On Saturday, July 21, summertime vibes arrive in Chill Town with a Block Party hosted by Green Villain. Featuring live painting, music, vendors, and local food trucks, the Party will be held at Hudson Exchange West — the site of the old Pep Boys.
Partnering with VYV Apartments and Writer’s Bench, Jersey City’s Green Villain will pick up where the 2016 “twelve hour” art and music party left off, painting opposite the sidewalk scaffold mural on the Downtown construction site and giving back to the greater community with a world-class art installation that both brightens and detracts from the ongoing development.
Jersey City residents may remember the Demolition Exhibition of 2015 when an ongoing mural project by Green Villain’s collective morphed into a week-long painting party commissioned by real estate developers. Green Villain originally approached Pep Boys about painting the side of their building (across from ShopRite) and while working on the mural, the site at Metro Plaza (and the Pep Boys) was acquired by Forest City and G&S Investors. Demolition was scheduled to make way for the first luxury apartment building (VYV Apartments), but not before 100 artists painted 30,000 square feet inside and out, and thousands of people visited and had a blast.
The success of activating the construction site with art reverberates today, three years later, where art and the community are still growing strong. Forest City and G&S Investors continue to consult Green Villain as the transformation of the 18-acre site moves forward: Hudson Exchange West is an enormous multi-tower development envisioned to unfold over the next 20 years and to include 12 buildings, a realigned street grid, a one-acre park, and a public plaza. Green Villain recently curated a sculpture by artist Maximilian Pelzmann for the amenity deck at VYV Apartments; Totem II was installed last winter.
Green Villain was born in the historic Clorox Bleach factory circa 2009, and alongside local and regional artists, has been painting city streets since 2013. Join Green Villain, VYV Apartments, and Writer’s Bench — a Bronx-based group who keeps the subway spray-painting spirit of the ‘70s and ‘80s graffiti writers alive — on Saturday, July 21, for the newest installment of community placemaking. 15 artists will each paint an 8’ X 25’ mural and DJs from Open Crates vinyl collective and Green Villain’s network will be spinning from noon to 6 p.m. And Incrediballs, Luigi’s Ice Cream, and Park & Munch will be on-deck, too.
Don’t miss out on the party Saturday, 7/21! And just in case, the rain date is Sunday, July 22.
