Philomena Marano

Philomena Marano is an American artist specializing in papier collé.

Early life and education Marano was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, growing up in the borough's Bensonhurst neighborhood. During her childhood, the family made frequent summer trips to the amusement parks and beaches of nearby Coney Island, which would have a later effect on her art. She graduated from New York's High School of Art and Design, and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1974 from the Pratt Institute.

Career

Coney Island From 1975 to 1977, Marano worked as a studio assistant to the American Pop artist Robert Indiana, who had been commissioned by the Santa Fe Opera to create set and costume designs for their Bicentennial production of Gertrude Stein’s opera "The Mother of Us All." As part of Indiana's design team for the project, Marano was introduced to papier collé, a process of cutting paper into defined shapes and adhering them to a flat surface. This method was used to create maquettes for Indiana's set and costume designs for the Santa Fe Opera's production. created in papier collé in 1977. Marano was also becoming involved in Coney Island's revival of cultural activities, and in 1981 she participated in an outdoor art show on West 10th Street, adjacent to the Cyclone Rollercoaster, exhibiting an eleven-foot construction of the Parachute Jump, called "Flowers From an Unkept Garden." Through this exhibition, Marano met artist Richard Eagan, with whom she co-founded the Coney Island Hysterical Society in 1982, In 1983, Marano and Eagan collaborated on a 2200 square foot painted mural called "Steeplechase Come Back," an homage to Steeplechase Park, which had been demolished in 1966.

Additional collaborations with Eagan continued, including an elaborate project organizing the restoration the defunct "Dragon’s Cave" ride. Marano served as Art Director, and together with ten other artists restored and repainted the cars and interior scenes, renaming the ride the Spookhouse. The project was further enhanced by donations from Harvey Fierstein of sets and props designed by Bill Stabile for Fierstein's then-closed off-Broadway production, "Spookhouse." the Wonder Wheel entrance depicted in "Thrills," expressed this idea in its depiction of the original Thunderbolt (1925 roller coaster) ride, with the Parachute Jump in the background and in the foreground the empty chair of the Thunderbolt's deceased night watchman, Lionel Butler, who "with the help of two dogs and a shotgun, guarded the ride in its last days."

In 1990, Marano titled the Coney Island series "American Dream-Land," a name referencing the common ethos of the American Dream and Coney Island's Dreamland amusement park, which burned to the ground in 1911. In 2007, sponsored by the Coney Island History Project as part of the "American Dream-Land" series, Marano created an installation called "Giant Lolly", honoring Phillips Candy shop, which had operated at the arcade entrance of the Stillwell Avenue subway station from 1930 until its closure in 2000, when renovation began at the subway station.

In 2008, Marano collaborated again with Richard Eagan to construct "25 Shoot," a 52-inch tall wood, paint and dimensional serigraph structure of a shooting gallery stall. "25 Shoot" was exhibited in 2011 at the "Topsy Turvy: Artists and the Amusement Utopia" exhibition at the 60 Wall Street Gallery in New York. which was framed in salvaged boards from the Coney Island Boardwalk, and "Thrills," among others.

Other projects Marano's Coney Island interests included the variety of tastes and colors offered by the area's candy purveyors. Her series "Sugar Rush" depicts the numerous sweets associated with Coney Island: ice cream cones, all-day suckers, sodas, candy bars, candy apples, gum drops, etc.

Her "Urbanology" series expands her Coney Island and signage imagery to include out-of-the-way views of urban streets and the small businesses there. Images include the "Flat Fix" series, papier collé depictions of various tire shops.

In 2011, Marano, in collaboration with The Studio animation studio, and composer Carol Lipnik, produced "Take Me There," a short animation created in papier collé imagery. The narrative, inspired by the Franklin Avenue shuttle, an elevated Brooklyn line of the New York City subway system, derives from memories of Marano's childhood riding the subway to Coney Island, and envisioning the elevated train ride turning into a roller coaster. Marano's imagery was originally intended as 29 glass panels for an unrealized 1999 commission from the Metropolitan Transit Authority.

Exhibitions, public commissions and collections Marano's work has been exhibited in several museums and galleries in New York, including the Tabla Rasa Gallery, The Prince Street Gallery, Smart Clothes Gallery, ACA Galleries, A. M. Richards Fine Art, and others.

In 2004, Marano produced the winning entry in the inaugural "Spirit of Brooklyn" competition, creating a poster depicting various Brooklyn landmarks, including the Brooklyn Bridge and Coney Island's Parachute Jump. The poster was published on conjunction with the opening of the Brooklyn Tourism Center.

Marano's work is represented in various private and public collections, including the Brooklyn Museum.

Footnotes