Urban Montage by Charlene Weisler

Sneakers As Art and Personal Expression

Sneakers (Or are they called "kicks"? I don't know the lingo...) have made their way into the street art culture zeitgeist and even into high fashion. Take for example Nike which has a back room in its store in Soho New York City decorated with foot molds, strips of leather, a wall of shoe laces in various colors and even a few stray soles, where you can "design your own sneakers". That is somewhat misleading because what you are really doing is going on to a computer, chossing a style that already exists and adding your colors and flourishes. It is then sent to China where they are made for you. But the concept is interesting and it seems very popular.

I have been noticing that sneakers are part of the well dressed street artist wardrobe along with a special graffitied T-shirt and sometimes a cap.

So the question of the day is - will sneakers become another form of personal expression as is the T-shirt? .... or maybe I am so out of it that the question does not need to be asked as it is already a "yes"?

Da Bakery - Street Art Fashion and Gallery

This has already been reported in several sources but it deserves an update.

One of the big trends in street art is fashion - street art / graffiti designed hats, shirts and sneakers. But do some designs clash? Is it time to coordinate your hat with your shirt with your shoes? The answer is definitely yes. And Da Bakery in the Bronx is one place where you can custom coordinate.

Da Bakery is also a gallery space for street artists. This month they highlight a female street artist, Shiro, who is from Japan.

There are simply not enough street art inspired galleries here in NYC and it is nice to know that Da Bakery offers graffiti artists a place to show their work.

Da Bakery is located at 1700 Southern Boulevard in the Bronx right near the 174th Street subway stop of the 2 and 5 trains.

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