Public Art for Preservation Around Penn Station
Ed Woodham’s The Keepers Draw Attention to Problematic Plans in the Penn Neighborhood
The Keepers / Penn Station Neighborhood, 2023 by Ed Woodham for the Preservation League of NYS/Empire Station Coalition. Photo by Paul Takeuchi.
In the early morning hours of Friday, September 22, plant-like humanoid creatures appeared in the vicinity of Penn Station, drawing attention to proposed demolitions haunting the neighborhood. The Keepers, part of a performance art intervention created by Ed Woodham, have shown up in various gentrifying locations over the past decade. The Keepers appear when life is out of balance with nature. Their presence is a response to the gentrification and rapid mass development of urban areas where the importance of mixed-use districts, the area’s history, and the natural environment has been ignored.
Credit: The Keepers / Penn Station Neighborhood, 2023 by Ed Woodham for the Preservation League of NYS/Empire Station Coalition. Photos by Paul Takeuchi. Locations featured: St. John the Baptist Catholic Church (interior and exterior), W 30th Street; Gimbel’s Skybridge on W 32nd Street between 6th&7th Avenues; former Hotel Pennsylvania, corner of 7th Avenue & 33rd Street.
In the case of the Penn Station Neighborhood, the current General Project Plan for Penn Station and the surrounding area would include the blatant demolition of large swaths of the neighborhood. In their silent stillness, The Keepers provided a commentary on the potential loss of a mixed-use neighborhood, the environmental impact of that demolition, and the human cost of displacing longtime residents and business owners. The Keepers and the Chasers who follow them appeared at three key locations over the course of the morning: St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and Gimbel’s Skybridge, which would both be lost under the current plan, and the construction site where the historic Hotel Pennsylvania once stood, an early victim of the area’s redevelopment.
The Keepers September activation was commissioned by the Preservation League of NYS thanks to a Capacity & Regrowth grant from the New York State Council on the Arts. Through that grant, the League is using artistic interventions to draw attention to its Seven to Save endangered historic sites across the state. The Keepers Penn Station appearance was organized in partnership with the Empire Station Coalition. The Preservation League of NYS included the Penn Station Neighborhood on its statewide Seven to Save list in 2022. The proposed redevelopment of Penn Station and the surrounding area has been met with intense criticism since it was first put forward in 2020. Issues of concern include displacing thousands of residents and business owners and the environmental impact of needlessly demolishing buildings, some of which have immense historic value, that could be retrofitted and put back to active use.
Ed Woodham and Edith Raw. Photo by Paul Takeuchi
The Keepers: Toby Billowitz, Rachel Cohen, Remi Harris, Meghan Schardt, Tyler Simeone, Despina Sophia Stamos. The Chasers: Tim Hospodar & Julia Bartholomew-King. People in Black: LuLu LoLo, Laura Shapiro, Katherine Sullivan, and many others.
Ed Woodham designed the Keepers' costumes. Edith Raw designed the Chasers' costumes. Stage managed by Edith Raw, assisted by David Yashin.
About the Preservation League of NYS
Since its founding in 1974, the Preservation League has built a reputation for action and effectiveness. Our goal has been to preserve our historic buildings, districts, and landscapes and to build a better New York, one community at a time. The Preservation League of New York State invests in people and projects that champion the essential role of preservation in community revitalization, sustainable economic growth and the protection of our historic buildings and landscapes. We lead advocacy, economic development, and education programs across the state. Connect with us at preservenys.org, facebook.com/preservenys, instagram.com/preservenys, and youtube.com/c/PreservationLeague
About Empire Station Coalition
Empire Station Coalition is a coalition of 14 organizations working in the areas of transportation, urban planning, small business advocacy, housing, neighborhood livability, and historic preservation. We have come together out of mutual interests and concerns regarding the proposed Empire Station Complex. Learn more at humanscale.nyc/penn-for-all/ and follow along at @rethinkpenn.
About the Artist
Ed Woodham is an elder queer independent conceptual artist, curator, producer, and educator based in NYC. Ed has been active in community art, education, and civic interventions across media and culture for over forty-five years. Woodham employs humor, irony, subtle detournement, and a striking visual style to encourage greater consideration of – and provoke deeper critical engagement – with the urban environment. Woodham created the project Art in Odd Places (AiOP) as a response to the disappearance of public space and personal civil liberties. Woodham has taught workshops in politically based public performances at NYU Hemispheric Institute for EMERGENYC and at School of Visual Arts in NYC. edwoodham.com