New Yorker: Mitchell Schorr, Visual Artist
Photo courtesy of Mr. O
I sat down with visual artist and muralist Mitchell Schorr in his studio to talk about what New York means to him, what inspires him and how the city plays a vital part in living his passion.
His studio is filled with completed works, unfinished projects and inspirations and ideas for his upcoming works. One can easily spend a long time perusing through the different pieces that pop with color and incite thoughts on their meaning and message.
Currently Mitchell is working on a mural project through out the city that depicts a race…but we will get to the meaning behind all of that a bit later.
What do you think of when you think of New York?
I really think ‘Home.’ I mean people can say that and then clarify, o well I grew up in Westchester but for me, I grew up on 23rd Street. I am filled with memories from the very beginning of a City that has changed very much and still is inspiring nonetheless.
Would you say that New York inspired you to pursue your profession as an artist?
Well I remember a distinct moment in the 70s when I was still very young that I was taking the subway. They were terrible still at the time- not safe, but mesmerizing simultaneously. They had graffiti all over them and as they flew by it was like scrolling pieces of artwork- moving art.
I didn’t really think that being an Artist could be an attainable profession growing up but I was very interested in sketching. Going to arts school is definitely helpful to hone a craft but it doesn’t make the artist. Anyone can learn how to paint but its what you do with it, what you create that matters. I definitely think the City’s pulse instigated something within me from early on that made me want to react to it visually.
What is a part of NYC that is a gravitating point for you? Where you feel calm and can be with your thoughts.
It used to be Gramercy Park. A lot has changed today so I don’t know if I can say so anymore, but years ago I could go in and fall asleep on a bench. You were in the center of New York and yet you were alone.
Tell me a little bit about some of your murals. How did you start creating them in New York?
I have done 3 so far for the Parks Department and 1 private mural. The first one I ever did was on seedy corner of Chelsea (at the time). It was the brick wall of a strip club called Billy’s Topless on 24th & 6th. It was surrounded by parking lots and flea markets. It has become a lot nicer since then and my mural was taken down about 7 years ago because they removed the club and put in a store and broke the walls for windows . It was successful for me, I wanted the wall space and was able to secure it.
I did one for the Parks Department off Canal Street. It is the Horse Race Mural. Every day people from Chinatown would come by and look, some would stay and watch me work. Sometimes I would get offered food, it really is quite the community down there.
I did another mural in East Harlem on 124h St btw 1st and 2nd Avenue. It was on the walls of an outdoor community swimming pool. It was a great piece to work on. It made so many people happy. One little boy stopped by to tell me he had never seen anything like it- he did not know that shade of blue existed. It was better than anything he could ever imagine. That really made me connect with this piece. It is what it was all about. Art for everyone.
What is your favorite season in NYC?
I would say winter. It makes me feel like New York City is a village. It’s a little less crazy, which I like. Manhattan is not meant to hold this many people; it can definitely be overwhelming at times.
I also love the fall. It makes me think of Woody Allen and all the great New York scenes in films.
What is your favorite neighborhood?
I used to hang out in the Lower East Side and loved it. West Chelsea is also great, very much home for me.
As a born and bred New Yorker would you say that you have noticed a catalystic year where the city really took a turn?
I think I really started noticing ‘New New York’ in 95 or 96. Up until then most of the city was still really raw. Think of the bar Hogs and Heffers in the Meat Packing District- a lot more of that. Everything was quite edgy, it could be dangerous but it was also great. That doesn’t really exist much now, even in Brooklyn. Bushwick is kind of edgy but not with the same fantastic flair that Old New York had.
It definitely could be scary as a child. I had a friend whose family lived in the Bowery. If I say that now no one really flinches. It was not a neighborhood to have kids in at the time though. My friends father once said, “It was mostly derelicts, homeless people and the area was known for dealers. Everyone is still doing a lot of drugs down there, the only difference is that these addicts have bigger paychecks.”
Everything is still constantly changing. 9/11 definitely changed everything. Everyone seems a bit nicer after that.
What is your favorite eatery in Manhattan?
David Burke’s Kitchen. Love the food- it is very unusual and very American Modern. I always question a dish and think how did he think that up?
Ratner’s is not there anymore. It is now Lansky’s Lounge. I didn’t really like it or appreciate it as a child. It was a kosher Russian dairy food place on Delancey- very much an immigrant type of eatery that I wish was still there.
What is your favorite culture spot in NYC?
For music I would say Hammerstein Ballroom. It is not a big venue but always has great bands. Also Madison Square Garden. If you see a good concert there, there is nothing better.
As for museums, I love the Guggenheim. The structure is amazing. As a child I wanted to take a skateboard and go down. The MET is great as are the skeletons in the Museum of Natural History. The Frick is a very special Museum- very Old New York.
If you could live in a different city in the world where you would you choose?
Other than New York I wouldn’t want to live in a different city. I love travelling and being a part of other cultures but not necessarily being in another urban area. I would say Florence. Most places in Italy I have loved for the art and the people. Also Asia, Thailand in particular, is great to explore.
What has been in particular an influence to your art?
Well I would say if I can speak about most artists, we react to what is around us. Artists notice what most people don’t. In New York City, street art is very much a response to surroundings because it is encountered by all. I love that about the work I do. Anyone can go see it. I would notice that Billboards/Ads were becoming popular and that that was the only ‘art’ that was around on the streets. I started doing murals to add more art for the public.
Photo courtesy of Mr. O
My new piece is titled ‘Da Race’. It is a race between sports cars and an ice cream truck. And at each location there is a different car or truck in the lead, viewers always guessing whose going to win ! I am trying to add a new location weekly. Coming soon, the biggest one is located on 50st and west side Highway or (12 Ave).
Photo courtesy of Mr. O
What would you pick Old or New New York?
I am very torn. They are both completely different. I miss Old New York but there were terrible things that were included in Old New York. New New York has made more greed and capitalism I think, which is a negative effect and bulsters gentrification of neighborhoods.
I do like that the City has definitely become a lot safer. I feel it’s like when you go away to college and come back home and your parents turned your room into a gym or an office. I walk around now sometimes, I’ve been here since the 70s, and see that the people are just so different in the neighborhoods I knew inside out. It is startling.
People are coming in droves to New York to be in ‘The City.’ Globalization has made cities so alike. No matter where you go you cannot get away from Americanization. Things start here and spawn out. Everyone always moves here for something. There is always a new scene. The city is never quite what you think it is. There is always something that is new or no longer here.
It will always be inspiring though and it will always be home.
Keep an eye out for ‘Da Race’ throughout New York City this fall. Mitchell Schorr also created chef paintings of David Burke which can be seen at David Burke’s restaurant at Bloomingdale’s on 59th Street in Manhattan.
Mitchell Schorr will be hosting a party at his studio as part of The Fashion Center Arts Festival on Oct. 13th from 7-10pm. Click here for more details. To see him in action visit West 36th St at 8th Ave on Oct. 15th from 1-6pm where he will be completing a painting as part of DaRace for the Festival.
For more photos of DaRaceStreetLegal click here.
For more information and to see other works my Mitchell Schorr click here.
