Photograph courtesy of Cranky Yellow
After shutting its doors last year, the popular Cherokee Street DIY artist space, Cranky Yellow is back in action. Now online, CY aims to showcase work by artists from all over the world. With a new project entitled YOU set to open in October, the CY team is seeking submissions from artists, writers, and musicians for upcoming shows and events. I spoke to CY founder David Wolk about what’s next for this unorthodox artistic community after a challenging year.
What exactly is Cranky Yellow?
People have been asking that very question since we first opened in 2007. Cranky Yellow has always had a fluid identity. For instance: we have been a handmade only shop, a vintage junk emporium, a nightly underground music venue, a gallery space, a publisher of limited edition art books and international show curators. We have already worked with thousands of local, national and international artists and musicians. In this next phase of our brand, we will continue to grow and change through our new imaginative online presence, community, and shopping experience, centralizing around bringing inspired and alluring merchandise, artistic content and further collaboration to the world.
Why was CY shut down last year, and what has allowed you to start things up again? What is different this time around?
I decided to shut down the CY space last year for a number of different reasons. I opened the space at age 20. Five years later it was still growing in popularity but was getting out of my control; financially, legally and emotionally. It became necessary to shed that layer of physicality in order to reconnect with the essence of the brand. A true renewal for myself and the identity of CY. I have been able to restart things again by altering the very D.I.Y. ethos that allowed me to open a storefront at such a young age. Simply digging in and making it happen, regardless of obstacles. The primary difference in this phase is the lack of a physical space; really refining the visual aspect of the brand in order to transcend the tangibility of the previous CY spaces. This is beneficial for us because it drastically cuts back our overhead and allows us to sell to our audience around the world. This is the first time we've offered a direct route to buy CY online.
What is it about Cherokee Street that makes it such a great scene for local artists? Cherokee Street seems so mythical to me now. Over the five years I worked on the street I witnessed so much transformation and creativity emerge and root there. I am really grateful to have had that experience and it still influences me today as I evolve Post-Cherokee. It isn't the street that is specifically amazing; rather, the way in which it represents the immense power diverse individuals can have in a community through their art. What has been happening there can happen anywhere if people are willing to work together and support creative, ground-up revitalization.
What is YOU all about, and what kind of artists are you looking for to participate? CY9 (the website) is the first phase of our rebirth that has been released publicly. Phase 2 is entitled YOU and is a glorification of the creative types that work autonomously through Cranky Yellow and in collaboration. It will allow artists, musicians and writers a platform to share their work and process along with selling CY exclusive collections. When it is released, in October, it will celebrate their artistic contributions while elaborating on our support of their goals. We are seeking a wide variety of individuals to get involved. Specifically anyone that makes off-center, strange, unusual or bizarre art/music/writing. The Cranky Yellow team will jury each submission for an aesthetic cohesiveness with the direction we a moving towards. The accepted artists will be invited to participate in the phases that come after. Submissions to be a part of Phase 2: YOU are due by September 17th.
Anything else cool or interesting or important about CY?
In St. Louis, CY aims to break the local stigma of D.I.Y. spaces reigning, ruining and disappearing forever by showing how to re-imagine the D.I.Y. ethos; making it possible to re-emerge bigger, better and more artistically potent than ever before. Next week, we will debut a new call for artists for an upcoming massive international exhibition entitled "The Giant Sticker of Stickers Show.” This will be our third colossal exhibit of work from across the globe, though everything that has come before only feels like preparation for this new direction. It is very energizing to be progressing beyond our previous scope. This entire process is important because it embodies the ability for art and identity to adapt in order for the growth and continuation of a body of work without boundaries.
Submissions for YOU are due by September 17. For more information, visit crankyyellow.com.
