Guardians of the art galaxy

Everyday in New York, thousands of museum guards help protect some of the world’s most acclaimed art. But many of the guards are artists themselves. 

Produced by creative collective Gentle Cowboys, directed by Nick Sokoloff, and edited by Cut+Run’s Stacy Peterson, this short doc profiles guards/artists from some of the city’s most prominent museums such as the MET, Guggenheim, The Brooklyn Museum and Noguchi.

After putting on a full shift guarding the most expensive art in the world, they moonlight in their homes, or in shared studio spaces, trying to break into the art world with their own creativity. Titled, Osmosis, the film paints a picture of the two sides of these people’s lives and how being surrounded by great works feeds their creativity. 

Along with the three-minute piece, the Gentle Cowboys is also organising the first ever art exhibit featuring only museum guards/artists. The show takes place at ArtCake gallery, in Brooklyn, from 10-13 November.