New York Graff, One Up, One Down

5Pointz is History

It looks like 5Pointz, the omphalos (ὀμφαλός) of the graffiti world, is going to be demolished. NYC's City Council is expected to approve a plan to put two apartment towers in that space. The graffiti community is not happy:

Mr. Wolkoff said he was not turning his back on 5Pointz. “The artwork is absolutely fabulous,” he said. “That’s why we’re asking them to come back to the new building.”

But the artists who worked at 5Pointz and helped it become a street-art mecca, drawing international artists and delighting riders on the nearby No. 7 elevated train, were not persuaded by the developer’s concessions. Jonathan Cohen, a graffiti artist who curated the ever-changing art at 5Pointz, said the plan will “just destroy more of what made New York what it is. Now it is just boring, full of bland boring towers of boxes of glass,” he said.

He scoffed at an idea floated by the developers that he curate graffiti spaces when construction is complete, dismissing it as a marketing ploy by the developer.

“Yes, he gave us the wall for free, but we have put tremendous amount of work in it for the past 11 years and contributed to putting Long Island City on the map,” said Marie Flageul, a spokeswoman for 5Pointz.

Red Bull Graff School

Class is in session starting 17 Oct in Chelsea:

Write of Passage, sponsored by Red Bull, will start its six-week program on Oct. 17, with a series of panels, workshops and exhibitions, on topics like “signature analysis” and the difference between graffiti and street art.

Similar to the Red Bull Music Academy, the beverage maker’s annual conference, the program will include installations and mementos documenting graffiti’s rise from outlaw design to museum collectible, as well as appearances by notable artists like Cost, Daze and KR. Curated by Sacha Jenkins, an editor, writer and self-described graffiti historian, and the art collective Mass Appeal, Write of Passage will also offer classes for 12 students of the art form, selected in partnership with youth organizations like Paint Straight and Art Start NYC, along with the School of Visual Arts and others.

Check it out: