Exhibition explores ‘Lost Ones’ of racist violence
GOWANUS
previously published a photo
book called “Gowanus Wild,”
which explores nature and wilderness
sprouting up around
the heavily contaminated industrial
environment.
He also released a 2020 calendar
portraying some of the
local manufacturers still operating
COURIER L 28 IFE, MARCH 19-25, 2021
in the neighborhood
in collaboration with the Gowanus
Souvenir Shop.
For his current project, he
was inspired by a list of 29 architectural
and cultural sites
the local preservationist group
the Gowanus Landmarking
Coalition has lobbied the city
to landmark before the neighborhood
wide rezoning, which
is currently held up in court.
The preservation efforts
came too late for some area
gems, like the 1886 S.W. Bowne
Grain Storehouse on Smith
Street which was taken down
by developers Chetrit Group
in 2019 following a mysterious
fi re a few months prior, which
Fire Department investigators
determined was arson.
Draskoczy aims to eventually
A look at the new exhibit, organized by Supremacy Project.
Photo by Craig Hubert
incorporate the photos into
a book — likely side-by-side with
poems or historical descriptions
of the buildings — and the photographer
hopes the effort will
help save the endangered buildings
from more demolition, or at
least keep them intact as part of
new development.
“Gowanus is one of the original
industrial areas of the country.
It’s like a 19th century Home
Depot,” he said. “I’m not a purist.
These buildings have been
modifi ed and renovated, but
that’s kind of what gives them
their character. It would be a
shame to see many of the buildings
disappear rather than rehabilitated
or repurposed.”
For more information on
the photo series, see www.miskadraskoczy.
com/industriallandmarks.
BY CRAIG HUBERT
A new, striking art exhibition
is currently on view outside
St. Ann’s Warehouse in
Dumbo.
Organized by Supremacy
Project, a group formed in
the wake of protests over the
murder of George Floyd in
May 2020, the exhibition exists
in two sections.
On the side of St. Ann’s
Warehouse that faces Water
Street, you’ll fi nd work by
the artist Michael Boyd under
the title “LOST ONES.
CULTURE FOUND.” Here,
album covers inspired by the
graphic designer Reid Miles
and the typographic work he
did for the famous jazz label
Blue Note Records are repurposed.
Now, the faces are not
Miles Davis, John Coltrane
or Freddie Hubbard but Black
men and women who have
been victims of police brutality
and hate crimes: Elijah
McCain, Sandra Bland and
Emmett Till.
“When the appropriation
of our art forms precede the
acknowledgment of our humanity
and suffering, how
might that work be reconstituted
in service as a remedy to
the side effects of its inverted
praise?” Boyd wrote on Instagram
regarding the series.
The images are joined by
blocky text, provided by the
writers Cyrus Aaron, Mahogany
L. Browne and Justin El,
which speak poetically to the
themes of the series.
Starting in the alleyway
between St. Ann’s and Empire
Stories is the work of Julian
Alexander and Steven
“Sweatpants” Irby. Their section
is called “SUPREMACY:
WHO PROTECTS ME FROM
YOU?” and is the second iteration
of the project (the fi rst
was displayed across from
the Brooklyn Navy Yard in
July 2020).
The entire exhibition was
curated by Khadijat Oseni,
an activist and writer from
Brooklyn.
More information on the exhibition
can be found at www.
stannswarehouse.org/show/supremacy
project/.
BY ROSE ADAMS
Painted landscapes, sea
creatures, and Coney Island
imagery will take over the
People’s Playground during an
upcoming mural project that
seeks to enliven the neighborhood’s
thoroughfares.
“As our business community
shifts into recovery
mode and the amusement district
prepares to reopen, we
are ecstatic to be able to bring
public arts to our streets and
creativity to our business
storefronts both on Surf Avenue
and the boardwalk along
with Mermaid Avenue,” said
Alexandra Silversmith, director
of the local business
group the Alliance for Coney
Island, which is spearheading
the project.
The business group seeks
to cover 15 storefront gates
with original, Coney Islandthemed
murals — and is asking
New York City artists to
submit their mural proposals
for consideration.
The designs should include
either historic imagery
from the People’s Playground,
aquatic scenes, bright colors,
or suggestion from the
business owners, said Silversmith.
Artists should tailor their
submission towards the requirements
of the 15 available
locations, which include the
gates of Coney Island stalwarts
such as Nathan’s Famous and
Brooklyn Beach Shop on the
boardwalk, as well as the
sheds outside the Cyclone and
Deno’s Wonder Wheel.
All submissions are due
March 31, and painting will
begin in April, according to
Silversmith.
The latest project comes as
part of a mural series that the
Alliance kicked off in October,
when it sponsored six murals
on the gates of Surf Avenue
businesses. Murals have continued
to sprout up across the
amusement district, with artist
Danielle Mastrion painting
a new mural on the two large
gates of Ruby’s Bar and Grill
on the boardwalk.
The mural project, funded
by a New York City Department
of Small Business Services
grant, aims to increase
foot traffi c to businesses after
the season-long closure of the
amusement parks decimated
the local economy, causing unemployment
to skyrocket and
threatening the future of the
amusement parks.
But with the upcoming mural
project and the imminent
reopening of Luna Park and
Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement
Park, hope is in the air.
“We are particularly grateful
to NYC Small Business
Services for the funding to
make this possible and expand
the mural concept,” said
Silversmith. “We can’t wait to
see what artists propose!”
But not forgotten
Coney group seeks proposals for 15
murals throughout neighborhood
BROOKLYN
Painting the Island
Danielle Mastrion was one of several artists to paint murals on Surf
Avenue storefronts during the fi rst iteration of the Coney Island mural
project. File photo by Todd Maisel
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