ARTIST: “Have you heard of The Jewel Theater?”
TENANT: “Of course, it was a porno theater, right there. And there was one across the street there. And another porn theater half a block East, there.”
ARTIST: “I’m going to do a sand painting here about The Jewel.”
TENANT: “The Super isn’t going to like it – he doesn’t like people dirtying up the sidewalk…but I don’t know anything about it.” He went inside and I didn’t see him till after I’d finished.
JAN, a photographer friend who lives across the street, spent all day photographing me and watching. When I ask over dinner whether watching sand painting over so many hours gets monotonous he answered quickly, “No, it was interesting. Like you were drawing it from nowhere.”
IRA, a tenant in the building I faced: “Yes I know The Jewel, I was there everyday.”
STEVE, a gentleman in his late 50’s stops and stares at the sand painting and me. His expression mixes glee, penetration and amazement like I’m a friendly but long dead ghost from his past. Somehow my art draws Steve’s very personal history from the gum-poxed pavement.
STEVE: Back in the 70’s it was the Wild West. The Wild West.
ARTIST: Would you give me your email, let me interview you about it?
STEVE: “No. It was – THE WILD WEST.”
