The photographs we made in 1980 sometimes contain hidden secrets that we may or may not have been aware of at the moment of taking the picture. In this case, not quite readable at internet resolution, is a torn sign pasted to the front of the abandoned building at Stanton and Ridge that says “The Real Estate Show.” ⠀ ⠀ ⠀
In 1980, a group of artists calling themselves Colab took over a small empty building on Delancey Street and displayed art work addressing city plans for developing the largely empty site. They sought to connect the interests of low income people to their own as artists. Whether they succeeded is open for debate, but the initiative led to the formation of ABC No Rio, which still thrives as a neighborhood arts organization. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀
“In 1980, a group of artist-activists entered an abandoned building on Manhattan’s Lower East Side and staged an exhibition on gentrification and property ownership. The occupation lasted little more than a day before the police shut it down. During that brief time, Joseph Beuys came, looked, and left, and so did a handful of others—neighbors, city officials, reporters—and this bold flash of an exhibition is today remembered as one of the most significant art events of its era.” – Alan W. Moore⠀ ⠀ ⠀
There is an unbelievable amount of information on the web about this extremely short-lived exhibition. but you can start here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Real_Estate_Show