Occupy Wall Street Times Square Event Brings Art Heavy Hitters

With a flyer designed by a bold-faced artist and announcements being sent out through networks New Yorkers normally use to find out where the hottest after-hours soirees will be going down, the “Occupy Wall Street” protests enter their fourth weekend seemingly ready to party with the cool kids.

On Wednesday, thousands of New Yorkers went into their inboxes to find they had received an email from TheDanger, a trendy but somewhat media-wary group of party promoters best known for throwing extravagant ragers in assorted warehouses through North Brooklyn. Instead of an invitation to come hang out with fire jugglers and listen to dubstep into the wee hours of the morning, the communication contained a call to assemble in Times Square this coming Saturday in support of the “Occupy Wall Street” movement.

According to website for the event, people wanting to participate should gather on the TKTS kiosk located on West 47th Street at 5 p.m., preferably wearing white.

William Etundi, founder of TheDanger says the “goal is to create a moment that is beautiful and meaningful but is more about building something than protesting against” the system.

Following the event, participants are advised they will “occupy the subway” and commute back to Zuccotti Park, where most of the activities surrounding “Occupy Wall Street” have occurred so far.

The entry of TheDanger as a promoter to the protest marks one of the first heavy-hitters in the rarefied New York art and nightlife scene to openly lend its creative firepower to promote the protests.

While many of the people camping out in Zuccotti Park describe themselves as artists, and several famous actors and performers have made cameos at the occupation site, the entry of TheDanger into the fray is significant. The group, and particularly Etundi, is well-known in New York for his ability to bring overflow crowds to artist-driven events.

Etundi says the organizers of Saturday’s event are unlike many of the people behind the battle-hardened group that kicked off the Sept. 17 protest movement in that they “go beyond people who are traditional activists and are more people who feel something precious has been stolen.”

Another influential art world personality involved in the call to congregate in Times Square is noted pop artist Shephard Fairey. Fairey, perhaps best known for the iconic tri-color lithograph of candidate Barack Obama looking over the word ‘HOPE’, designed the flyer for the event: a stunning black, red, and beige illustration depicting an Afro-sporting woman in a turtleneck. At least one art critic was noting the flyer is a likely reference to 1960s Black Panther Party activist Angela Davis.

At press time, Fairey could not be reached for comment.