Fourth Arts Block to Celebrate FABLES Public Art Program, 6/9

On Monday, June 9th, FABnyc will celebrate the successful installation of five visual art projects through the FABLES public art program with the artists, partners, and the public. After an open call for work, FABLES presented five artists/teams who created public art works that explore the Lower East Side's living cultural heritage, rich historical legacies, and current issues in public storytelling through visual art.

The opening will be hosted by L'Apicio, 13 East 1st Street, from 5:30-7:30PM, and will feature $5 cocktails, specialty appetizers, and tours of all five projects.

Lexi Bella's Heroines of the Lower East Side focuses on notable, yet under recognized women of the LES from The Russ Sisters to Rosario Dawson. "It is my heart, my home, and the birthplace of my daughter. I am so excited to express, educate, and pay homage through my art to the great women who are the past and the future of my favorite part of NYC." Location: Centre-Fuge, East 1st Street near First Avenue.

Theresa Loong and Laura Nova's Feed Me a Story consists of food stories gathered in part from their work at the LaGuardia Senior Center, shared with the public through visual installations that link to audio and video of the participants. "We are thrilled to be a part of the FABLES exhibition. This project enables us to shine a spotlight on senior citizens and reflect diverse tastes and traditions in the neighborhood." Location: First Park, Houston between First & Second Avenues.

Tamara Gayer's Who Needs Honey When Sugar is Sweet draws inspiration from Yiddish theater to create works in stained glass style that span the storefront windows of City Lore and L'Apicio. The artist explains, "First Street between First and Second Avenue is a beautiful block, exemplary of the diversity and history that are still evident on the Lower East Side." Location: City Lore, 56 East 1st Street / L'Apicio, 13 East 1st Street.

Miguel Trelles and Juan Fernando Morales-Nazario's Posters on the Wall: Our Nuyorican Story, is built from the Center for Puerto Rican Studies' extensive image archive from the 1960s through the 1990s. According to the artists and curators, the exhibit "lavishly illustrates the cosmopolitan sophistication of Puerto Rican artists in New York amalgamating traditional Puerto Rican culture with life and activism in the City." Location: First Park, Houston between First & Second Avenues.

Levan Mindiashvili's Ghost investigates gentrification and its effects on architecture and sense of place. "With the mural 'Ghost' I want to contribute to a raising awareness in the importance of historical heritage and outline the overwhelming expansion of gentrification and generalization in the contemporary world." Location: Ideal Glass, 22 East 2nd Street.

Further information can be found by contacting FABLES@fabnyc.org or by visiting the FABLES webpage.

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts/ Art Works and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in participation with The City Council. Special thanks to project partners Centre-Fuge Public Art Projects, City Lore, Epicurean Management, First Street Green, Ideal Glass, and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.

FABLES was presented in celebration of LES History Month, the inaugural celebration of the rich and diverse history of the LES, taking place during May.

About FABnyc: Fourth Arts Block (FABnyc) FABnyc was founded in 2001 as the nonprofit leadership organization for the East 4th Street Cultural District, a historic and vibrant arts corridor in Manhattan between Second Avenue and Bowery. Now a neighborhood-wide coalition of arts and community groups, FABnyc drives community and economic development, while also preserving the Lower East Side's rich heritage and creative energy.