5 Pointz in December

It was admittedly very cold; Perhaps too cold to spend the day outside wandering around the Long Island City industrial complex that is 5 Pointz, also known as the Crane Studios. But that did not deter us.

So on December 10, with temperatures in the 20s, we decided to meet there and examine the look of the landscape. The "we" included (from left to right in the photo) Sheila (photographer and script supervisor), MJ (blogmistress of Petopia ), Leona (journalist and novelist), Caroline (novelist and co-author of Confessions of a Carb Queen: A Memoir ) and me behind the camera (of which enough has been written). The trip did not disappoint.

 

 

 

 

I have been chronicling NYC street art for over 8 years (and even have some work from the 1970s and 1980s). What was so vibrant and active not even three years ago around the city has now dried up - very little of it is left as neighborhoods "gentrify". And what is left is a shadow of what was.

It is not just the free proliferation of aerosol street art around 5 Pointz, it is also the overall quality of work - the type that requires time to create. It is of extremely high quality. A place like 5 Pointz is very important to the cultural life of the city on both a historical basis and on an artistic basis. I hope that it not only survives but also thrives.

MeresOne, the CEO of 5Pointz, is trying to make this "Temple of Tag" a Graffiti museum. Let's give him a show of support!