Description

Store Front_The Disappearing Face of New York

The Murrays’ photographs have made headlines around the world for their masterful documentation of irreplaceable New York City storefronts that have been passed down from generation to generation. For many of these stores, the photographs represent the end of a legacy. Gentrification is causing New York’s important cultural heritage to disappear at an alarming rate, and Store Front (Mini) is a virtual re-creation of what New York truly is. From small stores tucked away on narrow side streets to famous stores on historic boulevards, each image and the stories of their owners form a single history. While New York City stores have received little attention in the past, this book reveals that the spirit of New York City is etched in the exteriors of its stores.

The influx of large retailers and chain stores poses a serious threat to these humble establishments, and neighborhood modernization and the anonymity it brings is replacing the unique look and character of the once incredibly colorful streets. “Store Front” is a A Visual Guide to New York’s Timeless Stores, is a collection of powerful images that capture the spirit of neighborhood, friendliness, comfort, and warmth that these stores once embodied.

James and Karla Murray are a husband and wife architectural and interior photographers and multimedia artists based in New York City.
For the past 25 years, they have focused on the cityscape through portraits of storefronts and shopkeepers, capturing moments of urban life that often go undocumented, and striving to capture the spirit, energy, and cultural diversity of individual neighborhoods. When they noticed that stores were disappearing in their beloved New York City, they made it their mission to thoroughly document the unique “mom and pop” stores.
Their books include Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York, New York Nights, Store Front II-A History Preserved, and Broken Windows-Graffiti NYC. New York Nights won the prestigious New York Society Library’s 2012 New York City Book Award.
James and Carla Murray’s work has been widely exhibited in major institutions and galleries. These include solo exhibitions at the Brooklyn Historical Society, Clic Gallery in New York City, The Storefront Project Gallery in New York City, Fotogalerie Im Blauen Haus in Munich, Germany, and the New York Historical Society, Museum of Neon Art in Glendale, California, and group exhibitions at the Brooklyn Historical Society.
Their photographs are in the permanent collections of major institutions including the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the New York Public Library, and the Langone Medical Center at New York University. Their photographs have appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The London Telegraph, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The Daily News, New York Magazine, and The New Yorker.
James and Carla received the 2015 Regina Kellerman Award from the Greenwich Village Historic Preservation Society (GVSHP) for their significant contributions to the quality of life in Greenwich Village, East Village, and NoHo. 2019, 2018, and 2017. Karla and James were awarded the Creative Engagement Manhattan Arts Grant by the New York State Council on the Arts, administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Art in the Parks, and in 2018, they received a UNIQLO Park Expressions Grant for their public art installation Mom-and-Pops of the L.E.S. (Lower East Side).
James and Carla live in Manhattan’s East Village with their rescue dog, Hudson.

Published: 1/21/2011
Publisher: Gingko Press Inc
Full text in English : 329 pages 222 x 191 mm HardCover

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