Artpark aims to recreate huge parking lot painting

Artpark is attempting to bring back one of the most famous chapters in its history. Certainly one of the largest. In the summer of 1979, Washington artist Gene Davis created one of his trademark vertical stripe paintings for the Lewiston, New York arts festival. For two weeks, he covered the venue’s parking lot with 60 lines, each two-feet wide and 364-feet long, for a piece called Niagara ’79. At 43,000-square-feet, it was listed in the Guinness Book of World records as the largest painting in the world at the time.

And then … it was gone. The paint faded, the parking lot needed repairs, and eventually it reverted back to the standard black top with white painted lines.

Davis, who died in 1985, created a similar massive work in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1972, titled Franklin’s Footpath.

Now entering its 44th year, Artpark hopes to recreate Davis’ epic work which is still fondly recalled by locals. But to do so, $20,000 will have to be raised via crowdfunding website Kickstarter by April 9.

About $6,000 has already been raised for the project.

“I’m hopeful,” says Tanis Winslow, Artpark’s director of visual arts and family programming. “I know there’s a good many folks interested in making this happen.”

Calling the original piece “a legendary example of Americana,” Winslow says the project entails some steep costs. While SherwinWilliams Paint is providing a huge discount on materials — such as seven miles of masking tape — the parking lot requires repairs and the project requires manpower to do. Attendants will also be needed to help people park in the suddenly colourful lot this summer.

The re-creation is a throwback to Artpark’s early years, which Winslow says many residents want to see again.

“There’s a sense of nostalgia,” she says. “People miss that hands-on art, miss having that kind of experience in their every day lives.

“Doing a project like this says to the community ‘Well, you asked for it…hopefully we can make it happen.’ If they’re asking for it, we’re hoping they can contribute $5 here, $10 there.”

If the campaign is successful, repairs on the parking lot would start May 1, and the artwork would begin May 4.

Winslow stresses that people hesitant to use Kickstarter can still contribute to the project by sending a cheque by April 4, which will be entered into the Kickstarter website by Artpark staff.

Cheques can be sent to Artwork & Company: attn Tanis; 450 Fourth Fourth St.; Lewiston, NY; 14092.