We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bobbi Mastrangelo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bobbi below.

Alright, Bobbi thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Creating “Borough of Manhattan” sculpture relief was one of my most meaningful projects.
After teaching Elementary School for six years, I became a Stay-at Home-Mom. When Michael and Peter were little, I went back to college, this time to study art. I took one undergraduate course per semester. My printmaking professor advised me to stick to a single art style or art theme.

I went to my art history professor for advice. He perused my art-photo book. The art prints included a rooster at sunrise, an owl with the moon behind him and a circular woodcut of a bearded man, etc.
“My Dear, You have a penchant for circles,” he commented.
I was in a quandary. What would I do with circles?

Eureka!, I discovered the answer when I came across photos of manhole covers which one artist labeled as urban art. His own art was totally unrelated to manhole covers. Manhole covers were circles. No one else did art work about manhole covers, except photographers. So in 1979, I adopted the theme of Manhole Covers.

In New York City, I took a photo of a grate, “DEPT. of PUBLIC WORKS, BOROUGH of MANHATTAN.” I did a rubbing of its twin on a sidewalk. (much safer than doing a rubbing in the street.) The rubbing was used to trace the cover image on foamcore. I cut out the letters and the grate openings. Ready-Cement was brushed on polystyrene layers and painted black to form the asphalt background. The Library Director in Setauket, NY was pleased to hang my piece in their exhibit area. But, she smiled and reported that one of the patrons exclaimed:
“That Lady ought to be arrested for stealing a manhole cover. ”
I smiled to myself that I accomplished such a feat with my sculpture.

A month later, My cousin Chris sent me a photo and a rubbing of a sewer cover she discovered during her travels. Re-creating the bricks was a challenge. But like the last sculpture, I seemed to have a sense for creating realistic images.

In the spring of 1984, I carried both art works to the registration area of the Huntington Juried Art Show.
A few days later, the results came in the mail: Artwork #1 “Sewer” REJECTED! Artwork #2, ” Borough of Manhattan,” REJECTED!
I was devastated!

However I continued with my art theme and won some awards. Award winners in the NAWA (National Association of Women Artists were invited to submit art to their permanent collection at the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University. In 1992, “Borough of Manhattan” was ACCEPTED into the NAWA Permanent Collection.

Bobbi, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

For over four decades I created art based on the theme of manhole covers, water covers, grates and drains called “Grate Works of Art.” Most of the works are lightweight sculpture relief carved from layers of polystyrene. They appear so real that I have been accused of stealing a manhole cover to hang on a wall.

My second medium is deeply embossed prints. When I lived in New York state, I owned a Dickerson Printing Press. I discovered that my own hand made papers created the deepest embossment because their makeup was softer and thicker.

For the month of June, 2024, my website, www.bobbimastrangelo.com is under construction. My art can be viewed on Wikipedia or SaatchiArt.

I am most proud of being the founder of the grassroots organization dedicated to making our town clean and beautiful. It all began with the frustration of sweeping the litter and cigarette butts off a manhole cover so I could do a rubbing of the cover. I complained to my neighbor about the litter accumulation on our streets and sidewalks.

“You can do something about this problem. Just read Earl Babbie’s book:”You Can Make a Difference.”
His book motivated me to meet with a group of concerned citizens, including a Town Councilman. The consensus was for members to adopt spots around town which they would keep litter free and beautify with plantings. A reporter named us CLEAN ( Committee for Litter Elimination And Neatness).

Soon we had a CLEAN Logo of our banner over crossed brooms above a row of flowers. White CLEAN Bear was our mascot . And we even had a PO Box 229 in the town of St.James NY. My personal adopt -a-spot was the King Kullen Supermarket area and parking lot.

The friend who helped me plant flowers in one small area became known as Antie-Litter, and they called me Mrs. CLEAN. The managing agent for King Kullen agreed to donate 1,000 tulip bulbs, which the girl scouts planted along the sidewalk.

The art print that commemorates this period is called “When the People Care.”
The overall message of all my utility cover art is not only to preserve and protect our water and all our valuable resources, but to keep our sidewalks and streets clean and beautiful.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I will be looking for a museum that will welcome the donation of my present art collection. The Zimmerli Art Museum and the Heckscher Museum already own a piece of my art. The Islip Art Museum has a sizable collection of my art.

Japan cares about the beauty of manhole covers. Just google Japan’s manhole covers to see the multitude of attractive designs in color located in every prefecture. Every three years Tokyo host a Manhole Cover Festival. Japan is actually promoting manhole art.

It is my hope that Manhole Art will be recorded in Art History and that my art will be included.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish that I had signed up with an art agent long ago to help sell and promote my art.
Unfortunately, art seems to be judged on its monetary value. I was so busy creating art and entering exhibitions and competitions, that I did not concern myself with sales.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.Bobbimastrangelo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bobbimastrangelo/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bobbi.mastrangelo/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbi-mastrangelo-019a297/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BMastrangelo1
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/bmastrangelo/grate-works-of-art-by-bobbi-mastrangelo/