COVENTRY MURAL UNVEILED TOGETHER WITH QUEENSMARK AWARD DESIGNATION
A 25×12-foot mural commemorating Coventry is being unveiled October 30, 2024 near the site of the historic club on Queens Boulevard as a gift to the community of Sunnyside, Queens. Created by Dylon Thomas Burns, the piece is a vibrant collage of rendered images and graffiti depicting snapshots of the 1970s rock scene, performance posters, and community life in that era. The piece was conceived in collaboration with fellow artist and curator Dylan Bauver and musician Charlie Sub, frontman for indie rock band “Charlie Sub & Sound Dogs” and son of Coventry club founder Paul Sub. Its official unveiling coincides with the presentation of the prestigious Queensmark Award to the now shuttered Coventry for its role as the iconic club where legendary bands like the Ramones, the New York Dolls, KISS, and Blondie played their earliest gigs.
According to Burns, “For the Coventry mural, I sought to capture the grit and layered intersections of rock and city life that shaped both the public history and personal milestones of Charlie and the Coventry family. An abiding love for music has been a constant part of my life. And during the era when the Coventry was thriving here in the city, music was more than sound. It influenced people’s attitudes, self-expression and the very course of their lives.” He added, “People who know New York will recognize the vibe, but those who lived it will feel it.”
Burns is a New York based artist recognized for his large-scale murals, decor, and custom artwork merging fine art with public for both commercial and residential projects. He draws his main inspiration from the transgressive power of graffiti art and the dynamic diversity of the city, rendered as vibrant images using mediums including the brush, combinations of spray and oil paint and wheatpaste.
