By Devin Gannon, Mon, September 9, 2019 Photo © James and Karla Murray
A free photography exhibition highlighting mom-and-pop shops of New York City opens in the East Village next week. Photographers and award-winning authors James and Karla Murray hosted two workshops earlier this year on using photography and oral history to “raise public awareness, build community, and encourage advocacy.” The free exhibition, “Capturing the Faces & Voices of Mom-And-Pop Storefronts,” shows off the photos and interviews from the workshop’s participants, as well as large-scale photos of now-shuttered East Village shops, taken by James and Karla.
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By Dana Schulz, Wed, August 28, 2019 photos © 6sqft
It’s been nearly two years since artists Gillie and Marc first revealed their “Statues for Equality” project. Noting that less than three percent of all NYC statues are of women, the husband-and-wife public art specialists created a series of 10 bronze sculptures of inspirational women who were voted on by the public–Oprah Winfrey, P!nk, Nicole Kidman, Jane Goodall, Cate Blanchett, Tererai Trent, Janet Mock, Tracy Dyson, Cheryl Strayed, and Gabby Douglas. Monday, on Women’s Equality Day, the statues were unveiled in front of RXR’s Realty’s 1285 Avenue of the Americas (h/t Untapped Cities).
Check out all the statues
By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation, Thu, August 22, 2019 Many artists have been inspired by the scenes of life in New York City, particularly Lower Manhattan. But perhaps no artist captures the feeling of New York during the hot, heavy days of August like the painter John Sloan. Sloan was one of the leading figures of the “Ashcan School” of artists of the early 20th century, a loosely-defined movement which took its name from a derisive reference to the supposed lowbrow quality and themes of their work, and the smudgy, impressionistic brushstrokes they utilized. His workaday subjects and hazy images of city life capture the heaviness of the air of New York during its dog days. Here’s a look at some of those paintings of life in our city 100 years ago.
See NYC through the eyes of Sloan
By Alexandra Alexa, Mon, August 12, 2019 John Giorno’s “Now at the Dawn of My Life”; all images courtesy of Apple and New Museum
Ready to experience a new dimension of Central Park? Apple has partnered with the New Museum to launch free, guided walks of the Park highlighting a series of site-specific, augmented reality artworks. Artists Nick Cave, Nathalie Djurberg, Hans Berg, Cao Fei, John Giorno, Carsten Höller and Pipilotti Rist—most of whom are working in AR for the first time—were tapped to transform the park into a virtual, interactive gallery of sorts, as part of the experiential project called Apple [AR]T Walk, which kicks off from the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue.
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By Michelle Cohen, Mon, August 12, 2019 The original design. Photo by Tia Richards for 6sqft
Last year’s unveiling of designs for the first statue in Central Park’s 165-year history that depicts real historic women–a sculpture of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony–was met with mixed reviews: Why didn’t the statue, set to be dedicated in August of 2020, marking the 100th anniversary of nationwide women’s suffrage, include any of the many African-American women who aided in the cause? Today it was announced that a redesigned statue honoring pioneering women’s rights advocates will include Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth, an escaped slave and abolitionist who joined the fight for women’s rights.
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By Alexandra Alexa, Mon, August 12, 2019 Image via Flickr
It’s been 33 years since Keith Haring painted his “Crack is Wack” mural on a handball court near the Harlem River Drive in East Harlem, and now the iconic work is getting a much-needed restoration, as amNY reported. Inspired by his studio assistant Benny—who was struggling with addiction but later recovered—Haring painted the 16-foot by 26-foot mural on June 27, 1986, at the height of the crack cocaine epidemic and intended the piece to function as a warning to young users. Celebrated as one of Haring’s most important works, the mural has been shielded by protective coverings in recent years during reconstruction work on the Harlem River Drive.
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By Alexandra Alexa, Thu, August 8, 2019 Rendering of Teresita Fernández’s Paradise Parados courtesy of Brooklyn Academy of Music
BAM will soon be adding a series of site-specific public artworks to its Fort Greene campus. Brooklyn-based artists Teresita Fernández and Hank Willis Thomas have been commissioned to create new works for BAM, and Leo Villareal—whose LED light installation “Stars” can already be seen illuminating the arched façade windows of BAM’s Peter Jay Sharp Building—will create two new works. One additional artist will be commissioned in the near future.
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By Devin Gannon, Tue, July 30, 2019 Sketch of the madhouse on Blackwell’s Island via NYPL; Photo of Nellie Bly via Wikimedia
An investigative journalist who exposed the horrible conditions of a New York City insane asylum will be honored with a memorial. In 1887, reporter Nellie Bly went undercover at the Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum, located on what is now Roosevelt Island, and documented the cruel treatment of women being held there. Her six-part investigative piece, “Ten Days in a Mad-House,” led to major changes, including increased funding for the asylum and removal of abusive staff members. To recognize her achievements, a monument will be erected next year on Roosevelt Island.
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By Nicole Mondrus, Tue, July 23, 2019 Image © Marc Yankus
Last Thursday, MTA Arts and Design announced a new installation going up in Grand Central Terminal. “Landmark City” showcases photographs of iconic landmark buildings that have been altered to appear on completely empty streets. The installation, by acclaimed photographer Marc Yankus, is set to run for a year in GCT’s East Dining Concourse.
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By Nicole Mondrus, Fri, July 12, 2019 All photos courtesy of the Garment District Alliance
One of the city’s busiest neighborhoods is getting a little slice of peace. The Garment District Alliance and the city’s Department of Transportation unveiled a new street art installation Wednesday afternoon. The nearly 180-foot painting by artist Carla Torres, “Nymph Pond,” takes up the stretch of Broadway between 37th and 38th Streets. The best part? The block with the mural is being temporarily set aside as an “urban garden” until the end of the summer.
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