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Art of the Day: ‘Mic Check’ by RAE in Coney Island

Posted in art, tagged Brooklyn, Coney Island, graffiti, RAE, RAE BK, street art, urban folk art on March 26, 2014| Leave a Comment »

‘Mic Check” by RAE in Coney Island, March 25, 2014

It wouldn’t be spring in Coney Island without street art by RAE popping up across from the Cyclone roller coaster. One of his Instagram followers calls it “Rae’s block.” This imposing and folksy character was created from scrap metal, handlebars, a BMW hubcap, Mardi Gras beads and of course a microphone. “All parts are found. I believe the hands are from a Bart Simpson doll,” RAE tells ATZ.

The last time we saw the Brooklyn-based artist’s work in Coney was around this time last year on the same block. “Rae practices good placement, which is one of the most important considerations for exciting street art,” says RJ Rushmore of street art blog Vandalog, who named RAE one of the “10 Street Artists to Watch in 2013.″

And watch him we did. Last year, RAE’s drawings, paintings and sculpture transformed an East Village bodega into a pop-up show titled “Word of Mouth” and his first solo show in London opened at the Signal Gallery.

Rare & Vintage: See Them Spinning Glass in the Sideshow

Posted in art, Artifacts, tagged glass blowing, glass spinning, O'Henry Tent & Awning, sideshow, sideshow banner on February 21, 2014| 2 Comments »

Spinning Glass. Sideshow Banner, circa 1915-1920. O’Henry Tent and Awning Co., Chicago. Morphy Auctions

It seems quaint today, but glass blowers used to be one of the working acts in carnival sideshows. “Have you ever seen glass finer than the hair of your head? This is made on a spinning wheel which revolves at the rate of 1000 revolutions per minute,” according to a century-old ad for a glass blower at a fair. “Every lady patron to the show will receive a pretty Souvenir FREE OF CHARGE of Spun Glass, which can be used as a book mark.”

This circa 1915-1920 sideshow banner from the studio of Chicago’s O’Henry Tent & Awning Co. is on the auction block today at Morphy Auctions along with another advertising Ho-Jo The Ostrich Man. The pre-sale estimate for the two banners is $600-$1,200 and bidding is available online.

Sideshow Banner, circa 1915-1920. O’Henry Tent and Awning Co., Chicago. Morphy Auctions

Video of the Day: Philomena Marano’s “Take Me There”

Posted in art, video, tagged animation, Bensonhurst, Coney Island, cut paper collage, Philomena Marano, subway on December 20, 2013| 2 Comments »

ATZ has featured Philomena Marano’s artwork in the past, but missed seeing this delightful cut-paper animation “Take Me There” (2011) until she posted it on Facebook as a holiday greeting. The short film was produced by Mary Nittolo of The Studio and features music by Carol Lipnik. Marano, whose cut-paper collages and prints celebrate Coney Island’s rides, games and signage, recently moved back to the South Brooklyn neighborhood of Bensonhurst, where she grew up. Childhood train rides to Coney Island inspired the piece, the artist says…

Growing up, I can’t remember ever NOT going to Coney Island. It seemed like we took that elevated train to the beach every day. We’d board the train at the 79th Street station (at that time, early on it was known as the “West End” or “T” line, later it became the B and is now the D), We were just 6 stops away from Stillwell Avenue. The ride seemed so short that in my young mind I imagined that the elevated train was an extension of the roller coaster! One and the same. I lived 1 1/2 blocks from the elevated line and even when we weren’t riding, the rumbling overhead was still the roller coaster, high above New Utrecht Avenue.

Marano’s prints are for sale at Coney Island USA and Tabla Rasa Gallery in Brooklyn and Smart Clothes Gallery and City Lore in Manhattan. Pendants featuring images from the artist’s Coney Island series are available online via her Philo-mania store.