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Artists Try Hand as Beauticians at Long Island City Pop-Up Shop

By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska | September 7, 2012 1:54pm

LONG ISLAND CITY — It’s going to be a beauty salon like no other — with painters giving manicures, sculptors doing hair and conceptual artists applying makeup.

There will also be body painting and tattoos during the first-of-a-kind Pearly’s Beauty Shop, a pop-up salon and fundraising party that Brooklyn-based artist Caledonia Curry, known as Swoon, will host this weekend in Long Island City.

“It will be an evening of celebration and artistic pampering from head to toe,” organizers wrote in a brochure.

Mickalene Thomas, whose exhibition Origin of the Universe opens Sept. 28 at the Brooklyn Museum, will be doing body paint. Alyssa Dennis will be painting nails using tiny brushes and Natalie Frank will be doing makeup, hair and nails.

Swoon, who specializes in life-size portraits, wheatpaste prints and paper cutouts, came up with the idea when she was doing her friend’s nails and realized that she really liked it, said Marie Goble, Swoon Studio manager.  So she decided to organize "a fundraiser by doing salon services,” Goble added.

All the proceeds from salon services will go to a project called The Transformazium that will help turn a once-abandoned church building in North Braddock, PA, into an art center.

Swoon recruited about 30 of her artist friends for the event, Duke Riley, Dustin Yellin and K8 Hardy among them.

“Customers” will pay for certain amount of time with artists and prices will range from $5 to $500.

The salon will run from 7 p.m. to midnight. After that, there will be a party and performances, including an aerial show by Anya Sapozhnikova of House of Yes. Mark Read’s Illuminator, projecting the "99%" Bat Signal, will light up the sky, while DJs Roofeeo and Dirtyfinger will play on the outdoor stage.

The event will be held at the See//Exhibition Space at 25-25 44th Drive in Long Island City.  Admission: $20. Salon services: $5-500. Tickets: www.pearlysbeautyshop.eventbrite.com