[Mural by Jerkface on the Icon-owned 402 E. 12th St.]
The Icon Realty Charm Offensive continues.
Icon previously announced that they had donated empty retail spaces for Celebrity Catwalk to hold adoption and fundraising events (Icon has been working with Celebrity Catwalk for the past four years) ... and hired a chief safety officer to oversee the construction and renovation work in Icon buildings.
Now Icon has unveiled plans for public art at several of its properties. Here's part of the release via the EVG inbox...
Icon Realty Management is working with local art galleries to create mural art on the sides of some of their buildings. Providing a public platform for artists to exhibit their works for New Yorkers to enjoy and contributing to the art community has been a continued endeavor that Icon has supported throughout the years.
Working with Dorian Grey Gallery in the East Village, Icon will have artists Penn and Lambros paint the side of their Mott Street building. Jeremy Penn is a NYC modern artist who has been exhibited and received honors from curators across museums. Penn uses mixed media to combine materials such as magazines, word plays and mirrors. Lambros is a NYC street artist focused on stencil art and graffiti illustrating recurring themes of power, lust and rebellion. Icon’s 307 Mott Street building has been a rotating art wall for the past four years with works by Jonathan Matas and most recently a mural by Mustart.
Icon is also working with artist Jerkface to paint 128 Second Ave. Jerkface is a NYC-based street artist and Queens native who is known for painting several nostalgia-inducing murals around the City.
“Public art is so important to the character of neighborhoods, especially in the East Village,” said Terrence Lowenberg, Principal at Icon. “As a lifelong New Yorker, art has always been a central part of our City. We are proud to do our part at Icon to continue that tradition. We look forward to doing even more in the future.”
In September 2014, Jerkface painted the faceless Charlie Brown mural on the side of the Icon-owned 402 E 12th St. Icon said that they also donated space on their walls to French street artist Invader, who installed his mosaics at 145 Avenue A, 130 Second Ave. and 133 E. Fourth St., among other buildings not owned by Icon.
Residents, tenant-rights organizations and local elected officials have accused Icon of aggressively displacing rent-regulated tenants with frivolous lawsuits and exposing them to hazardous health and safety threats.