The city as a whole continues to see neighborhood staples close due to rising rents and big competitors driving out these local mom-and-pop shops.
To commemorate these shuttered shops, LES-based photographers James and Karla Murray are creating a near-life-size art installation in Seward Park. The piece will part of Art in the Parks: UNIQLO Park Expressions Grant program that will bring public art exhibits by “NYC-based emerging artists to 10 parks” across the city.
The exhibit Mom-and-Pops of the L.E.S. will feature Cup & Saucer, a much loved luncheonette in the neighborhood that was also photographed as part of Jame and Karla Murray’s book Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York (2008).
According to the Parks Department description:
“Wood-framed sculpture consists of near life-size photographs of four mom-and-pop neighborhood stores of the Lower East Side, which are no longer in business and have disappeared from the streetscape. Images of a bodega, a coffee shop/luncheonette, a vintage store, and a newsstand recognize the unique and irreplaceable contribution made to New York by small, often family-owned businesses.”
The image above is a rendering of what the installation will look like, however the exact placement of the art has not yet been determined. It will be up for viewing in June when all 10 works go up across NYC.
Featured image source: NYC Parks