KHS teacher Phillip Talone’s imaginative art work will be displayed at New York venue
By Anthony Coelho
Observer Intern
Kearny High School’s woodshop instructor of 13 years, Phillip Talone, has been commissioned—once again—to design and build a handmade sculpture that will be on display at the famous Arthur’s Tavern in New York City.
Arthur’s Tavern is a classical jazz club located in the West Village at 57 Grove St., near 7th Ave, and features an avant-garde style with weekly performances by the likes of Georgia Brown, Alyson Williams, and more.
“I used to go there often, still do.” Talone stated. “I noticed the art on the wall becoming more and more predominant, so I decided to speak to the manager. That’s how I got my first piece put up”
Talone had built a small-scaled model of the Wright Brothers’ plane that was exhibited at Arthur’s for the last nine years. The plane, which hung comfortably suspended in air, caught many people’s attention. Unfortunately the model had been destroyed during renovations being done on the roof of the club.
“I was a bit frustrated at first, you know, but I cut my losses and got right back to work,” Talone said.
Last year, Talone was asked by the manager to create another piece that would replace the one in ruins, and serve a grander role, being closer to the stage.
The new model to be introduced is a prehistoric dragon, with its wings fully fledged. It’s composed of Balsa wood and Chinese tissue that had to be boiled then warped time and time again to maintain a strong posture.
“It took me the whole summer to complete. The process was vigorous but well worth it.” Talone said.
The dragon is scheduled to be on display at Arthur’s over the course of the next two weeks. It can be viewed any time between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. Talone—who also has expertise in watercolor paintings, oil paintings, and even stained glass windows—plans on spreading his talent anywhere and everywhere he can. For custom art inquiries, Talone can be contacted at ptalone@ kearnyschools.com.
