Due to the storm, the show was moved up to 3pm so everyone in attendance could return home safely before the Frankenstorm named Sandy. Shortly after the Moonalice artists returned to their hotel to buckle down before the storm, a crane collapsed that was across the street from the hotel. The NYFP informed the hotel management that everyone had to be evacuated as we were in harms way. With only a couple hours before the storm was to arrive, everyone was ordered to pack up their things and head down to the lobby and wait for further instructions.
The Tribe was in great hands and together in groups, we walked to our new destination on 7th Avenue, The Sheraton. Walking to the hotel was thankfully uneventful, as there was more than rain falling that night. Art Director Chris Shaw was out snapping pictures of the swinging crane and the strong winds blew some slabs of granite from the skyscrapers loose. All of a sudden pieces of marble came crashing down, narrowly missing him and Chuck Sperry, check out the video below – you can hear a loud crash! There was also a close call for Alexandra Fischer, how was standing directly under this crane when it collapsed.
Better to play it safe and spend some time in the new digs. It took no time for the Moonalice Artists to make the new hotel feel like home. Before you knew it the food, drinks, and creative energy were flowing again! There were many adventures to be had, complete with a hotel party in John Seabury’s room!
Many heartfelt stories were exchanged over meals spent together after the storm had passed, everyone was lucky to be healthy and alive. We are so grateful to Moonalice for taking such amazing care of us, words can’t express the love we all felt. The Moonalice poster artists wanted to share some of their experiences with you, below are some pictures and video for you to enjoy! Dennis Loren even wrote a song! Download the lyrics here: Waiting For Sandy by Dennis Loren
Photographs from Alexandra Fischer
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Photographs from Carolyn Ferris
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Photographs & Video from Chris Shaw
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Photographs from Dave Hunter
Photographs from Dennis Loren
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Photographs from Gary Houston
Photograph & Video from Nick Cernak
Photographs from John Mavroudis
Photographs from Stanley Mouse
Illustration & Words from Wes Wilson
When it came over the television news we were also drawing with each other. When I remembered earlier noticing ‘a crane’ out my window and across the street I jumped up to take a quick look at the one out the window. Since our hotel window view was from below and a different angle I noticed that it was similar – so Johnny and Lee took a look too – and lo and behold! it was the same one that was dangling in the wind in the television news!!! Right away everybody except me took off – they had to check it out first hand – out there on the street. I thought it best to stay put since I knew that anything could be anytime suddenly clanging down at 32 feet per second from upwards of the 80th floor above. Several hours earlier,I was startled awake by a loud noise. It sounded like a substantial piece of pipe or metal had hit the pavement below. Construction materials were being blown off very high up open walled construction sites that hadn’t been adequately tied down. Winds strong enough to tear off heavy canvas tarps, bend and pry construction cranes off their mountings, were also peeling any loose stuff off tall buildings. These odds and ends were occasionally crashing into the streets and sidewalks below. This made it very dangerous to be outside. At one point a chunk of rock-like hard black material came down – impacting too close to Alex and Chris for comfort! I’ve saved a piece as a souvenir.. This was why, during Sandy, even the streets outside our upper Manhattan hotel were one of the danger zones. I’ve got a drawing that was stopped at the time the news redirected our attention from then on.
All The Best To You All!
– Wes Wilson.
Wow!