Description of Work
Space: 1464 E. 53rd St.
Title: The Barber Shop
Medium: Taking over the Store
Date: 2010
Description: Recreation of the barber shop that President Obama would visit to have his hair cut which is the original location for the shop. The replica barber chair and decorations on the waiting room side evoke the feelings of those that regularly visited the shop for haircuts and conversation around the time that they might have seen a young community organizer and senator getting his hair cut. The shop includes the old rolling hair station and the original sinks and cabinets. Old record album decorations and sports paraphernalia bring back memories of days gone by to visitors of the shop today.
Biography/Statement
Peter Zeigler devoted the past 4 months to the recreation of the barber shop. For the past eight years, Mr. Zeigler has served as care taker for the building that currently houses the Art Here Art Now studio and window installations. As a resident of the neighborhood and as one with a great deal of respect and care for the barbershop space, he felt a need to bring the shop back to life, even on a temporary basis. Today Mr. Zeigler enjoys the opportunity to share the space with visitors and to talk about the “old days” when the President was a regular in the 53rd Street barber shop.
The shop is open Saturday afternoons between 1:00pm and 5:00pm throughout October.
