1 Block, 1 Night, 1ft.2
by Linda DiGusta
Monday, October 3, 2005
The cast and crew of Law & Order, shooting on 27th Street and the west side of 10th Avenue under the High Line, probably expected to have the area largely to themselves, this being a Monday night on a block of mostly galleries and the eve of Rosh Hashanah. But who were all those people passing through, headed to 547 West 27th, near 11th, where a small crowd was gathering outside? It had to be art…
From neophyte aficionados getting their feet wet to seasoned collectors hoping to acquire the perfect piece without footing a big bill, the faithful turned out for the closing of the 3-day Square Foot Show and silent auction at Art Gotham. The brainchild of painter/dealer Kimberly Dawn, the exhibition brought together hundreds of artists from all over the generational, cultural and geographic maps of NYC, each presenting up to six identical 12" square canvases, with bidding starting at $100. “It pays to be persistent,” collector Alene Yarrow, proudly brandishing her newest acquisition after multiple visits, pointed out, “And you meet real artists and real New Yorkers dressed in black, with tattoo art and sometimes blue or purple hair (not too many 'suits' here), at an event like this. That may be the best part. And you can buy actual, real paintings."
Through the oversized window of the Italian eatery Naima in the middle of the block, those who stopped by were treated to a glimpse of two worlds passing in the night on a West Chelsea street - the costumed television actors and grips in T's and headsets to the east, and art-indigenous in gallery garb heading to and from the west, not even noticing that the street had just been drenched (by the film crew), even though there had been no rain all day. Bidding closed at 8 PM, and by the time the throng was filing east with their new treasures in little white shopping bags, the shoot was long over. Left behind near the curb was a wet, pink stuffed animal, perhaps no longer needed for the TV show, but now a part of the anything-goes street art that peppers the Gallery District.
© Resolve40
