelmingly positive response to this latest work, CAM has embarked on what he calls “the Flight Campaign,” where he will spend the summer infusing various parts of Brooklyn with his signature owls. “Brooklyn is a sweet spot in this country. It’s the place to be,” Cam proclaims proudly. “Sure, the neighborhood has changed a lot, but it’s always making room for the new,” he says, considering the birds in his latest work. “Always be mindful of your ability to fly. That’s the message I hope to spread across Brooklyn this summer.”