Spotted on the Streets: What is Art?

I finally got to break away from my desks, my computers, my office, and my Attic, and spent a recent gloriously warm Indian Summer Saturday roaming the City with friends. I forgot to warn them that I've been using my walking tours to discover "art" in the odd nooks and crannies along the way. With thanks to my wandering buddies for the "Wait, I just want to ..." and the odd snapping of photos.

You have to remember to pin down the little unexpected moments when you find them ... say in Chelsea.

It's so easy to walk right on by the little educational moments the City has to offer. What looks like graffiti or layers and layers of stickers on the ubiquitous utility boxes or construction scaffolding could be important learning opportunities.

I want to add these as avatars for this blog, for example, because ... well. Do I really need to explain why?

Spotted on the Upper West Side

Or about The Shushing Librarian?

Spotted in Chelsea or between 21st-14th Streets/9th - 5th

 You have to keep your eyes open for the magic (tilt your head), or take the moment to adjust your preconceptions, and puzzle out the true meanings. The one on the right took us a moment, because we had this stuck in our heads.

This is only a piece of the whole mural which took up the side of the building. We had to guess that it was for a business, and by golly ... we were right. A little tiny, Mom&Pop-esque neighborhood institution of a hardware store. I should have popped across the street to get the whole mural, but alas. 

 The whole side of the building is in contrast to this little door jamb at street level on 14th Street. The Aliens are among us, and they have their own hipsters. I blew this up, so you can see the imagery hovering above the Men in White.

I wish it was still light at night for the evening "rush" walk back to the train. I bet the seasonal weather would keep people off the streets so I could take more photos.