First Street Green Art Park

Showcasing some of my favorite artists, along with others who are new to me, First Street Green Art Park — located where  Manhattan’s Lower East Side meets the East Village — is one of our city’s treasures. The image featured above was fashioned by Carson DeYoung aka Deps One, a former Brooklynite now based in Tucson, Arizona. Several more images that have surfaced in the past few months at First Street Green Art Park follow:

NYC-based Cram Concepts, Ratchi and Outer Source — segment from a huge collaborative production

Brooklyn-based Jeff Henriquez 

Mexico City-based Trasheer

Mexico City-based Nerik Martinez aka Ramsteko

Ezra Cumbo aka Rah Artz

The prolific OptimoNYC  for Dopey podcast

Photos: Lois Stavsky

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Bringing a touch of the 1920’s to First Street Green Art Park on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, the prolific Brooklyn-based muralist Lexi Bella painted the image featured above last month on the occasion of FSG’s 2nd annual New Year New Murals & Clothing Drive.  What follows are several more faces fashioned by artists in NYC open spaces that I’ve encountered in recent meanderings around the city:

Moscow-born, NYC-based Urban Russian Doll in Manhattan’s Chinatown

Brooklyn-based self-taught Haitian American artist Alan Aine in Park Slope, Brooklyn

Bronx-native Andre Trenier in East Harlem with the 2021 Grandscale Mural Project

British-Israeli artist Solomon Souza in Crown Heights, Brooklyn

Photos: Lois Stavsky

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Pictured above in Part II of our documentation of the politically-driven “Shared Freedom” mural art project — curated by Will Power at First Street Green Art Park — is Calicho Arevalo‘s playful mural, as captured by Ana Candelaria. A few more artworks follow — with even more to be featured on the StreetArtNYC Instagram page.

NYC-based Miami-native Sacsix, “Chokey on the Smokey”

NYC-based multimedia artist Early Riser

Painter, actor and professional skateboarder Danny Minnick in front of huge segment of his beguiling mural — as captured by Berky

Veteran Bronx-based graffiti writer and painter Zimad – as captured by Berky

And Zimad earlier at work — as captured by Berky

Painter and graff master Heart1

And Heart1 — with spray can in hand — as captured by Berky

While visiting the “Shared Freedom” mural art project, be sure to stop by the  POP UP GET OUT THE VOTE / RETAIL STORE that has been set up  adjacent to First Street Green Art Park — on 35 E 1st Street. And don’t forget to VOTE!

Photo credits: 1 Ana Candelaria; 2, 3 & 7 Lois Stavsky and 4, 5, 6 & 8 Berky

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During the past several weeks, over a dozen intriguing murals have surfaced at First Street Green Art Park. Fashioned by local, national and international artists, they reflect a huge range of styles and sensibilities, The now-iconic image featured above is the work of the nomadic Nite Owl. Several more recent additions to First Street Green Art Park follow:

Brazilian artist Panmela Castro at work

NYC-based Marzipan Physics

Brooklyn-based K-NOR 

Cram Concepts and Ratchi NYC

Brazilian artist Binho

Madrid-based Ramón Amorós

First Street Green Art Park is located at 33 East 1st Street, where the Lower East Side meets the East Village.

Photo credits: 1, 3-7 Lois Stavsky; 2 Ana Candelaria

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Working with paintbrush in hand, award-winning Manhattan-based artist Miguel Diego Colón recently brought his skills and vision to First Street Green Art Park. After he had finished his mural, I posed a few questions to him:

Although your artwork surfaced publicly this past year on a huge billboard near the Kings Plaza Shopping Center, this was the first time you actually painted in public. What was that experience like?

It was amazing! I loved interacting with passersby who stopped to watch me. I loved hearing people’s interpretations of what I was doing. And I felt flattered when people took photos of the mural and of me while I was painting.

All of your images reference some kind of economic or social injustice. How did you decide which images to incorporate into your mural?

I researched online the term “social justice.” I then visually interpreted particular issues that stood out…that particularly mattered to me.

And so the overall theme of your mural is social justice — or the lack of it.

Yes. I am concerned with oppression of all kinds…what it means to have one’s rights taken away.

Is there any particular segment of the mural that you especially like? 

One of my favorite segments is the image of the couple embracing during the collapse of a sweatshop. I like the way it represents connection — the way people can connect, especially during trying times.

What’s ahead?

I’m currently applying for a number of grants. And I would love, of course, more opportunities to paint in public spaces. I’m also working in my Fountain House Gallery studio on a painting modeled on my First Street Green Art Park mural, “Liberty’s Last Embrace.”

It sounds great! Good luck with it all! And, thank you, Jonathan Neville and First Street Green Art Park.

Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky. Photos by Lois Stavsky

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Representing a diverse range of styles and sensibilities, several new murals have surfaced at First Street Green Art Park on the corner of Houston & 2nd Avenue.  The image pictured above was painted by Bangkok native Gongkan. What follows are several more:

NYC-based Sean Slaney and Angry Red

NYC-based Ryan Consbruck aka Special Robot Dog

Queens-based Brittany

Alexandra Evans (L) and Poem One (R)

Will Power at work on LOVE YOUR SELFie

Photos by Lois Stavsky

Note: Hailed in a range of media from WideWalls to the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.

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Back in 2008, First Street Green converted a derelict building lot at 33 E. 1st Street in Manhattan’s Lower East Side into an open art space. In collaboration with NYC Parks and Partnership For Parks, it has successfully incorporated the lot into First Park.

These days, First Street Green provides a wide range of cultural activities and programs in First Park by engaging with artists, architects, cultural groups and community members. It has also become a favorite destination for us street art aficionados, as it has evolved into an intriguing outdoor gallery featuring some of our favorite artists and introducing us to others. Pictured above is a segment of a collaborative mural created during #WeSpyNY, a community workshop conducted by Swiss pop artist Santhori. Here is a small sampling of other works that were seen earlier this month:

Bosnian artist Vedran Misic

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Murrz

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Bronx-born, Copenhagen-based artist, musician and activist Peter Missing, close-up of huge mural

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Melbourne-based artist Stuart Ringholt

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 Photo credits:1-4 Lois Stavsky & 5 Tara Murray

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Meres, Jerms, Topaz, See TF, Python and Demer made their way — several weeks back — to First Street Green, where they painted an ode to the historic East Village/Lower East Side neighborhood. Here are a few more images:

Python aka Kenji

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Meres One

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Python, DemerMeres One

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Jerms

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The huge mural was painted in collaboration with the Centrefuge Public Art Project and First Street Green. The art park is located at 33 East First Street on the site of — what was once — a derelict building.

Note: First image features TopazMeres One and See TF

Photos: 1 & 2 Tara Murray; 3 Dani Reyes Mozeson and 4 & 5 Lois Stavsky

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