The Writing’s On The Wall
Art In Public
By Josh Parish
5 Pointz Murals
The legal graffiti on Davis Street has ruffled some feathers. |
Rebels of the contemporary art world and thorns in the side of Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr., graffiti artists like the YMI Crew have made their names known the old-fashioned way—they’ve painted them.
Whether you think the controversial culture is one of visionaries or vandals (and you do have your opinions—just check our editorial page this issue), you have to admit their outsized murals require a dedication and skill enviable by most “traditional” artists.
Long Island City bears two of the best examples of the giant works within blocks of one another. Visitors to P.S.1 have likely seen the first, a grayscale page of a sketchbook covering an entire exterior wall on the artists’ studios at Jackson Avenue and Crane Street.
The second, less easy to happen upon but covering an entire four-story building, is west of Jackson Avenue on Davis Street. It carries the handiwork of hundreds of artists—some graffitists, some not—who’ve worked together over the past four years to cover the space.
The project’s “organizer” is Jonatan Cohen, a retired graffiti artist who operates the building. (He worked on the grayscale mural on Jackson Avenue, too.) Cohen, who personally cleans illegal graffiti from nearby shops to keep in neighbors’ good graces, requires painters to register with him, and has spent about $20,000 helping the mural along.
“On a good day there are 40 kids painting,” Cohen said. “And I want to say there’s never been a single fight. Not one. I want to eliminate the idea that graffiti equals violence.”
Cohen is also quick to separate gangs from graffiti “crews,” which he says are inspired not by theft or brutality, but by making art and—some may think ironically—a sense of public service.
“It’s nice to do something for the people rather than only show them advertisements,” said the artist known as Cern, a member of the prolific YMI Crew, which worked on both LIC murals and has done public paintings around the world. “We do what we do to brighten up our communities and, hopefully, inspire younger and older people alike.”
You can check out both murals from the window of an eastbound 7 train just before the Court Square station, or by walking west beneath the elevated tracks on Davis Street.
Sun Yat Sen Hall
Center of Asian Studies
“Civic Virtue” caused a stir when it was moved to Queens. Tribune Photo by Ira Cohen |
Sun Yat Sen Hall at St. John’s University has more art to offer than just the Chung-Cheng Art Gallery. The building doesn’t often draw notice from anyone who isn’t enrolled at St. John’s, but the architecture—and the 1000-year-old art inside—are worth a campus visit from the rest of us.
The hall, named after the founder of the People’s Republic of China, also houses centuries-old watercolors, ivory and jade calligraphy tools from the 19th Century, and ceramics from the Ming Dynasty.
Find your way to the northern part of the campus and keep your eyes peeled for the grand marble and bamboo façade.
St. Albans Mural Of Jazz Legends
When you think of jazz, Queens may not immediately spring to mind. But it should; scores of legendary performers—Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Count Basie and others—have called Queens home at one time or another. So it’s proper that St. Albans has its own mural celebrating the giants who’ve walked the borough’s streets.
What’s not-so-proper is the mural’s steady deterioration. Its subjects, like Basie, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, are fading quicker than a quarter note.
But even until a renovation, a trip to the mural is in order for proud Queensites and jazz lovers alike. Check it out on Linden Boulevard beneath the overpass of the LIRR.
The Unisphere
No look at public art in Queens would be complete without our cardinal piece of culture, the Unisphere. The sculpture was originally put in place for the 1964-65 World’s Fair, its triple orbits symbolizing the first American and Russian astronauts in space and the first communication satellite put into orbit.
But as Queens has evolved into the multi-ethnic Mecca it is today, the Unisphere’s meaning has evolved, too. The 700,000-lb. metal sphere now stands as much as a symbol of Queens itself as a monument to space travel.
Expect to see change within the coming year—Borough Prez Helen Marshall has pledged funds to overhaul the fountains inside the grand old globe’s reflecting pool.
“Broken Spheres”
Created by Vito Acconci in 1995, the concrete orbs lining the walkway outside Queens College’s Paul Klapper Hall are as functional as they are ornamental. They’re known as “The Circles” to kids on campus, who use the interiors of the split spheres as benches for reading, relaxing and contemplating.
“Civic Virtue”
The controversial statue, sculpted in 1914 and unveiled in 1922, has stood at Borough Hall in Kew Gardens for over 50 years. Its home was originally planned for City Hall Park, at the request of Angelina Crane, a woman who in 1904 bequeathed $60,000 in her will to the city for the statue’s construction.
The 57-ton monument to civic duty—a half-naked man stepping on two women, representing corruption and vice—has ruffled feathers since the day it was unveiled. At the urging of protesting women’s groups, the statue was moved from Manhattan to Queens in 1941.
5 Pointz Murals
Corner of Crane St. and Jackson Ave. (between P.S.1 Center for Contemporary Art and the Court Square subway station), and one block west of Jackson Ave. on Davis St.
Sun Yat Sen Hall Center of Asian Studies
At St. John’s University
80-00 Utopia Pkwy.
Fresh Meadows
St. Albans Mural Of Jazz Legends
Linden Blvd. and the Long Island Rail Road, St. Albans
The Unisphere
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
“Broken Spheres”
Queens College
65-30 Kissena Blvd.
Flushing
“Civic Virtue”
Queens Borough Hall
120-55 Queens Blvd.
Kew Gardens
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