Alum Brings Art to the New York City Streets with #ArtOnLink
August 26, 2020
Walking down a midtown New York City sidewalk, a kiosk illuminates a bold painting in yellows and black of the Bayonne Bridge. Such paintings, on 1,700 plus kiosks throughout the city, are by Philadelphia College of Art (PCA, and now UArts) alum Bascove BFA ’68 (Illustration), one of the featured artists for the #ArtOnLink program. UArts had the opportunity to speak with Bascove about her paintings of New York City, which she describes as “a city of magnificent bridges,” and to look back at her time at PCA.
In the light of the pandemic, the #ArtOnLink program’s mission to showcase local artists to the public is more important than ever. “Right now, with museums and galleries closed, we are hungry for art—for those few minutes of being transported that art can provide,” said Bascove. Even as New York City entered its fourth phase of reopening in July, many museums remained closed, making it difficult for artists to display their work. “It’s been rewarding to remind weary New Yorkers that we are surrounded by these glorious structures,” she commented, “to remind us of our city’s resilience.”
Bascove’s interest in bridges started in childhood, when she would travel between New Jersey and Philadelphia over the Ben Franklin Bridge. Now, Bascove has undertaken painting the more than 2,000 bridges in New York City and says that “they each have their own unique beauty.” To capture their beauty, she takes photographs of each bridge from many angles, then cuts up the photographs, and reassembles the pieces to create the bold paintings featured in the #ArtOnLink kiosks.
Bascove’s artistic training began at PCA. She cited the mentorship of professor Claire Van Vliet, who taught Bascove printmaking, as a major influence. During the 1960s, Bascove noted that the Illustration faculty was dominated by men, and it was difficult for women to study the arts. Vlan Vliet’s influence was crucial to her success. Bascove recalled, “She basically taught me what the life of an artist was going to be: messy, determined, tiring, usually extending into evenings, seven days a week if on a deadline and deeply satisfying. I’m forever grateful.”
For students attending UArts today, Bascove also had some advice. “The world is so open now. Learn from everywhere,” she said. She also suggested learning not only one medium to make oneself a more well-rounded artist and advised students to ask instructors how to best present work as a professional. But the best advice? Bascove says “Support each other. If you are lucky, a lot of these people will be in your life for many years to come.”