Local Artists' Work Brightens Stretch Of UWS Vacant Storefronts

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — You might have already noticed the artwork hanging in vacant storefronts on a stretch of Columbus Avenue on the Upper West Side.

The Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District partnered with Art on the Ave NYC to install local artists' work in empty storefront windows between West 67th and 82nd streets.

The artwork has been hanging since April 22 and will stay up until June 30.

It is the second year that the Columbus stretch has been turned into an interactive art gallery. The exhibition in 2022 is titled, "Creating Tomorrow."

"Every time we put out a call for artists, we're flooded with creativity — the proposals for this exhibition and their takes on the concept of “Creating Tomorrow” resulted in compelling work," said Barbara Anderson, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Art on the Ave NYC, in a news release. "The Upper West Side is an area that combines a vibrant, urban culture with an active, outdoor lifestyle. An art exhibition that can be enjoyed from the sidewalk is a great addition.”

The exhibition this year displays the work of 21 artists chosen through a public application process. All the pieces of art on display are always available to buy with 100 percent of the proceeds going directly to the artist.

Since November 2020, Art on the Ave NYC, an NYC-based nonprofit, has launched installations on the UWS, in the West Village, Lower Manhattan, and East Midtown.

Art on the Ave NYC Back Story

The arts nonprofit was founded by Upper West Side resident and teacher Barbara Anderson and her daughter Jackie Graham, along with the support of the Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District.

The initiative set out in 2020 to create a socially-distant walking art gallery by placing artists' work in vacant storefronts on Columbus Avenue from 67th to 77th Street.

"We'd like this initiative to breathe new life into the UWS environment on Columbus Ave," Anderson told Patch at the time. "Like other parts of the city, the Upper West Side is facing a difficult time. As more businesses close, it is hard to imagine the avenue returning to its once-buzzing state. We think art can help."

Anderson came up with the idea for Art on the Ave after seeing shop-window art in an Instagram picture of where her daughter is living in British Columbia, Canada.

She quickly spearheaded the idea to replicate the sidewalk galleries on the Upper West Side, but she made sure to emphasize that the personal highlight of the project was getting to work with her daughter.

"The best part of this project is working with her! Because the borders are closed, I haven't seen her in too long," Anderson told Patch.

You can find out more about Art on the Ave's website.

Read More:

• A Mom And Daughter's Drive To Bring Art To UWS Vacant Storefronts
• UWS Broadway Regained Just 1 Storefront After COVID Losses