NO LONGER EMPTY

Empty Again: Thoughts on the de-installation of "About Face" by Chloe Wyma

2011-06-23T14:41:00.000-07:00

No Longer Empty’s most recent exhibition, About Face isolated and made transparent the conventions of art’s exhibition— of the accepted variables of space, curation, artist, audience, and temporality. The process of de-installing About Face —which largely involved boxing DVD players and projectors, recycling heaps of scrap-wood and newspaper — underscored the radical contingency of NLE’s exhibition format. Of the eighteen works on exhibition, only two — stunning abstract assemblages by Jason Gringler — were static, material objects to be packed away and handling with care. The show was site-specific; that is to say, art, time, and place were mutually dependent factors. The de-installation process performed the dematerialization of the art object before my eyes. What does it mean when art becomes, as in PaperJAM’s Under Construction, becomes refuse for the recycle bin? Or, as in Maria Jose Arjona’s Transfusion, Infusion and Memory, dissipates into thin air? Art has a self-life, but it leaves behind its traces. Ed Purver’s Dropspots exists only series of exchanged gifts dispersed across the city—not a reified art object, but an invisible network of loose relationships between strangers. Beyond the contemporanity of site-specific art, what are the political, social, and economic implications of art that disappears? What does the de-installation of About Face tell us about the connection between temporality and public art?

In 1989, scholar Patricia Phillips called for a public art practice that supports “shortlived enterprises in which variables can be changed and results intelligently and sensitively examined…” that “requires a more passionate commitment to the temporary—to the information culled from the short-lived project.” (1) Public art is not a ‘genre’ in any conventional sense—it does not ascribe to fixed strategies, styles, or principles. Rather, like the notion of “ the public” itself, it is protean, dynamic, and multivalent. Art is not ‘public art’ simply because it occurs outdoors or appeals to a wide audience, but because it aims to participate in volatile theater of public life. Variable, ephemeral, and self-destructive, the works of PaperJAM, Arjona, and Purver correspond to the curatorial project of NLE itself: to participate in urban life, to provide dynamic interventions in a city that always changes, to mount exhibitions that reflect the impermanence and contingency of the urban landscape.

(1) Patricia Phillips, Temporality and Public Art, The Art Journal v.48-4 “Critical Issues in Public Art”, Winter 1989

Getting Ready for About Face! by Homa Zaryouni

2011-04-26T13:29:00.000-07:00

Only ten days left till the start of No Longer Empty’s “About Face” exhibit! We decided to kick off the blog with an epistemology of the name itself. What does “About Face” be and why did NLE choose that name?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary About-face means “to turn around so as to face in the opposite direction.”

Figuratively, it means “to reverse one's opinion, policy, etc.” Originally, the word was a military command. In 1936 J. T. Farrell wrote in his book Young Manhood “He about-faced and swam the crawl stroke back to the pool edge.”

In Google, About Face is the name of a consumer research company with mystery shoppers and brand survival techniques. It’s also the name of a theater company in Chicago.

The online Thesaurus gives more definitions that are less militant than Oxford’s: “180 degree turn, change, change in direction, change about, double, doubleback, overturning, policy change, repeal, retraction, reversal, reverse, switch, turn, turnabout, turnaround, u-turn, volte-face.”

So, are we hopeful that the About Face exhibit will bring change to our minds/opinions/neighborhood? Or is it documenting a change that has already happened?

Soon, we will be asking a longtime lower east side resident and creator of many exhibits and events what he thinks About Face is... Stay tuned!

No Longer Empty launches comic strip... coming soon! by Homa Zaryouni

2011-02-12T06:55:00.000-08:00

This week, thanks to comic artist James Beihl No Longer Empty will launch its own comic strip!! The characters are bees in NLE-logo t-shirts.

Beihl himself is the narrator, aka Buzzy the Bee, and he follows the NLE bees on their way to put on an exhibit for the Dumbo Arts Festival. I got a peek at the storyline, which involves a shaggy dog, more bees, NLE members, thought-provoking industrial objects and a walking projector. Hmm…I’m eager for the rest, but I have to wait till the official launch next week.

Until then, Beihl satisfies some curiosity with taking us behind the scenes to his creative process. He tells us there will be a lot of bee-characters in this strip, an idea inspired by Cheerios and Nasonex. Before placing the characters in the scene, Beihl sketches out the environment. For this strip he mixed his own photos with some of NLE Multimedia director Kathy Zeiger’s to create a semi-realistic environment of the exhibit.

After the characters Beihl places dialogue. Color comes last. He uses layers of semi-transparent color so that each sheet affects the one above it. His tools are Photoshop and Adobe, along with some sketching and placing by hand.

The first issue of NLE’s comic story will debut next week. From then Beihl plans to create one story per month. He is already sketching the second story!

NLE inspires FIT Student Project by Homa Zaryouni

2011-02-02T13:43:00.000-08:00

As part of our professional and educational development project, No Longer Empty is excited

to share a logo proposal designed by FIT student Caroline Claisse.

Thanks Caroline!

The end result is clean and chic but when Caroline takes us behind the scenes the process was messy and interesting.

