Out riding with four cycling friends, I recognized the bodega we were passing, and knew instantly we were about to speed by Welling Court, a short one block long L-shaped street on Vernon Avenue in Astoria. I squeezed my brakes and shouted for everyone to stop.
Stop the ride mid-block?
STOP???
They looked at me as if I had developed a case of temporary insanity.
I told them we were at the entrance to one of New York’s great art galleries; they looked around at the nondescript setting, then back at me, now certain I had lost my mind. But I knew that we were at the entry point for a great urban exploration; in June, I had gone on my first Graffiti Art Ride with Shawn Carney. Talk about an eye opener!
On Shawn’s ride we had reached this very corner and had only looked at Welling Court itself. What we missed was an urban wonder.
Just four years ago, the residents of the Welling Court area of Astoria, seeking a way to battle urban decay and at the same time differentiate and beautify their area, decided that street art offered a unique way to improve their neighborhood.
Since then, more than 80 artists from across the world have come to this small enclave and painted storefronts, walls, and doors. Chris Stain and Beau Stanton, members of the highly regarded Bushwick Collective , have pieces here.
For me, Beau Stanton was the turning point, the artist who showed me that graffiti was not an urban nuisance, but an art form which just happened to include buildings, walls, fences, and other public structures as materials for artwork.
“The Heirophant” in Bushwick.
Whimsy, beauty, depth of field, a high level of skill; Whimsy, beauty, depth of field, a high level of skill; a real piece of art.
Many people seek out what is “new”: The new club or restaurant. The hottest new neighborhood. Is the public canvas that graffiti art,sometimes called “muraling” or “tagging”, takes for its own can the art world’s latest new new thing?
Is this a new form?
Graffiti, which some believe to have originated in Philadelphia and developed into an art form in the past 20 to 30 years in New York City…only goes back a few thousand years.
Those hgh dietary supplements cave levitra viagara cialis which is best paintings in Lascaux, France?
The scratchings, phrases, and sexual innuendo painted on the walls of Pompeii ?
Why limit the art experience to museums and galleries when a bicycle turns the entire city into an opportunity to view great art on a group ride to some of the most interesting and exciting street art sites?
The Five Borough Bike Club has an upcoming day ride that will interest both art lovers and cyclists looking for a great ride through the city. After last year’s successful Graffiti Ride, another was held earlier this summer; its success led the 5BBC to offer another Graffiti Ride, this one on August 10th, leaving at 10AM from Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn.
Each ride will be co-led by cyclist/artist Shawn Carney (check out her drawing of the day) and Fritz “SprayCan” VanOrden. Locations visited will include a variety of sites across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. The route varies depending on the whims and interests of the leader; riders may visit Long Island City’s famed 5 Pointz , the above-mentioned Welling Court or the murals of the Bushwick Collective, but what is certain is that riders will encounter beauty and invention that will open your eyes with wonder. The experience will be an intriguing urban exploration full of surprise and ah-ha moments of discovery; and at least one artwork that will stop you dead in your tracks.
Along with viewing the graffiti art, the 5BBC ride promises riders a good workout, several bridge crossings to test your legs and your lungs, its famous two-minute bike check, and the warm camaraderie Club rides are known for. Each ride has a lunch break, giving riders a chance to sample some of NYC’s finest eats before (or while viewing) the fine art on the walls of our city.
All riders on 5BBC rides must wear a helmet and all 5BBC rides are free and open to any cyclist. Check out the link for more information.
Bicycle Utopia is pleased to welcome guest contributor Geoff Cohen. Geoff is a member and ride leader with the Five Borough Bike Club. His many interests include writing, photographing the odd and beautiful in and around New York City, and cycling all over the place. When not occupied with the above, he is Executive Director of Shen Wei Dance Arts.