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Posts Tagged ‘NO Longer Empty’

Photo Album: Street Art Down by the Coney Island Bowery

Posted in art, Photography, tagged Coney Island, Keith Schweitzer, ND'A, NO Longer Empty, OverUnder, street art, Thor Equities, Veng on June 1, 2011| 1 Comment »

No Longer Empty in Coney Island: Polar Bear by Veng and ND'A painting Down by the Boardwalk. May 28, 2011. Photo © me-myself-i/Tricia Vita via flickr

On Saturday in Coney Island, we passed by the Bowery side of Thor Equities’ blue construction fence to find an artist working on a Down by the Boardwalk-themed painting. It features a friendly octopus holding a boombox and a note saying “On a blanket with my baby is where I’ll be.” Like the three street artists whose work we wrote about last month in “Photo Album: Whimsical Murals Blossom in Coney Island,” ND’A aka Nick was sent by the art organization No Longer Empty and the City’s Economic Development Corporation to beautify the streetscape.

ND'A painting Down by the Boardwalk. May 28, 2011. Photo © me-myself-i/Tricia Vita via flickr

Keith Schweitzer, who organized the mural project for No Longer Empty, told ATZ about the other new murals: “The polar bear – to the left of Nick’s octopus – is by Veng, the same artist who painted the semi-realistic faces and clown on the Stillwell wall. He’s a quiet, talented man and often full of surprises. He arrived at the wall that morning and said ‘I am going to paint a polar bear.’. It was later I found out that he & his family/friends take part in the Polar Bear Club activity at Coney Island each year. Like I said, he’s a quiet man, and I’m not sure if hearing about Rabbi Abraham Abraham’s recent passing away had anything to do with the subject of the mural.”

No Longer Empty in Coney Island: ND'A painting Down by the Boardwalk... May 28, 2011. Photo © me-myself-i/Tricia Vita via flickr

As for the large CONEY letters guarded by New York’s Finest in the photo below, they were painted by OverUnder, who also painted the Stillwell Avenue side of the fence with Veng. “OverUnder did the whimsical swimmers and the heart ‘Love to Sea you,’ and other elements of the wall,” says Schweitzer. “On one of the days that we were painting Stillwell Ave, a newlywed couple walked toward OverUnder from the boardwalk having just taken post-wedding photos. They were in full wedding attire and asked OverUnder if he would paint something for them. OverUnder obliged, asking their names, and painted their initials H&B inside of a heart. That was not part of the planned composition, but it developed into the wonderful ‘tattoo’ heart and I am happy to see that many people stop to be photographed in front of the heart.”

No Longer Empty in Coney Island: CONEY by OverUnder. May 28, 2011. Photo © me-myself-i/Tricia Vita via flickr

We’re happy to see these fanciful paintings bringing good vibrations to this decimated block. As previously noted, it’s a good solution to distract people’s attention from the construction fence and the empty lot at the gateway to Coney Island’s beach and boardwalk. Sad to say, the century-old Henderson Music Hall stood here until real estate speculator Joe “Blight for Spite” Sitt knocked it down in January. A pile driver was recently moved onto the lot at Surf and Stillwell. Behind the blue fence, a foundation for a high rise is being built, on top of which a placeholder one-story commercial building will be plopped next season. Nothing can quell my sorrow that we lost the zoning battle to keep high rises of up to 30 stories off the south side of Surf.

Update, June 14th…

Visit Vandalog to see photos of the latest mural on the blue wall: The street artist Radical has painted an ice-cream cone slurping hot dog!

Video: Coney Island: OverUnder x Veng x Ephameron

Posted in art, video, tagged Coney Island, Ephamaron, Keith Schweitzer, NO Longer Empty, OverUnder, street art, Veng on May 4, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Keith Schweitzer, who founded and curates No Longer Empty’s mural project, made this wonderfully edgy video of three street artists’ 48-hour transformation of Thor’s construction fence at Surf and Stillwell. The artists are Veng, OverUnder and Ephameron. We wrote about the project last month in “Photo Album: Whimsical Murals Blossom in Coney Island,” (ATZ, April 15).

