Staten Island’s MakerSpace has taken over an empty lot next to its building on 450 Front Street and converted the spot into a beautiful outdoor gallery named MakerPark. Sculptures and painting have transform the once-neglected area into a place where the community can gather for art shows, classes and movie screenings.
Photograph: Courtesy Gail Middleton
Shipping containers have been decorated with murals and will serve as storage for artists interested in working on larger scale projects. Not only will the public enjoy rotating art installations and programs held in the outdoor gallery, but a live streaming internet radio station will operate out of one of the shipping containers onsite.
Photograph: Courtesy Gail Middleton
This past weekend, MakerPark hosted its inaugural art show with sculptures created during three MakerSpace programs, including an "UpCycle Journey" class during which creations were developed using recycled materials. The theme is a fitting one, considering the lot has morphed from an unsightly junkyard made worse after Hurricane Sandy into a welcoming place for neighborhood residents. MakerPark is proof that one person’s trash can transform into a community’s treasure.