Name
Keon (Interviewee)
Boone, Kurt B (Interviewer)
Payne, Steven (Director of Bronx County Historical Society) (Interviewer)
Title
Oral history interview with Keon, 2022
Abstract
Keon describes his family background and early childhood growing up in Flatbush, Brooklyn. He cites his early activity in graffiti to tagging the train that he and friend would take to their high school in Manhattan. Keon mentions his friendships with notable graffiti writers he met while in school, some of which include Eric Haze and Mine One. He also notes crews he was associated with such as Thu nder Writers (RTW), Nonstop Action (NSA), and others. He discusses his involvement in the skateboarding scene. He also describes the origin of his tag as well as how his art has developed over the years. Keon reflects on changes in the graffiti scene from the 1970s into the 1980s. He considers the differences between Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens. He mentions Rocky 184 (WC 188), a graffiti pioneer and his partner, throughout this interview
Collection Name
Bronx Aerosol Arts oral history collection
Subjects
Graffiti artists; Graffiti; Subways--New York (State); Skateboarding; Sculpture; Graffiteurs; Métros--New York (État); Planche à roulettes (Sport); Sculpture première; Flatbush (New York, N.Y.); Bronx (New York, N.Y.); Keon
Format
oral histories; ephemera
Genre
Interviews
Date
2022
Physical Description
62 pages; 1 online resource digital preservation master, mp4 file
Note (Biographical)
Keon was born into an Italian Catholic household, and he grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn. He has worked as a teaching assistant in a mandatory sculpture class at Visual Arts and Design, where he came across many young graffiti writers. His artistic medi ums include wall graffiti, sculpture, and canvas graffiti. He has also worked at Roxy Roller Disco as a skate guard. His art has been featured in galleries, window displays, and private collections
Note
Interviewed by Kurt Boone and Steven Payne on June 1, 2022
Note (Provenance)
Keon, Gift 2022
Language
English
Library Location
Columbia Center for Oral History, Columbia University
Browse Location’s Digital Content
Catalog Record
in00034014547
Also In
Oral History Archives at Columbia
Persistent URL
https://dx.doi.org/10.7916/dtak-zb78