Cake’s Women at Home off the Bowery

About four years ago, I began noticing Cake’s women wheatpasted onto the walls of  Williamsburg and Chelsea.  Their poignant elegance transfixed me.  Even in various stages of decay, they never lost their heart-rending beauty.  Thanks to Keith Schweitzer and MaNY, in collaboration with FabNYC, three of Cake’s women have now found a home off the Bowery in Lower Manhattan.  Here are some scenes from today’s installation:

And a wonderful full view of the installation can be seen on Cake’s page.

Photos by Lenny Collado and Lois Stavsky

This Side of Paradise @ the Andrew Freedman Home in the Bronx: Scenes from an Opening

RJ shared background info and some photos last week regarding This Side of Paradise, an extraordinary exhibition that opened this evening at the Andrew Freedman Home in the Bronx.  Curated by Keith Schweitzer with No Longer Empty, it features the work of over two dozen artists who — working in a wide array of styles and media — have transformed an abandoned mansion into a fascinating aesthetic experience, embracing a range of social and cultural issues. Here are some photos captured at the opening that focus on those artists whose works have been surfacing on the streets of the Bronx for years:

Daze
Crash installation, close-up with young documentarian at work
How & Nosm, close-up of huge 3-dimensional installation

Photos by Lenny Collado, Sara Mozeson and Lois Stavsky

“Groundbreak” Opens as Abe Lincoln, Jr., Jon Burgerman & Ellis Gallagher Transform Artist Alley

This past Thursday, we came upon Jon Burgerman gracing Artist Alley @ Extra Place off East 1st Street between Bowery and 2nd Ave. with his wonderfully zany characters.  Yesterday Tara returned for the artists’ reception, where — she reports — the vibes were as cool as the art. The current artwork remains @ Extra Place through March 18, 2012. Here are some more shots of “Groundbreak” curated by Joyce Manalo of ArtForward & Keith Schweitzer of MaNY Project:

Abe Lincoln, Jr.'s lovable characters
Jon Burgerman's completed sidewalk mural
Abe Lincoln, Jr. in a rather somber pose & Jon Burgerman seemingly as cheerful as his art
Photos by Tara Murray

A Manhattan Lower East Side Lot Transformed into an Outdoor Gallery

Down on Manhattan’s Lower East Side today for the first time this summer, we visited the lot at 145 Ludlow Street that had recently become the outdoor canvas for some of my favorite street artists.  Among those whose work is now on the walls are: Bishop 203, Creepy, Gaia, General Howe, Laura Meyers, Nanook, Over Under, QRST, Quel Beast and Yok. The project was sponsored by Crest Hardware and organized by Joe Franquinha of Crest Arts and Keith Schweitzer of M.A.N.Y. Here are some images:

Creepy, photo by Lois Stavsky
The Yok, photo by Lois Stavsky
Bishop 203, photo by Lois Stavsky
Quel Beast, photo by Tara Murray
Laura Meyers, photo by Lois Stavsky
QRST, photo by Lois Stavsky

Photos by Lois Stavsky and Tara Murray