JAMES KUSEL
HELP (2010)
Ink on paper, 16 x 20 in.
Framed
Courtesy the Living Museum (Queens, NY)
James Kusel has kept his studio at The Living Museum for over thirty years. James’ history as a graffiti writer In his own words :
I was working in a luncheonette in Woodhaven, and I saw the black books of the kids who were also working there. It was love at first sight! And getting up was a great outlet for me. I was a troubled kid – almost always alone – and graffiti gave me something to live for at the time…and a sense of belonging. I was passionate about it.
I started hitting the trains immediately. Among the lines that I hit were: the M, J, 7, the E and F and the 2 line. My favorites were the BMT flats. I bombed the outsides of the trains with Krylon and Rust-Oleum, and the insides with Pilots, Unis and Flow Markers. I also hit yards and rooftops. I wrote AERO.
Everything I did was risky. Here I was a white kid – piecing at 3 in the morning in the M and J yards while ducking from the cops. It’s not where I should have been. But the riskiest thing I ever did was bombing while I was high on angel dust.
My mother hated it. When she couldn’t take any more of me, she shipped me away to High Point Hospital. I spent 2 ½ years there, and since 1988, I’ve been coming here. I’ve been sober now – free of drugs and alcohol – for 28 years. If I hadn’t been locked up during the height of the crack epidemic, I’d be dead now – like so many of my friends from back in the day.
THE LIVING MUSEUM
QUEENS, NY
-
Located in Queens, New York City, The Living Museum is an art studio dedicated to presenting art produced by patients at the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, the largest state psychiatric care center in New York City. It is the first working studio and museum of its kind and holds the largest collection of outsider art in the United States. Today over 70 artists work at the museum on a regular basis.
In 1983, Dr. Marton a psychologist at Creedmoor invited Bolek Greczynski, a Polish artist known for his work in political art and experimental theater, to join the hospital staff. Together, the two guided the transformation of an abandoned building on the Creedmoor grounds into a place of extraordinary beauty.
Mr. Greczynski was the museum’s first director. Dr. Marton took over the post in 1995, shortly after Mr. Greczynski death. Today, 70 or so artists work at the museum regularly.
Dr. Mitra Reyhani Ghadim, an artist, therapist and educator whose work bridges clinical practice, research, and the arts, is the current director of the Living Museum where she curates exhibitions and mentors the participating artists. -
The Living Museum
Creedmoor Psychiatric Center
Building 75
80-45 Winchester Blvd.
Queens Village, NY 11427Hours
Monday–Thursday: 9:30AM–4:30PM -
For art sales: david@fierman.nyc