Caroline photographs her process. She starts with her first inspirations at a meeting with

Manon Slome (NLE Chief Curator) at the "Watch This Space" exhibition in Dumbo, Brooklyn in September 2010.Caroline’s photographs show the original look of No Longer Empty’s logo before the re-design, clean, raw and urban. Caroline keeps that edge in her final design, but she incorporates a more consistent branding technique.

The next slide documents Caroline’s research process behind the process. She tried fifty-one

different fonts for “No Longer Empty” and thirty-six for the acronym NLE. About a dozen

potential designs peek through the lines and squiggles of Caroline’s scratch paper. After she

picked out her favorite font, she cut up the words and rearranged them into what is now part

of the new logo.

Eight potential designs for the acronym make it to the cork-board. The photo shows twenty-

two other digital versions. For the first proposition, Caroline places the logo, a combination of

the acronym and the full name, as it would appear alongside exhibition posters and postcards, a

test for how well it works.

It looks amazing in every color scheme and size.

"Participating in No Longer Empty: Know Your Neighbors, and Think in Groups" by Homa Zaryouni

2011-01-26T07:24:00.001-08:00

I thought writers never auditioned. Stereotypically, they are camera-shy. So I was surprised when I saw a flyer calling all screenwriters, actors, cameramen, crew to audition for Marinella Senatore’s film “Variations.” The film, a collaboration with No Longer Empty will screen in their exhibition as part of The New Museum´s “The Festival of Ideas for a New City” in May 2011.

January 8, 10:00 am: I walked up to Clemente Solo Vélez Cultural and Educational Center on Suffolk Street intimidated by Marinella’s credentials: A PhD in public art! Appearances in MoMA! A musical with the collaboration with 400 residents of Trento Italy! A film made with the collaboration of 1200 residents of Madrid, Spain! But to Marinella, every person had a story or idea worth including in her project. She worked with each person to help them express that thought to the fullest.

January 12, 1:00 pm. About twenty writers met in the basement of the New Museum. A mother brought her children, both elementary-school-age, to participate. A sixty-five-year-old Spanish musician and dancer born in the neighborhood sang and told his life stories before we started on the script. The group of writers included old-timers whose families had lived in the LES for several generations, and aspiring somethings who moved to the neighborhood a few months ago. Participants included a doctor, a baker, a teacher, musicians, students, freelancers. We started the script for our movie on a street-corner, a bodega, somewhere everyone living in LES visits once day to pick up sunflower seeds, beer, cigarettes, or Sour Patch Kids. We sketched the primary characters we all agreed fixtures of the LES neighborhood.

3:00 pm. The initial politeness wore off and conflicts started. Half of us wanted a catastrophic event, the other half rooted for a peaceful gathering. Eyes rolled. We argued about the identity of LES. Is the LES of ten years ago the authentic one? Or was the neighborhood that existed twenty years ago meant to remain? Should our characters include people who moved to LES in the last five years, or are they just tourists? Fortunately, a cake from a bakery nearby (courtesy of the baker), some Tortilla chips, and dividing up into groups helped break the tension.

We finally decided that we had to accept LES as it currently existed, with all the transplants, new bars, boutiques, and trendy restaurants, whether we liked it or not. The moderator, assigned by Marinella, helped resolve conflicts about the plot after each side argued their point. The catastrophic event we proposed surpassed filming limitations. So it would either be cut, or the director would insert a substitute easier to recreate for a film. During this process I realized we all had one thing in common:

A die-hard attitude about what the LES should be. And we were willing to argue to exhaustion about it. Maybe deep down, that is why we answered that flyer.

Something else we found in common that day: we did it. The camera rolled on us for the last time, and we were told our story would be filmed in the next two days. None of us knew what the story would be.

I wish I could always write in a group. It is a trade. You can begin a thought and let someone else finish. To me, that is more exciting and less stressful than writing alone. Usually when I write, I am responsible for the end result. It was cathartic to express ideas and leave the rest to Marinella. She would create something from what we all said, and based on what she has done so far, it would be something great.

That is the nature of group projects, you contribute, and let go. That said, I can’t wait till May to view the final product!

The New Museum on the Bowery will host “The Festival of Ideas for a New City” May 5-8. No Longer Empty, a partner in the festival, will simultaneously host “About Face”, the month-long exhibition accompanied by a rich programming.

Photo credits: Issy Magowan and Ryan Hurlbut for No Longer Empty

99B

2010-09-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, people globally participated in the event known as Parking Day. In New York City, No Longer Empty participated by filling the area, as well as balloons, with colored pigment.

Located at Stuyvesant Street, No Longer Empty's Parking Day Project, 99B, was a success. Many people stopped by to enjoy the color that was surrounding the area as well as the tall string of balloons.

A videographer was on-hand to capture the event, which includes interviews in addition to documentation of 99B. Look out for this production in the near future.

Did you visit us for Parking Day?

Weekly Artist- Kaye Blegvad

2010-09-17T13:29:00.001-07:00

Kaye Blegvad is a Brighton-born illustrator and photographer, who is currently based out of Manhattan. Kaye has worked for Topman, various magazines, and commissions in addition to using her drawings to chronicle her daily life. For example, Kaye recently chronicled her internship with Kiki Smith in a drawing:

As seen in the image above, Kaye's style combines both a dark subject matter and delicate drawings with a subtle wit. However, not all of Kaye's work contains a sense of humor about the macabre. In the series "A Light on Things," the artist delves into the realm of nightmares, making them appear as stark and tormenting as they appear in her sleep.

