A Moment... With the Rats

You never know what you will find in the First Street Green Art Park, located at the intersection of 2nd Ave and Houston. The park is a great spot to stumble onto events that scream New York City like last Saturday's Street Art for Street Rats.

Matthew Combs, a graduate student at Fordham University took a moment to tell us about the project:

"I study rats all over New York City, learning how they evolve and how they are part of the urban ecology here. We wanted to create some art in the city that represents rats and all the different ways that people think and feel about them, so we got a bunch of artists together to give their own interpretation of what a New York City rat really is."

Along with murals in progress the event featured charts and information about rats in the city and how they are changing, taxidermy specimens for the unsqueamish, a guest book for attendees to add their own NYC rat stories, and even a rat hunting dog or two!

Thanks to the Centrefuge Public Art Project for providing a great roster of artists!

Established in 2008, First Street Green is a collaboration with the NYC Parks and Partnership For Parks that serves as an open art space benefiting the Lower East Side community. FSG provides ongoing cultural activity in First Park by engaging with emerging artists, architects, community and cultural groups.

Contact: @Rattis_Mattis

@fordhamuniversity

@fsgpark

@centrefugepublicartproject