http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/09/arts/design/metal-gates-unfurl-as-colorful-canvases-on-the-lower-east-side-100-gates-project.html 2016-09-09 00:09:37 Metal Gates Unfurl as Colorful Canvases on the Lower East Side Artists have been adding splashes of color to the neighborhood, painting security barriers through the 100 Gates Project. (Katz’s Delicatessen is the lucky 100th.) === A small crowd amassed recently at the corner of East Houston and Ludlow Streets, with people squinting in the evening sun, snapping photographs and maneuvering for the best angle. The center of attention was the street artist L’Amour Supreme, who was complementing the brick-and-red-neon exterior of Katz’s Delicatessen with shades of aqua, gleaming pink and gravel gray. As he worked, a L’Amour Supreme also created a work for “We’ve always been an anchor on the Lower East Side,” In describing his work, L’Amour Supreme said he wanted to create “an old-style cartoon character that was reminiscent of maybe the ’40s and ’50s, because Katz’s is this traditional old New York landmark and I wanted to use that vibe.” “The condiments are staples of Katz’s restaurant,” he said, but also like the characters you see in old movies when there would be a break in between and the food would walk and sing. It’s a little updated with the colors and my style.” The idea for the 100 Gates Project originated with Billy Rohan, an artist who says he had noticed that the Lower East Side looked like a “ghost town” when the businesses were closed and metal gates were down. He offered to paint gates for business owners willing to cover the supply costs. Soon Mr. Rohan was conferring with Eventually two city agencies, the “I really just wanted to do something for the community,” said Illustrators, graffiti artists, graphic designers, muralists and others have worked with the owners, whose businesses include restaurants, shops and clothing boutiques. The artist Megan E. Watters, who designed a gate for “In the background it’s supposed to look like a farm scene that has been sketched onto parchment paper, like a 2-D sketch,” she explained. “And then in the foreground, there’s an actual farm, but in kind of a really blocky, stylized way that looks 3-D.” The storefronts’ metal gates make for unconventional canvases, posing some artistic challenges. “Being an uneven surface means it can be harder to get clear detail with a spray can,” said Damien Mitchell, who created several gates for the project, including two on Orchard Street (for the As the project continues with the help of additional financial support from Tiger Beer (that Singaporean brewery has ties to the neighborhood), Mr. Rohan said it is also helping to close a gap among artists. “People in the fine art world who may have never had a chance to do public art, have an opportunity with the 100 Gates project,” he said. “It bridges the street and gallery work together. You have a billboard of your work in New York City, which is a great opportunity for any artist.”