A long-empty triangle of cement at Washington and Passyunk Avenues became an open-air gallery for “Imitation Crab,” an art show at the lot.
The show took place at the former site of Capt. Jesse G’s Crab Shack, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Rose Luardo has also created artwork at the lot.
Luardo’s Art at the Lot
Luardo’s work at the lot has included Boob Garden, a breast-plushie display, and the tie-dyed Rave Coffin, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. In 2025, the Inquirer identified her as the artist behind Crab Couch.
The exhibit itself was conceived by Ingrid Koppich, who spearheaded the event alongside Max Brenneman and Val Roberta, according to the Inquirer’s reporting.
A Crab Cat Grows Up
Among the most elaborate additions was a sculpture by Steven Gulotta, 34, and Allana Wooley, 33, who both live just a block from the lot. The pair had made a small red papier-mâché crab cat earlier in 2026, and after Luardo invited them to join the group exhibit, they built a second version standing about six feet tall in less than a month, the station’s report notes.
Other contributors brought their own interpretations of the lot’s open-invitation spirit. Mercedes Tien, a 23-year-old West Philadelphia artist and Tyler School of Art and Architecture graduate, exhibited an 8-foot cyanotype depicting herself and her boyfriend lying on his roof — she said it was her first art show outside of school. Iris Brenneman, a 64-year-old therapist, created a sculpture called Blue Crab Magi using a blue crab, blue tarps, and word-marked plastic balls.
Found Objects and a Case for Public Art
Gio Cullen, 24, of Northern Liberties, and his 28-year-old best friend, Bridge Veix, made found-object sculptures using materials scavenged from the lot itself. Cullen said Philadelphia’s community is central to its art, while Veix said public art gives everyone free access to participate and interact with it, according to the Inquirer.
The lot has sat vacant since at least 2016. A Rising Real Estate report says the property sold in 2018 for $1.85 million.
A separate real-estate report from rising.realestate has noted that permits were pulled for a proposed six-story, 39-unit mixed-use building at the site, with 15 bicycle spaces and no car parking, to be called Market House. For now, the triangle of cement at Washington and Passyunk remains a vacant lot.
