5 Pointz: The Institute of Higher Burning

About a year ago on an Art 101 class trip to MoMA PS1, I stumbled upon 5 Pointz. Directly across the street from the infamous museum, standing in line awaiting our tour guide, I couldn't keep my eyes off this big beautiful colorful building; and from that day forward I've done nothing but brainstorm ideas on how to share the beauty that I witnessed with the world. In this new segment "Around My Town", every week I will feature a gallery of photos I have taken of some of the most beautiful but underrated places around New York City. 

"5Pointz Aerosol Art Center, Inc. is an outdoor art exhibit space in Long Island City, New York, considered to be the world’s premiere “graffiti Mecca,” where aerosol artists from around the globe paint colorful pieces on the walls of a 200,000-square-foot factory building.

The name 5Pointz signifies the five boroughs coming together as one but, because of its reputation as an epicenter of the graffiti scene, the industrial complex has actually united aerosol artists from across the world. Legendary writers from Canada, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, and all over the United States have painted on the building walls, including Stay High 149, Tracy 168, Cope2, Part, and Tats Cru.

Over the past decade, the striking, graffiti-covered warehouse has attracted several hip-hop and R&B stars, including Doug E. Fresh, Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Kaz, Mobb Deep, Rahzel, DJ JS-1, Boot Camp Clik, Joan Jett, and Joss Stone.

On any given day, 5Pointz visitors can expect to find prominent artists, musicians, deejays, Emcees (rappers), and B-boys (break dancers) on site, in addition to filmmakers, photographers, and entire tour buses full of admirers soaking in the more than 350 Technicolor murals.

The gallery curator is graffiti veteran Jonathan Cohen, best known by his signature tag, “Meres One.” His goal is to convert the five-story, block-long industrial complex at Jackson Avenue and Davis Street, formerly the Phun Phactory, into a graffiti art museum."

This mini gallery is just a taste of  what 5 Pointz has to offer. Unfortunately 5 Pointz is in danger of being demolished, help save this NYC land mark heading over to http://5ptz.com/save-5-pointz/ and sign the petition or visit and sign you support there.

Information courtesy of 5ptz.com