Karen Ponzio Photo
Michael Pollack and his pizza monument.
The subject of pizza is always on the minds of New Haveners, whether it’s deciding what kind to order and where to order it from or what makes the perfect pie and slice. On Friday night, those pies and slices were unveiled as the theme of a world premiere art exhibit at District NHV. “New Haven Pizza Club: Discover the Art of Pizza” showcased the four-year-long odyssey of artist Michal Pollack to commemorate everyone’s favorite meal as a contemporary symbol representing a local legacy.
Attendees took turns signing this piece throughout the night.
According to Pollack’s website, he chose pizza as the subject of his art “because it is an integral part of our community’s heritage and my own personal history as a proud local growing up in The Pizza Capital of The United States.”
The community stepped out and into District NHV hungry for what Pollack was offering, but before they even stepped inside, they were greeted by the piece de resistance of the whole show: Pollack’s 13-foot-high pizza sculpture, which stood right outside the entrance of the building, bronzed with pepperoni cups and roughened edges as if it was pulled right out of its own giant pie.
Pollack partnered with Joe Tancreti and Eric Margolis of Tancreti Construction — who he called the “unsung heroes” of the piece — to create the monument. While its home for the next week will be at District, it will soon make its way to a variety of other locations: the starting line of the New Haven Grand Prix as part of the Apizza Feast on Friday, Sept. 13, the One Bite Pizza fest on Saturday, Sept. 14, and then behind Modern for about a month before it goes to another secret location to be announced soon.
On Friday night it was place for a photo op, with nearly every person coming or going snapping a selfie in front of it or asking another to capture the moment for them. Even U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro and the legendary Ricky Consiglio of Sally’s took their turn with Pollack for a few joyful snapshots.
Consiglio, DeLauro, and Pollack
But inside was where the majority of the action, and the art, was happening. Immediately to the right, a side room housed not only a giant sculpture of a slice bathed in neon light that attendees could sign to commemorate the event, but also some actual apizza. Modern’s own Bill Pustari was present alongside tables piled high with large mozzs from his beloved establishment. His son William dished out slices along with a big smile and much kindness, driving home the fact that it is kind of difficult to not be happy when pizza is involved.
William Pustari, Bill Pustari, and Colin Caplan
The collaborations kept coming as one made their way down the central hallway, where Pollack’s art was displayed amid a variety of pizza-centric happenings. Partnering with “the best New Haven tastemakers” was part of Pollack’s goal, and to that end, there was wearable merchandise — shirts, hats, and jackets — bearing the New Haven Pizza Club logo, created in conjunction with Campus Customs and Taste of New Haven. Flash tattoos were available at two stations courtesy of ShowOff Ink Artistry, and colorful drinks were being created by CT Cocktail Car.
Speaking of tasty drinks, the club also partnered with Armada Brewing for a beer called Apilsna Italiano with a label created by Pollack’s friend, frequent collaborator, and “inspiration” Michael DeAngelo, who said Pollack asked him to do an illustration of the club “like it was a place.”
“Mike [Pollack] is great with letting artists do their thing and fitting it into what he’s doing,” said DeAngelo.
DeAngelo also created a three-sectioned Ninja Turtle pizza-themed piece set up over the area where live music was being played by local legends DW Ditty, Travis Moody, and Kenny Mack. Pollack said when the idea came to him four years ago, he first reached out to DeAngelo and then proceeded to continue producing pop art, photography, sculpture, and more.
“I wanted to represent the cause and the community,” he said. “I wanted to do my part.” To that end, Pollack will also be contributing a portion of his proceeds to Feeding Families Foundation.
Pollack also noted how, as the plan to exhibit for the first time came to fruition, New Haven was getting more and more attention for its pizza. The D.C. declaration of New Haven as The Pizza Capital of the World and the highway signs calling attention to it were “parallel paths” and a “full circle New Haven lovefest.”
Taste of New Haven’s Colin Caplan — who was also in attendance and, speaking of parallel paths, went to high school with Pollack — agreed with those sentiments.
“This is a team player here,” he said about Pollack. “My movement was for New Haven to be the pizza capital. This level of art with New Haven Pizza Club that Mike created is the cherry on top.”
While there were definitively more straightforward works — like the photographs of the pepperoni, mozz, and iconic New Haven plain that could make anyone hungry enough to go order an actual pie — there were also more detailed works, like “The Blueprints,” a series made using the original 80-year-old blueprints from English Station, the decommissioned coal-fired plant where pizza makers decades ago went to get the coal for their ovens.
Add to that more sculpture, including a pizza made from a slice of the monument, spray painted graffiti type slices, and an abstract geometric style slice, and you still had only a fraction of what was available. Many perused a book of prints that could be purchased, and signed up for a silent auction that included some of the pieces hanging in the show. There was truly something for every New Haven apizza lover, no matter what your favorite place might be (and yes, those conversations were happening as well).
Pollack states on his website that “pizza remains a symbol that brings people together, transcending cultural boundaries and uniting us all.” If Friday night was any indication of what happens when that theory is put into practice, this will be one club that everyone will want to join.
“New Haven Pizza Club: Discover the Art of Pizza” will be available free for public viewing from Sept. 9 through Sept. 12 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at District NHV on 470 James Street. For more information, please visit the New Haven Pizza Club website.
