NEW GRAFFITI ROOM AT THE CARLTON ARMS HOTEL OPENS NOVEMBER 1st

The “Outside In” Room Showcases Top Urban Artists

October 9th, 2007, New York, NY – A world-renowned art hotel, The Carlton Arms, has enlisted some of the biggest names in East Coast graffiti art scene to join in decorating one of the hotel’s 54 rooms to be unveiled November 1, 2007. Guests who chose to stay in the “Outside In” room will fully experience the energy and vibrancy of the graffiti art form.
Award winning creative director and prominent street artist, Billi Kid, as well as four accomplished street artists and photographers, collaborated to contribute their individual style and design to the room. Street photographer, Julie Dermansky, will also provide a companion photographic installation in a separate room.
“What motivates and drives the development of street art is not only in the hands of the street artists, but also the people who painstakingly document their work,” said Billi Kid. “I wanted to bring these artists together, because they all offer different perspectives and they are all dedicated to the scene. That’s what makes this room a true representation of modern street art.”

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The featured artists are:

• Billi Kid – Award Winning Creative Director and Published Street Artist, his functional sculptures and street art have been documented in numerous publications ranging from French “Elle Decor” to American “Peel” magazines. His functional sculptures were a focus in Furniture Design for the 90s published by PBC International. His street Art can be seen at http://flickr.com/photos/billikidbrand

• Allan Ludwig – Professional Photographer, he has had numerous shows here and abroad. His work can be found in the collections of many major museums and in private collections around the world. His photography can be seen at http://flickr.com/photos/elishacookjr

• CERN – Acclaimed New York Graffiti Artist, he started painting graffiti in the early nineties and for the last several years he has been focusing on large collaborative murals with his crew YMI and many other artists around the world. He has also recently been exhibiting canvas work in various mediums in numerous solo and group shows including “The Energy Show” currently touring Europe. His artwork has appeared in numerous publications including James and Karla Murray’s book, “Burning New York.” His artwork can be seen on his website: http://ymicrew.com

• James and Karla Murray – Professional Photographers and Published Authors, their work has been published in the landmark books on New York graffiti art, “Burning New York” (Gingko Press 2006) and “Broken Windows-Graffiti NYC” (Gingko Press 2002). Their current book, “Storefront-The Disappearing Face of New York City” will be released November 2007. Their photographs have been exhibited at The New-York Historical Society in New York City and in galleries throughout the metropolitan area. Their work is housed in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Center for Folk life and Cultural Heritage in Washington, D.C. and the New York Public Library. Their work can be viewed on their website at http://urbanimagephotography.com

• Also showing her work in a room at the hotel during the graffiti and street art installation will be Julie Dermansky. Julie, a veteran artist to the Carlton Arms Hotel, has been showing her work, sculpture, painting and photography for two decades in various museums in America and around the world. Her photography can be seen at http://jsdart.com

About The Carlton Arms Art Project

The Carlton Arms Art Project started in the late 80’s when a small group of creative people decided to paint the rooms of, at the time, a dark and ill shelter. Today, all of the 54 rooms and 4 hallways are painted or decorated by artists that came from all over the world, brought their craft and passion and transformed the rotten hole into an unique Manhattan site where the walls explode with color and art. The Carlton Arms Hotel’s Art Projects seeks to increase and continue to develop their atmosphere and creative energy with the introduction of street artists indoors in their upcoming installation.

The Carlton Arms Hotel is a cheerful, basic budget hotel with lots of character. It is conveniently located at the corner of 3rd Avenue and 25th Street on the East side of Manhattan.

Ok, that’s the whole press release. Simply put, a lot of effort has been put into making this happen, so if you are in the neighborhood, do drop by and support this project. Darn, I’m wishing something like this would happen in my country, never mind my ‘hood! Oh well, if I keep this up, hopefully I’ll be able to do something about that real soon.