You can see more of Kaye's work at her website or her blog, which combines photography, illustrations, and anecdotes from her life.

Come See No Longer Empty for Parking Day

2010-09-14T06:31:00.000-07:00

Weekly Artist- Saelee Oh

2010-09-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

This week's featured artist is Saelee Oh, who is represented by Johnathan Levine Gallery in Chelsea. Saelee's work is reminiscent of both Hieronymus Bosch and the craft arts. Her combined depiction of both whimsical and eerie scenes combines to form scenes that are similar, yet distinctly different, from the Northern Renaissance artist. It is her integration of cut paper in each of her works that makes Saelee's art unique. Traditionally, cut paper is viewed as a craft rather than fine art. By combining this art form with one that is more classically accepted, painting, Saelee produces pieces that challenge the canon of art history.

You can see more of Saelee's work and read her blog on her website.

Parking Day, Coming to a Space Near You

2010-09-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

Parking Day is quickly approaching, only 8 days away! As it is quickly approaching the parking day team have been hard at work gathering materials, testing out ideas, and running around New York City.

NLE's Maria, Valentina, and Jodie on a quest at Materials for the Arts

Maria with one component of our Parking Day project

Testing out the Holi pigment (which was featured earlier on the blog)

To see how all of these parts fit together to form the final product, visit No Longer Empty's Parking Day spot at Stuyvesant Street on Friday, September 17th. We look forward to your participation and presence!

Weekly Artist- ASARO

2010-09-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

The Asamblea de Artistas, Revolucionarios de Oaxaca (ASARO), are a Mexican based graffiti group who have exhibited in a few galleries and museums in the United States, including ABC No Rio. Formed out of a teacher's strike in Oaxaca, ASARO are a group that creates politically evocative work, which usually contains Marxist undertones.

In addition to publicizing their political agenda, ASARO also incorporates canonical art works into their stencils, such as images of Frida Kahlo or Michelangelo's "Pieta," transforming the Virgin Mary into a revolutionary.

While the primary mode of dispersing their message is in the form of street stencils and murals, ASARO also creates prints that are reminiscent of Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada.

While the names and number of people in this group remain unknown, the work of ASARO has been a present part of life in Oaxaca since the teacher's strike in 2006. To see a large number of images of their street work and prints, visit ASARO's Myspace. For more information on their organization you can visit their blog.

A Quote from the Founder

2010-09-02T17:37:00.000-07:00

While reading Relational Aesthetics by Nicolas Bourriard, founder Manon Slome discovered a quotation that she found particularly applicable to No Longer Empty. In his book, Bourriard describes artwork as something that provides a common connection and allows everyone the chance to approach and discuss it. Specifically, Bourriard states that, "what strikes us most in the work of this generation of artists is, first and foremost, the democratic concern that informs it." Additionally, the author states that, "the elitist attitudes of some people in art circles, attest to an absolute loathing of the public space and shared experimentation, in favor of boudoirs earmarked for exerts."

Day Two of Deinstallation

2010-09-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

On the second day on deinstallation artist Carol Warner came to take apart her piece, which was a comment on the marketing of apartments in New York City.

In addition to seeing this work taken apart, we also had some individuals come from Freecycle to take the lumber from Isidro Blasco's work.

For me it was especially difficult to see these works leave the space because I was not present for the installation; I only knew this space in its present incarnation. However, the lumbar did not go to waste, which I suppose is a good way to look at seeing the work leave.

Day One of Deinstallation

2010-08-30T17:17:00.000-07:00

Sadly, the deinstallation of our East Harlem exhibition, "Weaving in and Out," began today. While one of the main facets to No Longer Empty is how we create temporary exhibitions in areas all over New York City, it does not make it any easier to leave a space. Even as we move to other areas, the visitors we have had while in Harlem have made a lasting impact on us, and we hope that we have also made a difference for them.

Here are some pre and post deinstallation photos. I think it is interesting that you can still see the mark of Fabienne Lasserre's work even after it has been removed.

Before

After

Weekly Artist- Teun Hocks

2010-08-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

Born in Leiden, Netherlands, artist Teun Hocks is tied to New York City by his gallery representation, Chelsea's PPOW Gallery. While Teun does work in other mediums, such as stained glass, I found his work in acrylic and photography to be particularly interesting.

Untitled (Man with Hats), oil on toned gelatin silver print, 2006, 48 3/4 by 63 1/4 inches.

Untitled (Man at Fire), oil on toned gelatin silver print, 1990, 71 1/4 by 53 1/2 inches.

By juxtaposing oil on acylic, Teun creates a scene that is both surreal and enticing. In addition to his use of medium, the artist also creates surreal scenes through the combination of unusual imagery, as seen in the man warming himself by the painting of a fire in the second image. To see more of his work, you can visit

PPOW Gallery's website or the artist's site to see more images of his process, such as the one below.

