~STEVE POWERS/PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMY of the FINE ARTS

Steve Powers - ROAMING
STEVE POWERS, ‘ROAMING’, 2007, Enamel on aluminum, 48 x 48 ins/IMAGE: Courtesy of the artist

Steve Powers-Hell Raiser
STEVE POWERS, ‘HELL RAISER’, 2007, Enamel on aluminum, 24 x 24 ins/IMAGE: Courtesy of the artist

Steve Powers-Higher Power
STEVE POWERS, ‘ROAMING’, 2007, Enamel on Aluminum, 48 x 48 ins/IMAGE: Courtesy of the artist

Steve Powers - Stepping Razor
STEVE POWERS, ‘STEPPING RAZOR’, 2007, Enamel on Aluminum, 24 x 24 ins/IMAGE: Courtesy of the artist

STEVE POWERS – ‘THE MAGIC WORD’
OCTOBER 20, 2007 – JANUARY 27, 2008
PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMY of the FINE ARTS
MORRIS GALLERY – HISTORIC LANDMARK BUILDING – 118 NORTH BROAD STREET
PHILADELPHIA, PA (PENNSYLVANIA)

HOURS: TUESDAY-SATURDAY: 10am-5pm / SUNDAY 11am-5pm

STEVE POWERS (STEPHEN POWERS) aka ESPO – was born and raised in Phillie’s Overbrook neighborhood. He has resided in New York City since 1995. He mostly uses billboards and storefronts, to create his “illicit outdoor murals” – one of his earliest projects, in NYC – being a huge billboard that seamlessly offered up the invitation to call ‘ESPOLAND’ and gave a phone number. Not all his projects are “illicit” – as well as having served up several exhibits at DEITCH PROJECTS in SOHO, he is perhaps best known, in NYC, for the very legit – collaborative project he dreamed up with CREATIVE TIME, beginning in 2004, and in which he participated and co-curated – the ‘DREAMLAND ARTIST CLUB’ – a “project on CONEY ISLAND AMUSEMENT BOARDWALK in which he and several other artists worked with low-income business owners to improve commercial signage” – making a trip out to Coney Island, a must-see artist destination.
At the same time – STEVE POWERS maintained a small studio out there, in a storefront, right next to the CONEY ISLAND ‘MUSEUM’, a FORTUNE TELLER, some rides, and a POPEYE’S – which he called – the DREAMLAND ARTIST CLUBHOUSE.

Steve Powers Clubhouse # 1
‘I’LL DO A GOOD DEED – I WILL SNUFF OUT EVIL’ – STEVE POWERS at work in his DREAMLAND ARTIST CLUBHOUSE, CONEY ISLAND, JUNE 18, 2005 – PHOTO: NANCY SMITH

Steve Powers Clubhouse # 2
STEVE POWERS in his DREAMLAND ARTIST CLUBHOUSE, during the 2nd summer of the CREATIVE TIME PROJECT, CONEY ISLAND, JUNE 18, 2005 – PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
THE SLOGAN ON THE EVENT’S POSTER WAS:
‘DREAMLAND ARTIST CLUB 2005 & CONEY ISLAND USA REMIND YOU:
FAST NICKEL – IS BETTER THAN – SLOW DIME’

see more pix: DREAMLAND ARTIST CLUB/CONEY ISLAND 2005

PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMY of the FINE ARTS