Backstory on St. Mark's Place
I’ve discovered that almost every New Yorker has a story about St. Mark’s Place--the three renamed blocks of 8th Street between 3rd Avenue and Avenue A. My first example of its fame occurred when the father of my daughter’s college roommate-- upon seeing a small reproduction of this collage in their dorm room--volunteered that he bought his pot at St. Mark’s Place back in the 70s. The second time it happened, I was showing the piece at an art fair, when a woman passing by stopped to show me, somewhat nostalgically, the building where she performed as a jazz singer in the 80s. Other people talk about their favorite restaurants or where they got tattoos. Not a native myself, I learned of this East Village neighborhood from a friend whose daughter Brooke lived there, sharing a walk-up with college friends. As I worked (in California) on various drafts , my friend would politely encourage me to go back still another time. The seasons changed and it was different every visit. On grey days when no one was around, I noticed small details, such as colorful tiles, window displays, and street signs; on garbage days, I focused on architectural features above sidewalk level; when it was sunny, it bustled with people strolling by street vendors who were hawking hats and sunglasses. Best of all was the April morning I walked down from Midtown to find that the trees lining the street were in full bloom. I gave rhanks to the photography gods and went home to finish this collage. After nine months of piecing and layering, it consists of more than 400 fragments from 60 source images, including a tiny, full-length portrait of Brooke.