Holi Festival

2010-08-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

Recently, in addition to working on our future exhibitions, No Longer Empty has also been working on a few side projects. One of these projects is Parking Day, which takes place in cities around the world in addition to New York City. All I will say about our project thus far is that it involves colored pigments, similar to those used in the Holi Festival. Below are some pictures taken from Chloe Rice's Blog documenting the Holi Festival in Queens last year.

And here are some photos from the Holi Festival in India. What do you think No Longer Empty has planned for Park(ing) Day?

Naama Tsabar at PS1

2010-08-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

For those readers who were not able to see the No Longer Empty show "Never Can Say Goodbye," Naama Tsabar was one of the artists on view in that exhibition. Seen blow are Naama's two pieces from "Never Can Say Goodbye," "Doublecherryburst" and "Untitled (Babies)."

Naama Tsabar, "Untitled (Babies)," 8 minute video, 2008.

Naama Tsabar, "Doublecherryburst," mixed media with two guitars, 2010.

Naama's use of musical interments in both her performances and sculptures is one reason why she was included in this exhibition, which took place at the former site of Tower Records.

When No Longer Empty includes artists in our exhibitions, we keep track of and support their work beyond the duration of their time with us. This past weekend Naama performed at PS1 with Kristin Mueller on her piece "Doublesilverburst," which is similar in construction to her work "Doublecherryburst." The only difference between these two works is the types of guitars that Naama chose to combine. Below are the pictures I took from her performance this past Sunday at PS1. For those who would like to see more of Namma's work you can look at Artnews or Dvir Gallery, who represents the artist in Tel Aviv.

It is important to note that within Naama's work the performance, conjoined guitars, and the elaborately wired speaker walls are all of the artist's creation and part of the work of art.

Weekly Artist- Zack Seckler

2010-08-20T19:21:00.000-07:00

Zack Seckler is a photographer and the person behind the True Love Project. In each of his works, Seckler explores what it means to have a person genuinely "smile for the camera." Through the use of hypnosis, Seckler has participants literally fall in love with the photography equipment. For example Karen, seen above, believed she was seeing her friend Warren while

Kyrian, another participant, thought he saw his recently deceased turtle. Due to the hypnosis, each participant sees their version of love in the camera, which allows Seckler to capture real, and often raw, emotions.

Seckler is currently represented by True Management, which is located in Manhattan, thus tying him to the city. See more of Seckler's work at his website.

On Makeshift Spaces

2010-08-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

While I was reading for my thesis, I stumbled across a quotation in Jane Blocker's book "Where is Ana Mendieta?" that I found very relevant to No Longer Empty. Blocker discusses the early years of performance art and how a conservative backlash rose up against it in the early 80's with the exhibition "Documenta 7." Blocker uses a quotation made by curator Rudi Fuchs at a press conference. Fuchs stated that, "the time one can show contemporary art in makeshift spaces, converted factories and so on, is over. Art is a noble achievement and it should be handled with dignity and respect..."

It is interested to me that the art world has since come full circle, with artwork again being shown in unconventional spaces, such as Governor's Island. However, as the interest in showing works in unused spaces has re-emerged so have the conservative attitudes against these types of exhibitions. The opinion that Fuchs displayed in 1982 is one that can be seen today in the writings of the New York Times concerning Governor's Island. I think that a comparison between the elitist decry of Fuchs against now well-known artists, such as Vito Acconci and Ana Mendieta, is one that has resurfaced within the anti-populist writing of Ken Johnson.

From the the Co-Founder

2010-08-17T19:23:00.000-07:00

In response to the New York Times article "A Playground for the Arts, with Island Breezes" by Edward Rothstein, No Longer Empty Co-Founder Manon Slome has written the following letter:

A Playground for the Arts, With Island Breezes

By EDWARD ROTHSTEIN

13, August, 2010

To the Editor

We were pleased to see the Governors Island summer festival covered and congratulate the positive impact it is making to NYC. We were disappointed, however, that the article did not provide a balanced review of “The Sixth Borough”. Rothstein spends an excessive amount of space criticizing only two artists, both out of context. The Nazi salute he disparages in Trong Gia Nguyen’s installation, is in fact, the Bellamy salute, the outstretched arm which originally accompanied the Pledge of Allegiance before Franklin D. Roosevelt changed it to the hand-over-the-heart gesture to avoid exactly the same mis-identification as Rothstein has made. NLE has 15 cutting edge artists from around the world on display, free to the public for the entire summer. Rothstein does a disservice to New York Times readers by not providing a fuller picture of what the exhibition is about and the objectives of our organization.

No Longer Empty (NLE) transforms vacant NYC real estate into vibrant hubs of art, education and cultural events. We aim to introduce high quality art to a wide public by creating temporary art exhibitions that are inspired by and relevant to the building and neighborhood in which they reside. This approach of site specificity provides an organic relationship between a space, the artists and curators and the community.

We invite readers to see for themselves the powerful selection work on display in the beautiful setting of historic Governor's Island.

Manon Slome

Co-founder and Curator

No Longer Empty

Additionally, this quotation, found on the NYTimes blog from a user called Sasha from New York sums up No Longer Empty's concerns with Rothstein's article.

