Organization We Love-Submergedart

Back in October, the Art Cart crew made a visit to the “Bring to Light” Festival in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Of the many participants we described in our review for the Dust Project, we were particularly impressed to discover another mobile art concept in action!

The truck was covered in black chalkboard paint, which became a site for visitors to draw, tag, and collaborate.  There was even a mural by the graffiti artist Chase on one side of the vehicle. Instead of acting as a place to present work to the public, the truck itself became the work of art, and the public had the power to shape it.

Such a participatory piece brings to mind Christian Marclay’s blackboard in the artist’s recent exhibition at the Whitney Museum, or even Rudolph Stingel’s 2007 Whitney survey, for which he covered an entire room with aluminum foil. Both exhibitions invited museum-goers to leave their marks on the museum walls. Though what makes Submergedart’s open, participatory mural even greater is that one doesn’t have to be a museum visitor in order to contribute.

The truck belongs to Submergedart, a gallery that was founded in Hollywood, CA, and earned recognition as it made a trip in its “Art Caravan” across the country. Submergedart has made a name for itself since arriving in New York this past year and has opened a space Newark, NJ. Though technically it is an established gallery, we want to highlight their organization for embracing street artists and coming up with fresh ways of involving various communities with art.

You can be sure the Art Cart left its mark on the truck that night. Little did we know, the gallery even has CHEERIOS on its side! Check out this commercial featuring Submergedart’s founder, Salomon Anaya.