Coney Island

Coney Island

Coney Island is a beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southwestern Brooklyn. It is well known as the site of Steeplechase Park with attractions that reached their peak during the first half of the 20th century but declined in popularity after World War II. 
This work juxtapositions Coney Island’s landmark parachute jump with other boardwalk attractions and a picture of the beach and ocean waves beneath a boardwalk shelf. Mixed media is expressed in its truest sense in this work. The parachute jump is a balsa wood construction as is the boardwalk. A repeating picture of the beach on a crowded weekend is positioned above cutouts of attractions and advertising while breaking waves are shown below the boardwalk. 

Steeplechase The Funny Place

Steeplechase Park was an amusement park in the Coney Island area of Brooklyn built in 1897. It was one of the leading attractions of its day and one of the most influential amusement parks of all time. The unique thing about Steeplechase Park was that it was indoors and could be enjoyed even if it rained. This collage depicts the decline in the park after its closing in 1964.

Dance Contest

A dance marathon is an event in which people stay on their feet moving to music for a given length of time. It started as a popular fad in the 1920s and 1930s when organized endurance contests attracted people wanting to achieve fame or win monetary prizes. This work provides two perspectives: the first view is horizontal, showing the dancers and lettering while the second is a view looking down at the dance floor.