Ode to Market Street

I moved to 194 Market street during the summer of 2013 in the aftermath of an ugly break-up and after a fire destroyed my home and working artist studio. My new home on Market Street became my refuge and salvation for the next year. The passion for capturing the essence of Market Street as it currently exists is a response to the rapidly vanishing culture that drew me to Newark in 2010. It is inspired by its people. In the year that I lived on Market, between Broad and Mulberry, I saw a vibrant culture splinter off in to soon-to-be vestiges. Luxury lofts replaced the cobwebbed stories over storefronts that are now the likes of Chipotle and the Gap. This series of work entitled “Ode to Market Street” celebrates Market Street for what it is now before its culture inevitably disappears. This exploration consists of letterpress prints displaying street vendor slogans such as the “Smell good, look good” print and a collection of relics from Market Street vendors such as the “$1 Earrings” installation.