Wooster Collective
Encyclopedia
Wooster Collective is a website
founded in 2003 that showcases street art
from around the world. It is dedicated to showcasing and celebrating ephemeral art placed on streets in cities around the world. Updated by Marc and Sara Schiller, the site also offers podcast
ing with music and interviews featuring street artists. The name Wooster comes from Wooster Street
, located in the SoHo
neighborhood of New York City
.
, events, and other news, as well as navigational tools for searching the site's voluminous archive.
The website's archive spans back to January 2003, and the category list is over 100 items long. Categories include such interesting entries as "Cardboard" art and "Guerrilla gardening
", as well as locations with a street art
presence such as Tokyo
, Dublin and Milwaukee. The collective's archive can also be searched by keyword. Users of the website can find many interviews of street artists, interviewed by the Wooster Collective itself. Users may also find reviews of an artist's new work or of recent gallery exhibits. Also listed on the collective's homepage are links to the websites of many "street artists", from Blek le rat
to Swoon
.
in its own neighborhood. In 2006, Marc and Sara Schiller collaborated with Caroline Cummings and Bill Elias, members of a development group, with the idea of turning the building located at 11 Spring Street in New York City
into a temporary street art
gallery. The address had been something of a landmark for street artists, and was about to be converted into condominium
apartments.
The idea for the project was set forth when Elias Cummings contacted the Schillers (after finding the Wooster Collective site while researching street art) and suggested that they curate a show at the location to celebrate the building's unique place in the history of street art
.
The show ran for three days, from December 15 to December 17, 2006, with lines stretching around the block. Street artists such as Shepard Fairey
, Swoon
, Dan Witz
, Above
, D*Face, The London Police, Skewville, Lady Pink
, John Fekner
and Don Leicht
, Graffiti Research Lab
and many others participated in the event. Each artist in the show had previously been featured on the Wooster Collective site. The art was left on the walls and built over (a nod to a tradition in construction
of leaving newspapers in the walls of a house as a sort of "time capsule"), thereby leaving a legacy of street art
behind for future excavators.
Artist Richard Hambleton
even appeared and did his own installation piece featuring small reflective mirrors in commemoration of the event.
, on August 11, 2009, the Wooster Collective launched its own channel on YouTube
. With videos and reports similar to those found on its website, such a move expands Wooster's Collective's role in documenting the important developments in street art
to a larger audience.
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
founded in 2003 that showcases street art
Street art
Street art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives...
from around the world. It is dedicated to showcasing and celebrating ephemeral art placed on streets in cities around the world. Updated by Marc and Sara Schiller, the site also offers podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
ing with music and interviews featuring street artists. The name Wooster comes from Wooster Street
Wooster Street
Wooster Street or Wooster St. may refer to:Streets in the United States * Wooster Street in SoHo , New York City, New York...
, located in the SoHo
SoHo
SoHo is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, notable for being the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, and also, more recently, for the wide variety of stores and shops ranging from trendy boutiques to outlets of upscale national and international chain stores...
neighborhood of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
woostercollective.com
At the homepage of the Wooster Collective website are images, videos, and descriptive comments documenting new and interesting street artStreet art
Street art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives...
, events, and other news, as well as navigational tools for searching the site's voluminous archive.
The website's archive spans back to January 2003, and the category list is over 100 items long. Categories include such interesting entries as "Cardboard" art and "Guerrilla gardening
Guerrilla gardening
Guerrilla gardening is gardening on another person's land without permission. It encompasses a very diverse range of people and motivations, from the enthusiastic gardener who spills over their legal boundaries to the highly political gardener who seeks to provoke change through direct action. It...
", as well as locations with a street art
Street art
Street art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives...
presence such as Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Dublin and Milwaukee. The collective's archive can also be searched by keyword. Users of the website can find many interviews of street artists, interviewed by the Wooster Collective itself. Users may also find reviews of an artist's new work or of recent gallery exhibits. Also listed on the collective's homepage are links to the websites of many "street artists", from Blek le rat
Blek le Rat
Blek le Rat, born Xavier Prou in Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris in 1952, was one of the first graffiti artists in Paris, and has been described as the “Father of Stencil Graffiti” .-Early career and Influence:...
to Swoon
Swoon (artist)
Swoon is a street artist born in New London, Connecticut, and raised in Daytona Beach, Florida. She moved to New York City at age nineteen, and specializes in life-size wheatpaste prints and paper cutouts of figures...
