CROWN HEIGHTS — The faces of Crown Heights are being used to unite the neighborhood.
Area artists are being asked to contribute a portrait of a local — be it a friend, acquaintance or a complete stranger — that will hang in the windows of local businesses in an exhibit called "Window Shopping."
It's aimed at creating a common thread uniting the area's old timers with recent newcomers.
“A lot of the old timers who used to come to the gallery all the time have disappeared,” said Marine Cornuet, program manager of Five Myles gallery on St. Johns Place, which is organizing the project. “It’s important to reach out to the new people."
She added, “We were thinking it would be nice to do something where the new residents and the older residents are somewhat united in some sort of project."
Though artists are free to choose their own subjects, the idea is to bring together people who may not otherwise meet, she said.
Any artist is welcome to get in touch with Five Myles to submit a portrait, which can be anything from a collage to an oil painting but must be flat and composed on an 11-by-14-inch surface, Cornuet said. All submissions to the project are due by Aug. 10.
But the gallery isn’t just looking for artists — they want more businesses to get involved too, with a goal of enlisting at least 30 storefronts on Franklin and Washington avenues in which to hang portraits.
“It'll be like a fun art treasure hunt,” Cornuet said.
For more information about the project or to find out how to submit a portrait, contact Five Miles (558 St. Johns Place) at 718–783–4438 or info@fivemyles.org.
