FUN Gallery

"To be young and on the loose in NYC with spray can in hand! FUN Gallery
happenings all the time! Artists mixing energy style pulsing boom box cheeba wafting fumes of inspiration curling around 10th Street, Patti holding court for all the boys all over every surface
flooded dripping silver, gold, and black!"

-Kenny Scharf, artist

Before the FUN Gallery opened in 1981, Patti Astor’s studio apartment on 3rd Street in the East Village of New York City was party central. Futura 2000 painted the wall, and Patti threw an Art Opening and BBQ.

As the gallery's reputation grew, more artists flocked to exhibit, so Patti partnered with Bill Stelling and moved to 229 E. 11th St. I was at NYU film school at the time and would occasionally hang out with Patti at the gallery. She introduced me to graffiti artist, Zephyr, who was one of the big loves of my life. At the FUN Gallery I met other artists on the scene like Kenny Scarf, Keith Haring, Kiely Jenkins, Haze, Revolt, Dondi White, Charlie Ahearn, Jane Dickson, Fab 5 Freddy, and Futura 2000. When the FUN Gallery moved to 254 E. 10th St, Kenny Scharf had his famous Black Light Room exhibition where I took some of my favorite photos. My NYU thesis film, Bachelorette Pad, premiered at the FUN Gallery in November 1982. 

“As all you tipsters out there know, Anita was big on the scene at the FUN, and later,
she moved to LA when the Wild Style DVD dropped. Anita drove me around South Central and watched my back as I pasted up my Wild Style flyers.”

-Charlie Ahearn, director of Wild Style.