Look Up!

It’s difficult to walk through the Meatpacking District this summer without noticing Laura Baran’s creative impact. This summer, Laura is taking over our banners and tabletops with her paintings which celebrate the culture, lifestyle, and beauty of Meatpacking. Join us for a Q + A with Laura and learn about her artistic practice, neighborhood inspiration, and upcoming collaborations.

Meatpacking District (MTPK): Tell us about this year's new banner designs and what your process for designing them was.

Laura Baran (LB): Team Meatpacking's theme for the banners this year was Avant Garde. I wanted to highlight the best that Meatpacking has to offer -- great food, exciting nightlife, and inspiring shopping, arts, and culture -- in a bold way. My banner paintings impart a vivid joy that is very distinct to the Meatpacking District. I celebrate the culture, street art, culinary delights, and quieter moments of natural beauty. I drew inspiration from my experiences in the District, using photographs by BrakeThrough Media placed side-by-side next to original paintings I created to express similar energy in unusual ways. I was inspired by recurring shapes like the curves of the metal columns underneath the High Line juxtaposed with a photo of a model from the High School of Fashion Industries fashion show on Gansevoort Plaza. I used evocative colors, and elements from figurative and abstract painting to tell the story of the vibrant, diverse, and creative community, culture, and architecture here in Meatpacking.

MTPK: What elements of the Meatpacking District inspire you?

LB: The street life. Gazing at the street style, galleries, fashion, magazines, bookstores, and savoring world-class food. I love Meatpacking's cultural offerings and the many family-friendly options. I'm inspired by the open streets. And I love the areas of nature and reconnection available throughout the District, like Hudson River Park's 14th Street Park. It's one special area of beautiful NYC where I can feel both expansive possibility and the promise of quieter reflection.

MTPK: What do you enjoy most about being an artist?

LB: I enjoy expressing myself and communicating emotions visually. Using my abilities to share what's important to me, and convey hope and potential. The mutual inspiration I feel from other creative people of all kinds. That I get to process my inner experiences outwards -- sort of like a channel through my soul, heart, and mind into my body and through to the artwork. Seeing folks smile when I get to make their portrait.

MTPK: How would you spend a day in the Meatpacking District?

LB: I would head to Chelsea Market for Ayada Thai food, or a fresh sushi roll from the Lobster Place. Then dip into Posman Books and Pearl River Mart to browse. A stroll on the High Line. A stop at Gansevoort Plaza to check which amazing local musicians Meatpacking is hosting, and to sit and watch people and their street style. Then pop into two : minds for fashion inspo. They're so friendly and I always feel a community vibe. I love going with my fam to the Standard Biergarten, and finally, a night of dancing at Le Bain. And of course shout out to the M12 and M11 buses which are so convenient for getting back home.

MTPK: What project are you excited to work on next?

LB: Meatpacking is hosting upcoming watercolor classes on August 7 and 21 with me as the instructor! It's so gratifying to encourage people to try painting, and to see their confidence grow as they create with me.