Words by Khalid Strickland a.k.a. Black Pacino
Photos by Sundiata Acree a.k.a. Tha Snyper
Corporate developments have made New York City a blander place but there are still remnants of the city’s once-vibrant, organic culture. The rooftop of New Design High School in Lower Manhattan, decorated with impressive works of graffiti art, is one such hallowed ground. For the past four years, renowned graffiti artists from all over the world gather atop New Design to leave their colorful mark. The annual event is called Rooftop Legends and this past Fall, artists once again sprayed the walls with fresh krylon. The most recent exhibit is extra significant: One-armed graffiti pioneer Kase 2 passed away in August 2011, so tributes to him are among the new murals.
Jesse Pais, the Dean of New Design High and founder of Rooftop Legends, explained the origins of the multipurpose event.
“I was presented with the opportunity when I was asked to do a credit recovery program on the history of Hip-Hop,” said Pais. “So with that, I set up a trip for each element of Hip-Hop. For the graf part, I was going to take the kids to the Graffiti Hall of Fame on 106th and Park Avenue. Before I took the kids, I went there to check it out and all of the murals were already defaced. That was the opposite of what I wanted to show my kids; the negative ‘tagging’ aspect of it. I needed to set up a different trip and that’s when (my colleague) said, ‘Well, we have this space on the roof.’ Once I heard him, a light went off in my head.”
Not only is Rooftop Legends appreciated for its aesthetics, Pais said it has been a valuable learning tool for his students as well.
“The kids love it,” Pais revealed with pride. “Even if they don’t identify with graffiti art or street art, it doesn’t matter. You open that door and once you see the colors, the artwork brings the roof to life. Just the vibe that it brings, it’s inspiring. It makes the kids proud of where they come from. Instead of the norm where it’s like, ‘Ugh, school is boring,’ you don’t really hear that so much here. Kids brag about their school and want to bring their friends up to take Facebook pictures and stuff. We’re a design-based school, so the design teachers go up there all the time; their kids have clipboards and they’re sketching, getting ideas from the artwork that’s on the walls. We have a mural program, so we incorporated the kids and gave them a section of the roof to paint.”
Although recognized worldwide as a legitimate and expressive form of art, graffiti tends to get a bad rap from law enforcement. Through Rooftop Legends, Pais would like to change that notion.
“As a whole, I think it’s healthy for New York to have a spot that’s protected the way this one is,” he said. “I would just like to see (graffiti) get more of a positive spin than the negative spin it has. I think it’s a powerful art form, one of the purest out there. I get tired of the stigma that comes behind it; people keep thinking it’s about the vandalism part. The people who I have painting on the roof, these guys are weekend warriors. They have families and they’re coming out and choosing to keep this alive.”
Check out some of the artwork currently on display…
Awesome pictures and post Khalid!
This was a good article Pacino. I enjoyed the pixs. Sorry to hear the works at 106 & Park Ave has been “defaced”. I remember going there years ago and videotaping the masterpieces on the wall…as the legends were working on their individual projects.
Rooftop Legends is an amazing event. The murals displayed in the photos are breath-taking! Black Pacino must be commended for shedding light on this annual gathering at New Design High. I don’t understand how anyone could look at these individual pieces and NOT declare them art. Hopefully people who wrote graffiti off as reckless vandalism will open their eyes after reading this article. A museum isn’t the only place to showcase incredible artwork. True beauty shines just as brightly on a wall or vacant rooftop as well.