"The world is changing, and so are tastes. The era when it was appropriate for us, as a society, to throw millions of dollars at a few "critic-approved" artists for the benefit of the social elite is obsolete! Experiences are becoming more valued than possessions, and as a result, we're phasing out of the multi-billion-dollar corporate art world. Those times are over. And the suggestion that the only way to energize Governors island is to spend millions of dollors on a once-every-four-years, critic-approved-spectacular shows a lack of awareness of the world we're living in.

The work of these Governors Island art groups may not be polished, or even finished, but if you can't see what path they're on, you're looking the wrong direction..."

Governor's Island: Not Yet a Destination for Visual Art?

2010-08-14T18:17:00.000-07:00

Teresa Diehl's piece at Governor's Island

In yesterday's edition of ArtsBeat, New York Times journalist Ken Johnson choses to review the artwork at Governor's Island in an article entitled, "Governor's Island: Not Yet a Destination for Visual Art." Within his condescending review, Johnson completely discounts large amounts of low-budget artwork and organizations altogether, stating that "Art just isn’t the kind of thing that lends itself to no-budget, laissez-faire populism." If this statement is to be believed, then the work of folk artists, graffiti artists, or any group that works outside of traditional bounds, such as No Longer Empty, are without merit. It is exactly this elitist attitude that No Longer Empty is combatting. By creating exhibitions in unused spaces, No Longer Empty is bringing art to individuals who may not otherwise have access to it; for example, in East Harlem people walk by our location on their way to the bus, a route that offers no other arts organizations nearby. In addition to suggesting that art should not appeal to the masses, Johnson also states that, "Works on view in houses occupied by the group No Longer Empty are about on the level of sophistication you would expect to see in Manhattan’s Lower East Side galleries, which is not bad." This quotation begs many questions, such as why we must equate sophisticated art with areas such as the Lower East Side, which is often seen as a hot-bed for contemporary art, and why can exhibitions not take place anywhere?

A second article in the New York Times this weekend took a less drastic, but nonetheless elitist, approach to the work at Governor's Island, Edward Rothstein's "A Playground for the Arts, With Island Breezes." Throughout his article, Rothstein touts Governor's Island as an oasis and retreat away from the island of Manhattan; this issue is one that is reflected in both the artwork present and the title of "The Sixth Borough." However, rather than seeing Governor's Island and the houses on Colonel's Row as an opportunity to question the surreal nature of the island, Rothstein sees it as one that should be passively observed rather than actively engaged. Rothstein states that, "One installation, for example, mounts photographs of the Nazi hand salute in a room with an American flag, asserting a crude association that reappears in other forms in a so-called interactive tutorial exhibition...These tutorials are, no doubt, meant to rub polemically against the grain of the former military site and its geographical centrality, but their contorted perspectives gave a sour taste to the harbor breezes. Not enough, though, to diminish the sense that outside that conceptually empty house, all around the island, in the leisure ventures of diverse visitors, the traditional promises of the harbor were finding new forms of restless fruition." While it is nice to escape Manhattan and go see M.I.A. or wander around the area's open spaces, it is also fitting to use this island as an escape from Manhattan's art world. Not only are No Longer Empty's exhibitions allowing for a break from reality, but also the a classist art world.

What are your reactions to Johnson and Rothstein's articles? What is your opinion on who are should appeal to? Leave any and all opinion in the comment section below and I will respond to them. Let's start a dialogue.

Unknown Artist- Daniel Clifton

2010-08-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

This weeks unknown artist is Daniel Clifton, a performance artist and resident of Brooklyn, New York. I was first introduced to Daniel's work while studying at Hollins University. Four or so years later his work has still stuck with me. Rather than writing text about what I think the work is about, watch for yourselves and leave comments on this post with your responses about the work. Reactions, meanings, feelings, anything.

You can see more of Daniel's work on his website.

Weekly Artist- Kate Bingaman Burt

2010-08-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

In addition to featuring the work of No Longer Empty, this blog will also contain a "Weekly Artist" feature. Whether or not the artist has shown in a No Longer Empty exhibition does not matter. The only thing that connects these artists is New York; they are represented by a gallery here, were born or currently live here, etc. The first artist to be a part of this series is Kate Bingaman Burt, who is currently represented by Jen Bekman Gallery, located in Manhattan's Bowery district.

Kate Bingaman Burt describes the mission of her website, Obsessive Consumption, as "CONSUME/DOCUMENT/MAKE." Through painstakingly drawing every credit card statement and item listed there, Kate creates work that documents her consumption of various objects.

By documenting all of these items, Kate not only feels the weight of her own purchases, but is also making a commentary about the importance that our society places on owning things.

And on that note, you can purchase Kate's work through her Etsy or Jen Beckman's website 20x200, whose aim is to make art affordable for everyone. In addition, Kate has images available for you to browse through on her Flickr.

Site- Dumbo

2010-08-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

Last week, the members of No Longer Empty visited a site in Dumbo, Brooklyn. What the organization would be working with are a three areas outside for murals, one indoor site for a mural, and an enclosed area to display other work.

