It is more than a show!
Visitors to Coney Island can get an eyeful of colorful street murals while they settle down for food, drinks, and music this summer. The Coney Art Walls showcase graffiti’s transition from being a target of law enforcement to a renowned attraction, said the display’s events director.
“They used to be doing it illegally,” said Antonio Fuccio, who lives in Bath Beach. “Now it’s in the middle of the day and people come from all over the world to see.”
The Coney Art Walls, each about 10 feet high and 20 feet long, feature work by veterans of the New York City subway graffiti scene, including Lee Quinones, Buff Monster, and Lady Pink.
The open-air exhibit first opened in 2015, but this summer the location has added a series of Sunday afternoon dance parties, called “Magic Carousel Sundays.” This weekend, on June 24, will feature the biggest name in the music series, “Jersey Shore” reality star Pauly D. Fuccio expects his set to be a big hit because the reality show recently released a new season — its first in six years.
“The combination of the show being on and him rarely playing in Brooklyn will make it a really cool show,” he said.
Tickets to those shows costs $20, but admission is free during the rest of the week, and it’s open from noon to 8 pm. And on weekends, local eateries and bars, including taco spot Coney Shack and the Caribbean restaurant Picky Eaters, serve their food from converted shipping containers scattered between the art walls. Using shipping containers is both hip and environmentally friendly, said Fuccio.
“Little pop up restaurants and bars are a big trend now,” he said. “It’s a super green thing to do, and it’s sustainable.”
The iconic Coney Island neighborhood is a good host for the graffiti art exhibit because it has stayed true to its beginnings even as it grows, said Fuccio.
“Coney Island is where the old New York meets the new New York,” he said. “It holds its roots in place, cherishes the past, and looks to a brighter future.”
“Coney Art Walls” [3050 Stillwell Ave. between Bowery Street and the Boardwalk in Coney Island, (212) 529–5055, www.coney
