Fourth Arts Block Presents I AM HERE, Opens 9/16

On Thursday, September 16, 2010, Fourth Arts Block (FAB) will present "I AM HERE" by downtown artist Harumi Ori, the latest in FAB's ArtUp public art program. The exhibit will display a site-specific 24' x 4' seamless orange construction mesh relief of a local street scene. The composition will be mounted 14 feet above the sidewalk, on the ArtUp scaffolding bridge at 70 East 4th Street Cultural Center.

"I AM HERE" is a continuing series of sculptural compositions that depict various street scenes of New York City. They are minimalist in medium and meticulous in content. Harumi graciously invites the viewer to experience the concealed stillness within a fleeting moment on Bowery and East Fourth Street. think coffee is hosting a concurrent exhibition of Harumi's work at their Bleecker Street location from September 16 to October 7, 2010, as part of their rotating art program.

Harumi Ori was born in Kyoto, Japan. Currently, she lives in Brooklyn, NY and has a studio at the Artist Alliance Inc. (AAI), space in the Lower East Side. New York exhibitions include a solo show at the Queens Museum of Art in 2003, a group show at Travessia in 2007, a group show at Cuchifritos as part of her residency at AAI in 2009, and this past May, a solo show at the Ise Cultural Foundation in SoHo.

The mission of FAB's ArtUp is to reinvigorate spaces under construction through public art and community partnerships. With more than $17 million in renovations to the East 4th Street Cultural District underway, ArtUp is helping to transform our construction sites and scaffolding into a street-side gallery. ArtUp is generously supported by the 70 East 4th Street Cultural Center, future home of Downtown Art and Alpha Omega Theatrical Dance Company.

FAB is working with ArtForward to produce this public art program. FAB works to improve and promote the East 4th Street Cultural District as a center for artistic innovation and experimentation for our community. ArtForward facilitates various collaborations within the art community and businesses and organizations outside the visual arts. think coffee serves only the finest coffees and hand-packed teas grown in an environmentally friendly manner and purchased by us in a way that is designed to improve the livelihoods of farmers. This exhibit is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional support is provided by the Puffin Foundation, Con Edison, and the New York Community Trust/LuEsther T. Mertz Advised Fund.