STEVE POWERS, ‘ROAMING’, 2007, Enamel on aluminum, 48 x 48 ins/IMAGE: Courtesy of the artist
STEVE POWERS, ‘HELL RAISER’, 2007, Enamel on aluminum, 24 x 24 ins/IMAGE: Courtesy of the artist
STEVE POWERS, ‘ROAMING’, 2007, Enamel on Aluminum, 48 x 48 ins/IMAGE: Courtesy of the artist
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.
‘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 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