Jodie, Ella, and others visiting a potential mural site

Upper scaffolding and ground level to be used for murals

Visiting the indoor space, full of potential

The indoor space: one large room, second smaller room, and a closet

The mission of No Longer Empty is to revitalize these empty, unused spaces. Often it is easy to get caught up in the end product of NLE's work, the final exhibition. However, it is important to remember what these spaces looked like before the art is hung and the murals are painted.

Studio Tours- Bushwick

2010-08-03T15:54:00.000-07:00

Hello all! My name is Rhiannon and I am an intern with No Longer Empty. I will be blogging for NLE and giving all those who read this access to events, behind the scenes information, studio tours with artists, and access all things No Longer Empty. By blogging for them, I hope to show everyone not only the end product of our work, but how we create these exhibitions and help our interns and volunteers to grow in the process. Last week, as a part of intern education, a set of studio tours were organized in Bushwick, Brooklyn. There, the interns visited the studios of three emerging artists: Jayoung Yoon, Leah Tacha, and Erin Riche.

The first artist's studio that the group visited was that of Erin Riche, who is an embroidery artist. Erin creates free-form work by disengaging her sewing machine from its standard settings. During the visit Riche not only discussed her work with NLE's interns, but also demonstrated how her work is created.

While Erin does create embroidery work on fabric, she also works with embroidering on a material that dissolves, leaving only the thread behind. While Erin creates work that utilizes thread and a sewing machine, she primarily studied illustration in school. This background shows up in some of her work, such as these cartoon-like animals.

These animals and other creatures are a recent project of Erin's, whose work primarily takes a more traditionally square nature, whether it is created on fabric or on dissolving paper, as seen in the right image.

In the same building as Erin Riche is the second artist that we visited, sculptor Leah Tacha. A recent graduate from Hunter College's MFA program, Leah has only recently acquired her Bushwick space, which is the home to many additional studios. Many of the works that Leah has

has produced recently combine collage and sculpture into pieces that Tacha then mounts onto a pedestal. In addition to her sculptural works, Erin also produces collages on paper, which can be seen in the background of the picture to the right.

During our visit, Erin not only discussed her work with the interns, but also the challenges of maintaining both a studio space and a day job, something that was not required of her while in graduate school. Through this discussion, Tacha educated those visiting about the challenges of supporting oneself while also maintaining an artistic career. This lesson is one that is valuable not only the artistic interns, but also the art historians because it provides an accurate representation of life as an artist.

The final artist that the group visited was Jayoung Yoon, a performance-based artist.Much of Jayoung's work incorporates the use of hair as well as the movement of light. Few people see the live performance of her work; one

film that she showed to the group had fewer than five viewers present at the taping. Instead of the live performance acting as the primary focus, Yoon displays

photographs throughout her studio that document the process as well as artifacts, such as the hair weaving seen in the right picture above. In addition to photographic documentation, Jayoung also films her work, which takes place over several hours. The final film product is a time-lapse video that condenses an entire day's performance into a few minutes.

Through visiting each of these artists, all of NLE's interns obtained personal experiences with each artist: asking questions, seeing workspaces, demonstrations, and making connections. As an art historian, I personally find myself making assumptions about art work based on facts left behind by the now dead artists I study. By being in these artists' studios, I got to take my head out of the research books and have my questions answered face to face with these artists.

2009-09-28T17:42:00.001-07:00

2009-08-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

PICTURES FROM OUR AMAZING OPENING AT THE CALEDONIA - RIGHT BELOW THE HIGH LINE ON 16TH STREET

U-RAM CHOE'S PIECE

NO LONGER EMPTY'S NAOMI AND TARA HAVING FUN AT OUR GREAT OPENING

NLE'S NAOMI AND TARA

NLE'S CURATOR ASHER REMY-TOLEDO WITH STEPHANIE ROTHENBERG

OPENING NIGHT

2009-08-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

NLE'S KEITH WITH A GUEST

NLE'S CURATOR MANON SLOME WITH HARPER AND GUESTS

MANON SLOME WITH GUESTS

MANON SLOME WITH GUESTS INFRONT OF YOKO ONO'S SPACE TRANSFORMER

2009-08-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

A VIEW OF OUR GREAT NEW EXHIBITION

SUZANNE SONG'S AMAZING PIECE

YOKO ONO'S SPACE TRANSFORMER

ALYSON SHOTZ'S THREAD DRAWING (UNTITLED) 2009

ANOTHER VIEW OF SUZANNE SONG'S PIECE CALLED - BLANK

2009-07-22T08:59:00.001-07:00

REFLECTING TRANSFORMATION

Opens Thursday July 30th 6 - 9pm
at the Caledonia storefront
443 W 16th St nr 10th ave

July 30th through Sept 2009
Wed - Sat 12 - 7pm

Artists include:
U-Ram Choe | Cao Fei | Yoko Ono
Stephanie Rothenberg| Alyson Shotz
Sean Slemon | Suzanne Song | Siebren Versteeg

Reflecting Transformations references the regeneration of the area and the transformative

nature that art can have on a community. This group exhibit also reflects the minimalist

aesthetic that the blank slate of a new development can afford.

Our next exhibit is an empty storefront at the Caledonia, a new condominium building

under the High Line.

