Coney Island Art Walls 2016
Last year was the first year for the Coney Island Art Walls and they're back this year with (mostly) new artwork. My mom and I walked around before the Mermaid Parade, and there were barely any people around, but after the parade the place was packed. In addition to the walls, there are food and drink vendors and a stage, making it a great place to hang out and drink a $13 (!!) plastic cup of sangria, if you're into that (after standing in the sun watching the parade, we sure were).
I'm always amazed at what people can do with spray paint, although some of the walls this year were a bit more dimensional. I love the one that reminded me of a more elaborate Wall of Stuff from the classic Marc Summers Nickelodeon show, "What Would You Do," although I'm sure that's not what they were going for, or if anyone but me would ever get/agree with that reference.
I loved the grotesque Ronald McDonald and all of the classic Coney Island imagery, but as always my favorite was the new one by Marie Roberts, who paints all of the classic sideshow banners for the Coney Island museum and the current-day freakshow. Her paintings are the perfect representation of what I love most about Coney Island—it's a little old, a little scrappy, a little weird and so unlike anything else.
