Meet Lois Stavsky

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lois Stavsky a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lois Stavsky, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?

My sense of optimism comes from my sense of purpose. I believe that everything I do should and can make this world a bit better. It may derive from the Jewish concept of “Tikkun Olam” that I was taught as a child– the responsibility that each one of us has for “repairing the world.” As an educator, I encouraged my students to tap into their distinct talents. We discovered unsung poets, novelists and visual artists in our midst! I was determined to share their gifts in a range of settings including: magazines we would publish and distribute to local libraries, nearby galleries that would showcase their talents and national and local contests that brought their distinct gifts to a wide audience. There is nothing like success to nourish and sustain optimism.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

At age 20, I began teaching high school English. It was an immediate “love affair.” Not only did I inspire my students by introducing them to my favorite writers and encouraging them to tap into their own talents, but they inspired me by introducing me to a world — far removed from my rather restricted one. The first book, I ever co-wrote, in fact, “The Place I Call Home: Voices and Faces of Homeless Teens” was sparked by my students’ experiences in homeless shelters, https://www.bookfinder.com/isbn/9781561710713/ My current passion for street art is almost certainly rooted in the graffiti my students introduced me to when I was teaching up in the Bronx.

Even though I officially retired from teaching in 2003, I continued working for the Department of Education as a consultant for an additional five years, and I continue to mentor young people.

My current primary focus is on public art — street art and graffiti. The most recent book I co-authored is “Street Art NYC”. (https://www.amazon.com/Street-Art-NYC-Lord-K2/dp/9188369692) Among the many folks who worked alongside me in writing this book are my two adult children — whose passion for visual art, in all its forms, is boundless. My adult children also contribute to my blog, Street Art NYC https://streetartnyc.org/

Towards the end of my teaching career, I began to curate exhibitions that integrated art and writing, The first one was in a gallery that the school I was teaching in at the time — Seward Park High School — housed. Once I retired from teaching, I curated in a range of spaces including the Abrons Arts Center, New York University’s Bronfman Center and the Morris Museum in Morristown, NJ.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

One quality is curiosity: When I’m determined to discover or uncover something, I will overcome whatever obstacles stand in my way. After spending a considerable amount of time in Tel Aviv documenting the city’s street art (https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv3029qpm), I was determined to explore the art in Palestinian territories. Although I’d traveled on my own to Ramallah and Bethlehem, I was interested in exploring far more deeper into the Palestinian territories. I, therefore, hired a guide for a day and by transferring from one car to another, I was able to satisfy my curiosity and develop a deeper understanding of the conflict from the Palestinian perspective.

Another example of my curiosity was my determination to understand what goes on in the minds of both Arab and Jewish teens that live in Jerusalem, but share few spaces. This resulted in spending two summers in Jerusalem meeting and interviewing these teens. The result was the book J”erusalem Mosaic: Young Voices from the Holy City.” published in 1994. https://www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-Mosaic-Young-Voices-Holy/dp/002767651X

Another quality is determination. While visiting Sao Paulo, Brazil over a decade ago, I was determined to meet the folks behind pixação, the illicit graffiti that covers so many of the city’s large buildings. Through visits to graffiti supply shops and Flickr contacts, I made my way to one of the pixadores’ meetings, to the favelas they live in and to several of their homes. The photos that I took made their way into Time Out: Sao Paulo and various other news media. I hope to return to Sao Paulo, and with the help of an interpreter, begin working on an oral history of this fascinating and controversial art form.

The advice I would give to young people is: Follow your passions and be willing to take reasonable risks. And if you’re curious about something, pursue your curiosity — both by reading, researching and first-hand experiences.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

When I feel overwhelmed, I “force” myself to take a break from my usual pursuits — which currently involves speiding a great deal of time exploring the streets. And so — when I need to — I take a day off and begin to tackle the pile of books alongside my bed, I also wind down by cooking, meeting up with friends and/or family members, and listening to a huge range of music on Spotify.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://streetartnyc.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/streetartnyc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loisinwonderland/
• Linkedin: (Not current)
• Twitter: https://x.com/StreetArt_NYC
• Other: Flicker: https://www.flickr.com/photos/loisstavsky/Threads: https://www.threads.net/@streetartnyc

Image Credits

The credit for the first (preferably) post image is: Endie Collado. The Banksy image in Bethlehem and the two Pixação images in Sau Paulo were shot by me. The photo of Tracy 168 and me was shot by Flint Gennari and the final photo of Magda love and me was shot by Tara Murray.