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New York Comedy Festival Presents THE ART OF COMEDY in Little Italy and at Carolines on Broadway, Beg. 11/3

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The New York Comedy Festival presents, in association with Vandalog.com, Little Italy, and Montana Cans, announced today the addition of "The Art of Comedy," a series of events and art installations involving New York's most talented street artists that will take place this November. "The Art of Comedy" brings together acclaimed artists Ron English, Hanksy, and Gilf! who will showcase their respective humorous works of art in an effort to bring smiles to the faces of millions of New Yorkers.

There will be an "art crawl" debut event on Saturday, November 3 at 12 noon, with the unveiling of artist Hansky's portrait of comedian AZIZ ANSARI on the sidewall of Caffe Roma, at 385 Broome Street. The debuts will continue further up Mulberry Street at the following locations:

• At Mulberry & Grand, on the Mulberry side, a restaurant under construction will transformed into a hilarious sight gag featuring Jim Gaffigan - Hanksy
• At that same location, but on the Grand side, will be the canvas for a funny skewering of our political candidates – Gilf!
• Past Grand Street, further up on Mulberry, this artist will present 2 of her favorite works – Gilf!
• Umberto's Clam House, 132 Mulberry Street, will be home to another funny or "punny" image - Hanksy
• Diagonally across from Sambuca's Café on Mulberry between Canal and Hester Streets, the side of a building 40 feet high x 25 feet wide will be painted with a classic character from this iconic artist - Ron English

Like comedy, street art is about having fun, but it's also about engaging with public space. Curated by RJ Rushmore of Vandalog.com and Wayne Rada, "The Art of Comedy" is the NYCF's way to take the laughter out of the clubs and into the streets. This exhibition marks the first time that a comedy festival has teamed up with street artists for such exhibitions and events.

From November 7 through 11, the duration of the NYCF, work by English, Hanksy, and Gilf! will be on display inside of Carolines on Broadway (1626 Broadway), the legendary Times Square comedy venue owned by NYCF creator Caroline Hirsch. There will be an opportunity for press to view the installation on November 8 at 11:00 a.m.

In collaboration with Little Italy, Ron English, Hanksy and Gilf! will paint permanent murals on Mulberry Street between Canal Street and Broome Street between October 26 and November 3. There will be an opening tour of the walls for press and the public at noon on November 3. For his first mural in Manhattan in 25 years, Ron English, a master of both street art and pop surrealism, will be painting a wall over 40-feet tall with one of his classic characters. Using stencils that are sure to make passersby take a second look and have a laugh, Gilf! and Hanksy will be painting permanent and temporary murals. Gilf!'s murals will focus on the upcoming elections, and Hanksy's murals will depict NYCF performers. With these murals so close to one another, there will be a new hub for muralism in New York City.

"We're always looking for new and creative ways in which humor is represented in art," says Hirsch. "These talented artists add a really unique element to this year's festival, literally taking comedy to the streets."

Says Rushmore: "I could not be more excited to be working with such a well-established festival to bring more art onto the walls of New York City. We have some really talented artists, and The Art of Comedy will give New Yorkers thousands of square feet of new public murals, as well as hopefully expose a new audience to just how fun and powerful street art can be."

And as pre-New York Comedy Festival events Ron English, Gilf! and Hanksy all have solo shows in New York City opening November 1st. English's show, Crucial Fiction, opens from 6-9pm at Opera Gallery NYC (115 Spring St) and runs through November 29th. Gilf! will be showing at Galerie Swanström (136 Sullivan Street, 3rd Floor) opening from 5-9pm. Hanksy's show, Young Puns 2 - Now With More Pun, opens at Krause Gallery (149 Orchard Street) from 6-9pm and runs through November 28th.

Paint for The Art of Comedy is provided by Montana Cans.

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