NO LONGER EMPTY is an innovative project involving a group of artists and

curators who are interested in exploring a new paradigm for making and presenting art.

A series of exhibitions and events is planned that will utilize multiple vacated storefronts

in New York City. Providing an opportunity for artists to revitalize these spaces with

thoughtful, sustainable art installations.

Curated by Manon Slome, Asher Remy-Toledo and Julia Draganovic

with Tara de la Garza and Julian Navarro

assisted by the NO LONGER EMPTY team

Ivan Saragusti, Keith Schweitzer, Nunu Hung, Maria Boobis

Naomi Hersson-Ringskog, Nicholas Freeman, Tyler Gumb,

Emma Wasielke, Danni Pascuma, Harper Jackson, Andrea Hill

NO LONGER EMPTY is a non profit organization through the fiscal sponsorship of Fractured Atlas

visit us at:

www.nolongerempty.com

www.nolongerempty.blogspot.com/

info@nolongerempty.com

2009-07-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

New York no longer empty?

“Make a virtue of necessity” — that’s the way it goes during these times. Shakespeare’s phrase seems to be the motto of No Longer Empty, a project started in New York involving artists and curators who share the interest in new paradigms for the presentation of contemporary art.

No Longer Empty will organize a series of exhibitions utilizing empty storefronts in Manhattanand Brooklyn. “We see an opportunity here to create something positive from the current climate. Art can thrive in this environment and lead the way towards creative ways of thinking and dealing with these changes, ” states No Longer Empty co-founder and former Chelsea Art Museum curator Manon Slome.

Inaugurating the series is a group show which opened on June 18 (until July 18) occupying two storefronts at the Chelsea Hotel featuring a mixture of established and emerging artists, including 5 Chelsea Hotel residents: Guido Albi-Marini, Joseph Aloi, Rita Barros, Sam Bassett, Michael Bevilacqua, Alina and Jeff Bliumis, Scott Campbell, Tara de la Garza, Kate Gilmore, Mia Hanson, Noel Hennessy, Michael Mandiberg, Cheonwook Park, Diana Puntar, Bruce Richards, Raimundo Rubio, Linda and Lothar Troeller, Dani Tull, Marnie Weber. The show is organized by Manon Slome, Asher Remy-Toledo, Julian Navarro, Ivan Saragusti, Nunu Hung, Felicity Faulkner, Yasaman Hoorazar and Molly Ryan.

The next three shows, already planned and scheduled between July and September, will take place respectively at the Crown Plaza Hotel — with a project by Rebecca Bray and Britta Riley —, the Caledonia Building Storefronts and finally in a former belt factory in Brooklyn.

www.nolongerempty.com

2009-07-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

KNOW HOPE'S MURAL ON OUR EXHIBIT'S SHUTTER

Video Montage of Know Hope creating the Mural

2009-06-30T21:47:00.001-07:00

No Longer Empty - Mapcidy - Your Guide to New York - Make Your Own Maps

2009-06-25T12:12:00.000-07:00

PICTURES OF OUR GREAT OPENING !!!

-Thank you to all our supporters-

Hotel Chelsea
Fracture Atlas
Eyebeam Art + Technology Center
DaVinci Artists Supply
Jennifer Muller | The Works
Piques Dames
Fluxus Creative
Whole Foods
Asahi beer
Marisa Ledesma Events

2009-06-25T12:11:00.000-07:00

2009-06-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

2009-06-25T12:07:00.001-07:00

2009-06-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

http://primeiraavenida.blogspot.com/2009/06/no-longer-empty-1.html

METRO NEW YORK

http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/06/18/07/0213-82/index.xml

Working the fine art of commerce
Inspiration hit gallery curator Manon Slome as she was walking through a once-bustling neighborhood in Manhattan late this spring.
“Storefront after storefront was empty,” she explains. “And the stores that were open had no one in them besides sales clerks. It’s tied, for me, to this sense of emptiness, a sense that the gilded age was over.”
Just a few weeks later, Slome, along with more than 40 artists, is set to present the “No Longer Empty” exhibit, an installation project that seeks to brighten up those increasingly numerous vacant storefronts with artwork in the hopes of enlivening the community and drawing commerce back to suffering neighbor-hoods. The show is now on display at an empty shop next to the Chelsea Hotel.
Slome asked the artists involved to create works that either reflected the “no longer empty” theme, i.e. the financial crisis, or respond to the storefront environment in which their works would be displayed. As a former bait and tackle shop covered with decades-old wood paneling and old gray carpeting, the Chelsea location has garnered some impressive submissions, some of which hint at nautical themes. This particular show is titled “Ship of Fools.”
Slome hopes to bring “No Longer Empty” to several other locations in the city, and has already lined up exhibitions to follow at The Caledonia near the High Line, The Crowne Plaza in Times Square and at The Invisible Dog in Brooklyn. In addition to instilling a sense of hope and drawing money to the city, Slome would like to see the project bring about, as she calls it, “a new paradigm for public art.”
‘Ship of Fools,’ part of ‘No Longer Empty’222 West 23rd St.Through July 18
www.nolongerempty.com
HEIDI PATALANO/METRO

WALL STREET JOURNAL
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124520276897221681.html
Making Lemonade

Manon Slome, the former curator of the Chelsea Art Museum in Manhattan, has come up with a creative solution for the city's mounting number of empty storefronts: turn them into sidewalk showrooms.
Her first "No Longer Empty" show opens Thursday in two formerly vacant storefronts at Hotel Chelsea that had been occupied by Capitol Fishing Tackle and Chelsea Healing, a natural healing service.
Works by 21 painters, photographers and other artists will be on display in the space, which is being provided free of charge.
Ms. Slome, who says her idea was inspired by a spring walk past empty shops on Madison Avenue, is planning shows in three other locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn.—David Graham
Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page C6

2009-06-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

OPENING PICTURES!!!

