Spring Street, NYC

In 2007, I took a two week, art-intensive course in New York City with my dear friend and former professor, Susan. It was a fantastic experience with friends and classmates, jam-packed with as much art and culture as we could handle. We spent hours upon hours feeding our souls at the Met and the Guggenheim, the Whitney and the Brooklyn Museum. We feasted our eyes at P.S. 1, MoMA, and the Neue Galerie, along with countless galleries in Chelsea and SoHo. We blew glass in Brooklyn, ate BBQ in Harlem, made paper at Dieu Donne, saw street performers in Times Square, visited Ground Zero, rode the Cyclone at Coney Island, and took the Staten Island Ferry past the Statue of Liberty (which was still closed to the public at that time because of 9/11). I was brought to tears standing inside a giant Richard Serra sculpture at his MoMA retrospective, and I had my first experiences with real sushi (none of that California roll crabstick crap), stuffed grape leaves, and authentic Italian gelato. Words cannot express the ways in which this trip shaped me as both a human being and an artist, and I am eternally grateful to Susan for this, and many other things.

However, I'm getting sidetracked. One of the highlights of the trip was visiting Spring Street, which has long attracted street artists from around the world. I remember being overwhelmed by the chaos and beauty of it all- I was practically drunk on the juxtaposition of vibrant colors and the grit of the urban landscape. Unfortunately, I had an issue with my digital camera while I was there, so the only photos I have from the trip were taken with a disposable camera. Here's a few shots I do have, including one of me being a dork and a 30 color silkscreen print  of Spring Street that I created upon my return to Illinois.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend!