The Lower East Side Partnership is bringing the 100 Gates Project to the East Village.
Here's the pitch:
Interested artists will be paired up with like-minded businesses for these site-specific mural collaborations that will be installed on exterior roll-down security gates. Artists are paid a supply and artist stipend of $400 for each gate installation and the project comes at zero cost to merchants.
EV merchants can email this account to apply for a gate revamp. (And artists can apply to work on a gate at this link.)
The 100 Gates project started on the Lower East Side in 2014 ... and eventually expanded to Harlem and Staten Island.
The 100th gate was completed (by LAmour Supreme) on the LES in September 2016... over at Katz's (this photo is from last year)...
How does this benefit anyone other than the landlords?
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't benefit the local businesses who are rent-jacked out of their stores and into other neighborhoods. It doesn't help the community to be further gentrified and priced out. It doesn't help the artists beyond the momentary excitement of a few Instagram likes.
How does it help? It adds art in lieu of pure vandalism, which is what happens to the gates when there isn't something of artistic value on it. At least the worthless taggers leave these alone.
ReplyDeleteI am so sick of artists being used like this.
ReplyDelete