Tony Spanos at an art studio in St. Peters. (Photo by Julie Fenwick)
A forgotten toy creation in the art space (Photo by Julie Fenwick).
Two Goats mounting (Photo by Julie Fenwick)
Speakers made from Wheelie bins for an upcoming protest (Photo by Julie Fenwick)
Vibe Tribe's Pete Strong with Old rave posters from the 90's (Photo by Julie Fenwick)
Tony Spanos at NASCAR (Photo by Julie Fenwick)
Vibe Tribe's Pete Strong at The Graffiti Hall of Fame in the 90s (Photo provided by Pete Strong)
Goers of the Graffiti Hall of Fame (Photo provided by Pete Stong)
Tony Spanos and Vibe Tribe member, Pete Strong (Photo by Julie Fenwick)
Tony Spanos and Vibe Tribe member, Pete Strong (Photo by Julie Fenwick)
Graffiti Hall of Fame in 2001 (Photo provided by Pete Strong)
Tony Spanos in the 1990's (Photo provided by Pete Strong)
An article detailing Tony Spanos's Court Case (photo provided by Pete Strong)
But Tony doesn’t seem as concerned about being bankrupt as he does about the space he created for the kids: a drop-in centre that, he claims, contributed to decreasing suicide rates and criminal activity. As a self-described social worker, the people who surrounded Spanos were soft-souls that, really, just never had the opportunity, or the space, to figure out where they were going or what they could do. Consistently, he refers to them all as “champions”. Some of his kids, according to Tony, have gone on to become professional sports stars, lawyers, and doctors. “They’re all grown up now. They’ve got their own kids. Some of them have grandchildren.”He shows me a photo of a group of men in basketball jerseys, pointing to three in particular, “See, they’re champions.”
Tony Spanos and a photo of his "champions" (Photo by Julie Fenwick)
