About Wooster Collective
Wooster Collective, founded in 2001 by Sara and Marc Schiller, showcases and celebrates ephemeral art placed on streets in cities around the world. The collective’s mission is to discover and document authentic art experiences via book publishing, salons, lectures, gallery shows, and online since 2003 at www.woostercollective.com.
The website showcases images, videos, and descriptive comments documenting new and interesting street art, events, and other news, as well as navigational tools for searching the site's voluminous archive.
In 2006, Wooster Collective organized one of the most significant exhibitions of street art ever at an abandoned building in downtown New York. "11 Spring" was chosen by the The New York Times as one of the top art exhibitions of the year.
The Schiller’s have published many books and in 2010 released “Trespass: A History of Uncommissioned Urban Art” with Taschen. They have been featured in The New York Times, Time Magazine, Good Magazine and many others. As a global voice for street art, the Schiller’s have spoken at the Tate Modern, Design Indaba and The New Museum. In 2013, Wooster Collective approaches its 10th year anniversary of the website. They are currently working on organizing an anniversary summer art show that is sure to be as momentous as their decade long accomplishment.
Marc is CEO and Founder of Bond Strategy and Influence --a digital brand strategy and marketing firm. Sara operates their business, Meet at the Apartment, a creative meeting space in lower Manhattan. They live in downtown New York with their daughters Samantha and Charlotte, and dog Hudson.
Evolution of Street Art
Wooster Collective sat down with Juxtapoz Editor, Evan Pricco, to discuss the evolution of street art and Wooster Collective's history. Click on the following links to watch the talk.
Part 1: The Origins of Wooster Collective
Part 2: The Internet's Role in Global Street Art Culture
Part 3: From Vandalism to Marketing of the City
Part 4: 11 Spring Exhibition
Part 5: Quality Over Everything
Part 6: The Growing Pains of Entering Popular Culture
Part 7: Website Curation
Books
Trespass
Vinz Feel Free
Faith of Graffiti
All My Friends Are Made of Paper by Armsrock
Comix
Hollywood Remix
Ephemera
Lectures
Tate Modern
TEDx Bloomington
Design Indaba
PSFK
Offset
New Museum
SVA
OFFF Festival
Haverford College
Shows
11 Spring Street Project
Hollywood The Remix
Washington Project for the Arts
Hybrid Thinking
Sheboygan Project
Good Magazine: Newspaper 2.0
Press
Good Magazine
Theme
New York Times
Wooster Exclusive
Top 10 Memorable Moments of 2006
11 Spring Street Project
One of the Wooster Collective's more interesting projects and notable achievements involved gaining recognition for street art in its own neighborhood. In 2006, Marc and Sara Schiller collaborated with Caroline Cummings and Bill Elias, members of a development group, with the idea of turning the building located at 11 Spring Street in New York City into a temporary street art gallery.[4] The address had been something of a landmark for street artists, and was about to be converted into condominium apartments.
The idea for the project was set forth when Elias Cummings contacted the Schillers (after finding the Wooster Collective site while researching street art). The Schillers suggested to curate a show at the location to celebrate the building's unique place in the history of street art.
The show ran for three days, from December 15 to December 17, 2006, with lines stretching around the block. Street artists such as Shepard Fairey, Swoon, Dan Witz, Above, D*Face, The London Police, Skewville, Lady Pink, John Fekner and Don Leicht, Graffiti Research Lab and many others participated in the event. Each artist in the show had previously been featured on the Wooster Collective site. Artist Richard Hambleton even appeared and did his own installation piece featuring small reflective mirrors in commemoration of the event.
The New York Times included the 11 Spring Street Project in its Top 10 Memorable Moments of 2006.
10 Years of Wooster Collective 2003-2013: Group Exhibition