Vincent GiammonaW 61st St between West End Ave and 10th AveHeart Three · Location 250 · Drawn March 2003Hover over or select the image to reveal a hidden view.PhotographsDownload photograph 1Download photograph 2Download photograph 3Download photograph 4Download photograph 5Download photograph 6Video podcast0:00On 61st Street between 10th and 11th Avenue is the Beacon School.0:06It's a three-story yellow brick building near the center of the street.0:11The location for our drawing was to the left of the large retractable metal gate with a green brick trim around it.0:19You know in front of the right gate, if you see the sign for the Beacon School above it, and above that, the American flag.0:26To the left of that is a green door that has a sign that says, use no water on door.0:32To the left of that door is a space that looked like at one time it too was a large entrance.0:38We made the drawing, it was just a plain of smooth yellow brick.0:44But sometime in the last three years, they added two ventilation units.0:49One a simple window and the other a ventilation chute.0:55this photograph is standing exactly where we drew our firemen. This is Lieutenant Vincent1:01Giamona. He was drawn in March of 2003. His drawing is counting 10 people. After the midtown1:12madness, it has been so calm to walk these quiet streets that roll down to the, not the east, but1:18the other one Hudson River. A giant, beautiful, sunny school wall. Having the time to focus on1:26producing a figure without the hectic chaos of a midtown avenue makes a world of difference for1:31the drawing process. There is still the challenge, but it has different parameters. Here, the challenge1:37is to take full advantage of the piece and to practice and train, so when things are hectic1:43again, back on the busy streets, I can look inside and find focus. Using fake buck teeth and accent1:51for his infamous Elvis costume, he would transform household errands or roll call at the firehouse1:57into improv comedy. At sporting events involving his two older daughters, Francesca and Tony Ann,2:04his cheering was an aerobic workout. At ladder five on Houston Street, Vincent Giammona taught2:10rookies about high-rise fires and downtown bars. They call them Lieutenant Fun.← Location 249Heart Three · Location 250Location 251 →
