On Sunday night, a group of young artists offered a reminder that the Upper West Side still inspires creative people. Artist Enrico Miguel Thomas drew the pen-and ink picture of the Ansonia above on a subway map (clearly the photo doesn’t do it justice). He’s become well-known for his drawings on MTA maps — you may have seen him outside the 72nd Street station, where he tends to draw late into the night. He was recently signed to an advertising deal with Sharpie, he said.
Thomas was one of seven artists who showed their work on Sunday night at 78 Below, the music-friendly bar on Columbus and 78th. The show was organized by Dr. Steven Swancoat, an Upper West Sider. That’s him with Enrico in the picture below, along with another shot from the show below that. Swancoat told us the art show was a success and helped benefit the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund:
“Last night was a total success. First and foremost we met our goal of $2,500 by raising $2,611 for New York’s Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. The Artists Raised $1670, Raffle tickets & donations raised $721, $170 was raised from $1 per drink sold during event, and $50 from our one online donor. I would say about 400 people came through for the event. (Sponsors included Nancy’s Wines for Food, Southern Hospitality, Fred’s Restaurant, Bello Giardin, PhotoOp, Susan Eichhorn, and New York Sports & Racquet.)”
The Upper West Side may not have the reputation it once did, when visual artists like Marc Chagall and Marcel Duchamp and others lived here. But it’s clearly still inspiring people.
And yes, I bought the Ansonia drawing.
I really like the Ansonia drawing you purchased. Very nice!