.
11 Spring Street Project
One of the Wooster Collective's more interesting projects and notable achievements involved gaining recognition for street artStreet art
Street art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives...
in its own neighborhood. In 2006, Marc and Sara Schiller collaborated with Caroline Cummings and Bill Elias, members of a development group, with the idea of turning the building located at 11 Spring Street in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
into a temporary street art
Street art
Street art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives...
gallery. The address had been something of a landmark for street artists, and was about to be converted into condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
apartments.
The idea for the project was set forth when Elias Cummings contacted the Schillers (after finding the Wooster Collective site while researching street art) and suggested that they curate a show at the location to celebrate the building's unique place in the history of street art
Street art
Street art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives...
.
The show ran for three days, from December 15 to December 17, 2006, with lines stretching around the block. Street artists such as Shepard Fairey
Shepard Fairey
Frank Shepard Fairey is an American contemporary graphic designer, and illustrator who emerged from the skateboarding scene. He first became known for his "André the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign, in which he appropriated images from the comedic supermarket tabloid Weekly World News. His...
, Swoon
Swoon (artist)
Swoon is a street artist born in New London, Connecticut, and raised in Daytona Beach, Florida. She moved to New York City at age nineteen, and specializes in life-size wheatpaste prints and paper cutouts of figures...
, Dan Witz
Dan Witz
Dan Witz is a Brooklyn, NY based street artist and realist painter. He grew up in Chicago, IL, and graduated in 1981 from Cooper Union, on New York City's Lower East Side. Witz, consistently active since the late 1970s, is one of the pioneers of the street art movement.Dan Witz's paintings have...
, Above
Above (artist)
ABOVE has been creating public art since 1995. Above is an international street artist who keeps his identity concealed. Above is known for his multi-layer/full color social and political stencils, spinning wooden "arrow mobile" installations, and large mural "word play" paintings. Above started...
, D*Face, The London Police, Skewville, Lady Pink
Lady Pink
Lady Pink is a graffiti artist. She was raised in Queens, New York, and started her graffiti writing career in 1979 following the loss of a boyfriend who had been sent to live in Puerto Rico after he had been arrested. She exorcised her grief by tagging her boyfriend's name across the city...
, John Fekner
John Fekner
John Fekner is an innovative artist who created hundreds of environmental and conceptual outdoor works consisting of stenciled words, symbols, dates and icons spray painted in New York, Sweden, Canada, England and Germany in the 70s and 80s...
and Don Leicht
Don Leicht
Don Leicht is a visual artist who has worked as a painter and sculptor in the Bronx, New York City for over thirty years. Leicht has had one person exhibitions in New York, Sweden and Germany and is an early figure in the New York City downtown scene in the 1970s, and in the subsequent Street Art...
, Graffiti Research Lab
Graffiti Research Lab
Graffiti Research Lab, founded by Evan Roth and James Powderly during their fellowships at the Eyebeam OpenLab, is an art group dedicated to outfitting graffiti writers, artists and protesters with open source technologies for urban communication. The members of the group experiment in a lab and in...
and many others participated in the event. Each artist in the show had previously been featured on the Wooster Collective site. The art was left on the walls and built over (a nod to a tradition in construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
of leaving newspapers in the walls of a house as a sort of "time capsule"), thereby leaving a legacy of street art
Street art
Street art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives...
behind for future excavators.
Artist Richard Hambleton
Richard Hambleton
Richard Hambleton is an artist-painter currently living and working in the Lower East Side of New York City. Richard Hambleton has been called the godfather of street art. He is the surviving member of a group who, together with Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, had great success coming out...
even appeared and did his own installation piece featuring small reflective mirrors in commemoration of the event.
You Tube Channel
In response to the growing popularity of street artStreet art
Street art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives...
, on August 11, 2009, the Wooster Collective launched its own channel on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. With videos and reports similar to those found on its website, such a move expands Wooster's Collective's role in documenting the important developments in street art
Street art
Street art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives...
to a larger audience.