From Street to Studio

In the early 1980s, young people, with art training or not, took to making art on the streets of New York City’s East Village. The street scene quickly moved to the center of the art world when urban poet and wall writer Jean-Michel Basquiat and stealth subway artist Keith Haring were featured in successive Whitney Biennial exhibits. They both died within a decade of their early successes; but painters Scot Borofsky and Brian Gormley and sculptor Ken Hiratsuka received critical attention for their street work, and continue to make art that retains the vibrancy of the street. This exhibit highlights early work of all five artists and features the current work of Borofsky, Gormley, and Hiratsuka. Follow this link to more From Street to Studio information. Sponsored in part by Foard Panel

Documentary films accompany From Street to Studio, notably among them the award-winning Style Wars. A legendary hip-hop documentary made in the early 1980s, it is the indispensable record of a golden age of youthful creativity and exploding hip-hop subculture. Emphasizing graffiti but covering break dancing and rapping as well, the story is told through interviews with the young artists themselves, police officers, art critics, and others. The film is sponsored by Public Art Films, Inc., the producer of Style Wars and Style Wars: Revisited. DVDs are available in the Museum Gift Shop

Related Programs:

Curator Tour With Mara Williams
September 13, Thursday, 7:30 pm
November 11, Sunday, 2:00 pm

Slide Talk: Punkhouse
October 4, Thursday, 7:30 pm

From Street to Studio: Artists’ Talk and Signing
October 18, Thursday, 7:30 pm