The Timess Melissa Guerrero writes:
Late last spring, when many shops in SoHo boarded up their storefronts during the protests against racism and police violence, artists transformed swaths of plywood into works of art.
For a time, the streets doubled as an outdoor gallery. Now, the exhibit is moving indoors.
The Voices of the Soho Renaissance is on view at the National Arts Clubs Grand Gallery until Jan. 27. The effort a partnership between the club, in Gramercy Park, and the Soho Renaissance Factory, a collective formed by artists who met one another last year on New York Citys streets includes some of the plywood artwork, as well as images of the protests by the photographer Graham MacIndoe.
On its website, the National Arts Club called blank plywood surfaces the perfect platform to reflect and amplify the concerns, fears and optimism of our city during the coronavirus lockdown and the protests.
Konstance Patton, an artist in the collective, said she and other artists created a support network sharing supplies and tracking stolen or taken-down artwork, and even holding outdoor movie nights in a time when people couldnt gather inside.
There are many artists that weve worked alongside that are still out there working, Ms. Patton added. We just organized, and basically it was a friendship. It felt very safe.
Trevor Croop, another collective member, said, We lifted each other up out of months of isolation.
The gallery is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., as well as most weekends. Admission is free, but visitors must make a reservation.read more
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