June
06, 2002
The wall at the entrance to 5-Pointz
in Long Island City where grafitti covers almost every inch of
the complex’s exterior. The writing above reads, “A
safe haven and advocacy sevices to aerosol artists.” (photo
by David Simon)
The museum formerly known as the
Phun Phactory, a visual arts center that provides wall space to
graffiti artists, reopened last month under the name 5-Pointz
after being closed for about six months due to a bitter dispute
between the original director of the museum and the property’s
owner. The first program was started about eight years ago under
the direction of Pat DiLillo and provides much-needed relief for
the graffiti problem that plagues Long Island City. The new administrator,
Jonathan Cohen, who refers to himself as Meres (as in years),
took over last month after approaching the owner of the building,
Gerald Wolkoff, with plans to restart the program. The dispute
between Wolkoff, who owns the property at 45-14 Davis Street,
and DiLillo, goes back to last September. According to DiLillo,
Wolkoff asked his tenant to leave on September 12th, after  DiLillo
refused to paint a wall in Wolkoff’s nephew’s business
also located on the premises. DiLillo claims that the incident
with Wolkoff’s nephew was simply an excuse for the owner,
who had been angry with DiLillo over an ongoing political dispute,
to throw him out. Wolkoff says that DiLillo, who had been a good
tenant for over seven years, simply agitated someone close to
him and was then asked to leave politely.
Both sides of the dispute claim that harassment in the form of
verbal abuse and other assorted mischief such as the painting
of tenants’ doors, took place during the following months
after DiLillo vacated the location. DiLillo, who left the premises
in late September or early October, said the program had been
defunct since he was gone and that it was a loss to the community.
The program hosted 20 kids per week in the winter and between
100 and 150 in the summer when he was in charge, according to
DiLillo. “It’s about the kids. It’s their loss.
All those months with nowhere to go.”
That changed about a month ago when Meres took over and opened
5-Pointz, which symbolizes the five boroughs of New York. Meres
has been a model tenant, according to Wolkoff, and has done a
fine job with the program, even inviting graffiti artists from
various other countries to come and express themselves. The facility’s
walls are covered sidewalk-to-rooftop with colorful writing and
drawings of magicians, imps and other unusual characters. Even
the trucks parked in its ample lot were covered by spray paint.
“We have drawn higher on the walls than ever before and we
have more talent than ever before,” Meres said. He plans
to become involved with the recent influx of the arts in Long
Island City and wants to make a connection with P.S.1 and MoMA
to show that graffiti artists are legitimate as well.
Meres also plans to host barbecues and other events at the site,
which has been undergoing renovations since he took over, to draw
talented artists from all across the city. “I used to paint
there before it closed and I didn’t get along with the director,”
Meres said. “I wanted it to be a new beginning and elevate
the place to another level where a sense of community could be
found.”
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