Opening For Two-Month-Long Banksy Art And Local Street Artists Exhibit Feb. 14
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Jan. 29, 2018 — In partnership with The Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville and thanks to the generous support of VyStar Credit Union, anonymous street artist Banksy’s Haight Street Rat will be on display in the Jax Makerspace Gallery at the Main Library Feb. 14 – April 14.
The estimated $2 million piece of street art was removed from the side of a San Francisco bed and breakfast by passionate art collector and street art curator, Brian Greif in 2010. Greif invested his own money to have the work removed from the building and conserved to be shown to the public for free in venues across the country. Banksy—whose identity remains a mystery—is a famous street artist who travels the globe creating unique spray painted stencil pieces. The Haight Street Rat measures 7 feet by 7 1/2 feet and was created using red and black spray paint on 107-year-old redwood cedar.
In celebration of the piece, the Jax Makerspace Gallery will also host an exhibit—Writing on the Walls—that features work by local street artists. The Jax Makerspace Gallery acknowledges the role street artists play in developing the visual landscape of our city. This exhibit, it seeks to immerse audiences in the world of street art while exploring the topics and challenges prevalent in the fringe culture of street art. The library is collaborating with the Cultural Council as well as numerous other community partners to provide educational programming and recommended reading lists relevant to the topic of street art.
“The Cultural Council couldn’t be more excited to partner with our amazing library to show what is arguably one of Banksy’s most famous pieces. With so much uplifting public and street art popping up in our community, Mr. Greif’s story of drawing the line comes at the perfect time,” said the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville’s Executive Director Tony Allegretti.
The Haight Street Rat will be available for viewing at the opening reception of the Jax Makerspace Gallery’s exhibit Writing on the Walls starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14 and during all open hours of the Main Library until April 14.
About Brian Greif
Brian Greif is an art advisor, consultant and gallery curator. He served as the executive producer on the 2017 film Saving Banksy (http://www.savingbanksy.com). He has worked with international artists on projects across the U.S. and Canada. Greif is also the co-founder of Nashville Walls Project (http://www.nashvillewallsproject.com), which brings some of the world’s top street and graffiti artists to Nashville for mural projects, exhibits and events.
About the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville
The Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville invests in art and culture to enrich life in Northeast Florida. The agency ensures broad accessibility and public engagement with the arts culturally, socially, educationally, and economically (http://www.culturalcouncil.org).
About the Jacksonville Public Library
The mission of the Jacksonville Public Library is to enrich lives, build community and foster success by bringing people, information and ideas together. Last year, more than 3.4 million visits were made to Jacksonville Public Libraries, items were checked out more than 5.1 million times, and over 14,000 programs and services were offered to Duval County residents at the Main Library and 20 branch locations. For more information about the Jacksonville Public Library, call 630-BOOK (2665) or visit jaxpubliclibrary.org.