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SW!PE, Volume Three: Metropolis

SW!PE Magazine is pleased to announce the publication of its third issue, Metropolis. Previously featuring visual and written work exclusively from guards employed by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, we have expanded our scope to include guards from other New York City museums. Our search led us to artists, writers, and musicians at the Guggenheim, Whitney Museum of American Art, American Museum of Natural History, Museum of Modern Art, New Museum, and MoMA PS1.

This issue of SW!PE Magazine will be printed in two editions but sold as one unit, the first highlighting visual work while the second focuses on written work. Also, for the first time we will be producing a CD to be sold separately, featuring SW!PE poets and musicians. In addition to the magazine and CD, Spattered Columns, an exhibition space operated by Art Connects New York (ACNY), will be featuring an exhibition of work from artists published in the visual edition.

Nexus Lounge will host a performance of work from the written edition and CD.

Exhibition: March 7th–29th, 2012

Spattered Columns: 491 Broadway 5th Floor, New York, NY
Hours: Mon - Fri, 12 - 6pm.
Opening Reception: Wednesday March 7th, 6 – 8 pm

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Performance: Sunday, March 25th, 7–11 PM

Nexus Lounge: 76 East 1st Street, New York, NY

Something About Us...

SW!PE Magazine was initially conceived as a forum to feature artwork, poetry, literature and criticism from security guards at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art—since that is where we happened to work at the time. While we are not sanctioned or endorsed in any way by the Museum, we felt there was a need to offer an outlet for the creative potential for those with whom we shared a similar lifestyle.

Many of us work long hours in the galleries and have developed intimate and personal relationships with much of the artwork we have been entrusted to protect. We believe our unique position and understanding of our environment gives us an unequaled perspective on the creative process, while allowing us the opportunity to absorb influences not afforded other artists.

Since the project began, we have generated a great deal of interest in the press and were featured in or on, among others, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Leonard Lopate Show, Reuters and NY1. (Check out the Press section HERE)

Our exhibitions at the 25 CPW Gallery have also been featured on numerous blogs and have received much praise from those attending.

Our plans for the future include expanding the pool of talent to include guards from around the City of New York, to museums throughout the United States and eventually to include representatives from around the world. This is an ambitious goal, and we are well on our way, making connections along the way.

Throughout this journey we continue to meet like minded artists and a host of individuals who recognize the importance of our project to give a voice to an often overlooked segment of the art community.

Photos: CD Boynton