(PHOTOS BY HARRISON LOVE)

STOA: Rewilding Inspiration

4 min read

Art has long been confined by walls — galleries, museums, institutions that dictate where, when, and how it should be experienced. STOA is an attempt to break down those walls. Not by rejecting them outright, but by reminding people that art, at its core, is a communal resource, something that belongs as much to the streets, the parks, and the public sphere as it does to the gallery.

Founded on principles of permaculture and accessibility, STOA is not a rebellion but a quiet rewilding — an effort to restore art’s natural place in the public consciousness. By hosting free, open-air exhibitions at The Peristyle in Prospect Park, STOA removes the barriers that keep people at a distance from art, making it something to be encountered rather than sought out.

STOA was originally founded as an organization by artist and author Harrison Love in 2021. The name STOA originates from the covered walkways of ancient Greece where philosophers and artists gathered to share ideas in an open forum. This is not incidental; the name reflects a belief that art should be part of everyday life, not something reserved for institutions or those who seek it deliberately.

At its core, STOA is a living experiment in artistic ecology. It does not operate with rigid hierarchies or curatorial mandates. Instead, it functions as an adaptive space, shaped by the artists, musicians, writers, and performers who participate. Past events included:

• Art Installations & Photography — Works are hung and documented in the natural light of the park, curated by Bright Futurism’s Art Collective.

• Music & DJ Sets — Provided by ROTS, activating the space through sound.

• Public Speaking & Poetry Readings — A stage for oration, reflection, and literary expression curated by Lumm Tumm, transforming the event into an ephemeral, living artwork.

Every gathering is organic, responding to the space and the people who fill it. The audience is not passive — spectators become participants, engaging with the work as part of a larger social and artistic dialogue.

Historical Precedent:

STOA is not without precedent. Throughout history, artists have sought to dissolve the boundaries between art and public life. Consider:

• The Situationists (1950s-60s): A group of radical artists and thinkers who sought to disrupt the everyday experience of the city through unexpected artistic interventions. Their concept of the dérive — a drift through urban space guided by aesthetic curiosity — echoes STOA’s philosophy of organic, open-ended artistic encounters.

• Happenings (1960s-70s): Artists like Allan Kaprow and Yoko Ono pioneered ephemeral, participatory events that blurred the lines between performance, installation, and audience interaction. Kaprow himself wrote, “The line between art and life should be kept as fluid, and perhaps indistinct, as possible.”

• Street Art & Guerrilla Exhibitions (1980s-Present): From Jean-Michel Basquiat’s SAMO graffiti to Banksy’s outdoor interventions, artists have continually reclaimed public space as a canvas. Unlike gallery shows, these works demand engagement from an unsuspecting public, much like STOA’s approach to exhibition-making.

The After-Hours Ritual at SEE2

Following each STOA event, a private after-hours gathering is held at SEE2, where the night unfolds into another layer of creative engagement. A typewriter is set up for attendees to record their thoughts, poetry, and reflections, which are later compiled into Vandal Magazine, an annual publication, as well as a forthcoming book titled STOA.

This element of STOA is crucial. It ensures that the experiences fostered in the park are not ephemeral, that they leave a record — not in the form of social media posts or digital archives, but in something tactile, something to be read, held, and remembered.

STOA v1:

Looking to the Future

STOA is not an organization in the traditional sense. It has no fixed leadership, no set agenda. It is a framework that allows artistic expression to grow freely, taking root wherever artists and communities decide to gather.

It is an acknowledgment that art does not exist in isolation. It is not a luxury or an academic exercise, but a fundamental part of human experience — one that should be as freely available as the air, the trees, and the sky.

As John Berger once wrote, “The strange power of art is sometimes it can show that what people have in common is more urgent than what differentiates them.” In a time when the art world often feels increasingly exclusive, STOA is a reminder that art belongs to everyone.

Follow STOA on Instagram: