Shop Studios New York City

Rosas saved much of his earnings as one of Manhattan's first pedicab drivers and then with his partner Eric Steding, rented a small studio and turned it into a rapidly growing art production company. Eventually they moved the business to a large multistory building on 49th Street before relocating to and even larger one on 39th Street West. Several major audiovisual production companies have filmed in the complex, such as Disney, NBC, CBS and ABC . In particular, Shop Studios has set up shop windows for Armani Exchange and Yves Saint Laurent.[1]

In April 2017, a "Pop Up" exhibition produced by Red Splat Productions and Gallery X took place at Shop Studios to present unpublished works by street artist Richard Hambleton a contemporary of Keith Haring and Jean Michel Basquiat . The exhibition was held in conjunction with the 2017 edition of the Tribeca Film Festival and a preview of the documentary "Shadowman".[2]

Jacques Rosas (born 1959 in Stockton, California) is an American artist, political activist, entrepreneur and co-founder of the art production company Shop Studios. Rosas lived in Stockton, California until his first school year, when his family moved to Colusa California. He studied at San Joaquin Delta College and at the University of California at Irvine.[3] Rosas started working as a model and actor, but soon turned to a career as an impresario. Openly gay with his family and friends, he remained discreet about his sexual orientation until he was a victim of violence because of it ( gay bashing). This beating drew him into political militancy, and also initiated his artistic career.[4] In the 1990s, Rosas worked for the international environmental group Greenpeace, where he focused his efforts on combating the destruction of the ozone layer.[5]

His work with Greenpeace saw him move to New York City. His first partner there was the actor and composer Keith Pruitt (1961-2008),[6] with whom he was again the victim of a violent incident because of his homosexuality. This second event led Rosas to create the urban art project called "Call Me Ishmael", which draws outlines with chalk drawing bodies (chalk outlines) in places where gays have been assaulted.[7] The second incident of violence suffered by Rosas prevented him from working for Greenpeace, at a juncture at which he was going to collaborate on a new campaign. After his convalescence, he drove one of Manhattan's first pedicabs before co-founding Shop Studios. His most recent work is a series of abstract paintings which use forms and bright colors[8] as well as a series of pop paintings of manhole covers with reliefs of metal joints and painted on. Rosas studied art at the Art Students League of New York and at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris.[9]

Eric Stedding is an artist and designer who has designed a multiplicity of exhibitions at the Fashion Institute of Technology.[10]

• Official website