Ruth and Manon Slome, Tara de la Garza, Ivan Saragusti, Raimundo Rubio, Yasaman Hoorazar, Sarvenaz Bakhtiar and Julian Navarro
Asher Remy-Toledo

Actor Murray Bartlett with his mum, Anne Sinclair and Tara de la Garza

2009-06-21T12:37:00.000-07:00

PICTURES OF NO LONGER EMPTY'S OPENING AT THE CHELSEA HOTEL!!

Lothar Troeller and friendly Pita Hut owner
Our first Tshirt sale to visiting Australian architect Ahmad Abas

Alina and Jeff Bluimus during installation

Raimundo Rubio and Joseph Aloi during installation

Yasaman Hoorazar and Felicity Faulkner during installation

2009-06-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

-INSTALLATION (continued..)-

Michael Bevilacqua

JK5

2009-06-04T07:14:00.000-07:00

-HOTEL CHELSEA INSTALLATION PREVIEW-

Joseph Ari Aloi a.k.a JK5 working on his mural

Raimundo Rubio covering the windows with salt..

JK5

Michael Bevilacqua

Michael Bevilacqua with No Longer Empty's curator Manon Slome

2009-05-30T15:01:00.001-07:00

Manon:

No Longer Empty is a great project. We would love to participate in
it for a wide variety of reasons. I love it that artists keep the world
going in so many ways.

Nancy

(Director American Dance Enseble)

2009-05-30T13:56:00.000-07:00

- Event at Asher Remy Toledo's private loft -

Pictures, 2nd concert

Jennifer Muller dance company,who were the highlight of the evening with a preview of their June 10th gala performance at the Joyce Theater.

Asher, his son Edison, and Jennifer Muller

2009-05-30T13:53:00.000-07:00

Pictures from our first event at Asher's place!

Joseph Cohen, Manon Slome, Raimundo Rubio

Les Piques Dames performing arias at Asher's loft in the first concert series for No Longer Empty

2009-05-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

Culturemob

by Jonathan Mandell

Art and the recession # 2: Empty Storefronts + Art Market Crash = “No Longer Empty” Art Project

More and more stores are closing. (“More Manhattan Shop Windows Are Expected to Be Empty This Year,”New York Times) More and more artists have seen the market for their work collapse. (“Brother, Can You Spare A Painting,” Newsweek) A group of artists and curators looked at these two problems and thought up an ambitious new art project; as curator Manon Slome puts it “let’s fill these empty spaces with art so that they are NO LONGER EMPTY but full of life and creativity.”
No Longer Empty was born.
Their first exhibition will run in the two emptied storefronts at the Chelsea Hotel, renowned birthplace of punk and 2001: A Space Odyssey, deathplace of writer Dylan Thomas and Sid Vicious’s girlfriend, residences for Eugene O’Neill and Jimi Hendrix alike (sometimes only for a few days). It was also, until recently, the location of a long-time fish tackle store and a tattoo parlor.
Opening on Thursday, June 18th at 6 p.m., the first No Longer Empty exhibition will run exactly a month.
Alina and Jeff Bliumis, whose work has been exhibited everywhere from the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art to the Andrea Meislin Gallery in New York, plan a site-specific installation they will entitle “Tips for Future Occupants”, each tip/statistic/lesson placed in a “book” that is really a sculpture made from foam, ink acrylic and wood.
Raimundo Rubio will create one of his salt-encrusted installations of everyday objects - cell phones, jewelry, flowers etc.
The exhibition will also include work by artists currently living in the Chelsea Hotel — Rita Barros, Linda and Lothar Troeller, and Sam Bassett.
This is just the start, says Slome. They are currently negotiating with several more landlords. If all goes well, “visitors will enliven the streets, use local restaurants etc and the buildings will be seen in their full potential. Artists will be given a great new platform for their work in what we hope will become a new paradigm for public art.”

There is precedent for their idea. Chashama, a non-profit created by Anita Durst of the Durst real estate family, has been doing something similar since 1992, providing grants to visual and theater artists and offering them temporarily vacant commercial properties for rehearsal, studio and/or performance spaces. (It has a permanent exhibition space at 217 East 42nd Street.)
The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Swing Space program awards artists and arts organizations the use of vacant commercial space downtown for up to six months, again for use as “studio, rehearsal, office, installation, and exhibition space.” Storefront art is also happening elsewhere, such as Northampton, Massachusetts.

by Raimundo Rubio
by Alina and Jeff Bliumis.