Photo Album: Whimsical Murals Blossom in Coney Island

Posted in art, Photography, tagged Bruce Handy, Coney Island, Ephameron, NO Longer Empty, OverUnder, Public Art, Veng on April 15, 2011| 4 Comments »

Coney Island Murals by No Longer Empty. April 14, 2011. Photo © Bruce Handy/Coney Island Photo Diary via flickr

Our view from Stillwell Terminal of Surf Avenue is changing again. On Thursday afternoon, we were riveted by a series of photos tweeted by “No Longer Empty” from Coney Island. Whimsical and sophisticated murals of faces, fish, water, beach-goers and divers were blossoming on Thor Equities blue construction fence. At the same time, Coney Island photographer Bruce Handy took a series of photos of the murals, which he posted on flickr.

NLE’s Facebook page explains, “Partnering with the Economic Development Corporation, No Longer Empty brought in OverUnder and Veng and Ephameron to brighten the streetscape in Coney Island.”

Based on the work at Ephameron’s website, she’s the woman contemplating her work in the above photo. The old-fashioned looking faces were painted by Veng, who says he borrows from techniques of the Northern Renaissance and looks to capture the feel of something made long ago. Sorry, We’re Clothed
appears to be OverUnder’s work. (Veng has since confirmed that our guess was correct!) There’s a piece about the artist on the blog Brooklyn Street Art which describes him as “an illustrator, painter, and text writer.”

We’re thrilled to see Art instead of “Post No Bills” on Thor’s fence. It’s a good solution to distract people’s attention from the construction fence and the empty lot where the century-old Henderson stood. But we have to wonder if Joe Sitt is paying the artists or reimbursing the City for the cost? Construction has been delayed on the site because the DOB “DISAPPROVED” the building plans as many as 16 times over the past six months. As we have noted many times, Sitt evicted amusement operators from Stillwell in 2007 to “allow the new development to proceed in a timely manner,” but has built NOTHING here except a failed flea market in 2009.

Last April, the Coney Island Development Corporation installed fence wraps advertising Coney’s attractions on the City’s then-empty parcels on the Boardwalk side of Stillwell. Since Thor Equities Stillwell lots had remained vacant, the CIDC got permission to install the wraps on Thor’s property as well. The advertising campaign did a good job of hiding what remained of Thor’s tent structures from 2009’s failed flea market. Empty No Longer’s murals will hide Thor’s newest empty lot.

Who is “No Longer Empty”? According to their website…

No Longer Empty (NLE) is a comprised of arts advocates, curators and artists who orchestrate public art exhibitions in vacated storefronts and properties in New York City. The non-profit organization was conceived as an artistic response to our present economic condition and to revitalize empty spaces and areas around the venues by bringing thoughtful, high-caliber art installations with accompanying programs to the public.

Locating art in unexpected places in the public domain suggests new models of community art that are different from major institutions and galleries. Committed to art as a positive component for community and cultural development, No Longer Empty conducts outreach into the community to contribute meaningfully and bolster the local businesses through the increased flow of visitors that these exhibitions attract and by arranging programs such as panel discussions, music and performance evenings, children’s workshops, artist conversations and more.

These exhibitions could not have happened without the vacant spaces being generously donated rent-free by the landlords. The exhibitions and art chosen or created are site specific in the sense that they reflect such issues as the former use or history of the site, the nature of the neighborhood and, of course, the specific features of the space. Both established and emerging artists have been selected for the exhibitions, benefiting our audiences with rich variety and discovery.

In regard to reflecting such issues as the former use or history of the site, there may be some ghosts that need to be appeased. ATZ recommends that NLE and the artists view historian Charles Denson’s video tribute to the Henderson Theater, the recently demolished vaudeville house that occupied the site for a century. How about a visual “tip of the hat” to Harpo Marx, who made his stage debut here as one of “The Four Nightingales” with his brothers Groucho, Lou and Gummo?