Art, Events, Press, Thing I Love, Things I Make

MUSEUM//OHIO//JUNK//PHILLY//TORONTO//MURALS

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Holy Moly!! This month has been crazies. Yer girl just wrapped up gift guide styling for  People StyleWatch, Essence Magazine (I'm soooo antsy to spill the beans about this one, I'll have to wait til it's on the shelf). I even squeezed in some propping jobs for Travel and Leisure, Brides Mag and Nine West! wowswers. This lil maker is pooped....buuut not that pooped.
Crash: 20” x 20” Mixed Media 3D Analog Collage, Ink hand Cut Paper and Photography
Crash: 20” x 20” Mixed Media 3D Analog Collage, Ink hand Cut Paper and Photography
JUNKPRINTS + PYRAMID HILL MUSEUM Next week my very first museum show opens in Ohio at the Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park Museum in Hamilton. Look ma, a freaking Museum! I'm thrilled, honored and humbled to be sharing Explorations In Nude with fine folks of Ohio. The show will be on display October 21st – November 12th, 2016 Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum in Ohio. The show open October 21st 2016. 1763 Hamilton-Cleves Road,State Route 128,Hamilton, Ohio 45013 Here's a link to the deets.    
ART PRINTS!
Since the Brooklyn exhibition of Explorations In Nude folks expressed interest in print from the series. I struggled with producing prints for this series because I wanted to make sure that I didn't short change the originals. Most artwork is experiences in some form of reproduction and in some ways that is great because it makes it more accessible but in the case of 3D work it's can be a bit problematic. This series plays a lot with shadow and I was concerned that the 3d element would get lost in reproductions. So I kind of  shelved the idea of prints until I had the amazing opportunity to partner with TWYLA. We meticulously worked together to ensure that the integrity of each piece is well represented in these limited edition prints. Six junkprints pieces including  Studded as well as The Goo Inside from the Explorations in Nude series are now available in certified numbered limited editions. These can be purchases directly through TWYLA
Studded 46″ X 20″ / Black Museum Frame Limited edition TWYLA print
Studded 46″ X 20″ / Black Museum Frame Limited edition TWYLA print
BK35 CANADA LOVE Squad Love. My team over at Brooklyn35 collective and I will be heading to Canada to celebrate the release of the La la la video. I co-directed this video along with Tough Dumplin. Ya'll know I love me some Canada, specifically Toronto. I'm especially feeling the love given that I currently reside in a nation that has a presidential candidate that is into 'pussy grabbing'  and a police force that is hell bent on executing Black folks. Given all of that I'm excited to be supporting the collective, sharing work, getting up with my Kitchener and Toronto folks.  Mark your calendar 11/12 it's going down. McCabe's Irish Pub Kitchener 352 King St. West, Kitchener, Ontario N2G 1B7. See the facebook page to rsvp and for more deets SHOP IN PERSON Shop Junkprints. I know this is the part that ya'll been waiting for. I'm participating in a Holiday Pop Up shop along with the ladies Love project crew!   Just in time for the holidays. I'll be releasing some new items in the athletic wear.  More on that later. For now please hold the date. The event will be taking place in the Lower East Side, NY, NY on Saturday Nov. 26th PHILADELPHIA ARTS MURAL  I was selected to participate in Philadelphia Arts Mural Training program.  Guess who will be sharpening up those skills and throwing color all over some walls? Me 🙂 Mural Arts has united artists and communities through a collaborative process, rooted in the traditions of mural-making, to create art that transforms public spaces and individual lives. Can't wait to dive deep into this and get some community based larger scale projects under my belt.          
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Things I Hate, Uncategorized

How you see it and how I see it

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Yesterday I met up with a long time friend and Brooklyn business owner and a commercial  real estate developer pal. My friend is looking into expanding his business in Philly so I tagged along with them to scope out neighborhoods talk to other business owners and get a general  feel of  Philadelphia. We had some pretty interesting conversations regarding gentrification, the inevitable boring cloud that will roll over nyc due to pricing out creatives, and we also talked about our various  view on what the future holds as far as urban development.

If you ever want to really get the lowdown on what's to come in your neighborhood, make friends  with a real estate developer and members of city council. So much of the conversations about what will be allowed to go where are are determined  by those two entities...with supposed input from the community residents. The part that was so startling to me about many of the views of the developer was how much money and aquisition of it seemed to be a primarily concern. For examples, the proposed plan to build a gated high rise luxury apartment building in an area of row houses. The community  was completely  against it. The developer  was for it stating that by bring in higher earning residents the city could have more tax revenue. My concern is that property taxes are done based on average  area incomes so that would inevitably push out old tenants by the tax increase. He argued  that the schools and public  facilities, such as parks would get more funding from that and get better...but better for whom? My concern was primarily  for the residents  that currently live in the neighborhood not the rich ones he hoped to invite.  I understand that change is inevitable and cities are constantly in a state of flux. One thing that became very apparent in that conversation is that there is a huge gap in  perspective in how residents  view where they live and developers view that same region. I truely feel that most folks just want a decent roof over their head in a safe and neighborhoor. There are so many people in the business of shaping what that means to potential buyers, often done in a way that doesn't support diversity in age, backgrounds and socioeconomic position. Doing that isn't generally as profitable. So that gap in perspective of what the future of the neighborhood could be is so large that folks are often not even speaking the same language.

I don't think that all developers are bad folks and there are some beautiful examples of valuable developments such as Crane art and the teachers lofts on philadelphia. It's just that so much of the positive development is rarely enjoyed by people of color and old neighborhood residents. I'm sure alot of this has to do with the limited participation and involment if those parties with city planning, funding and development.

That limited involvement sounds like the same problem with every other sector (with the exclusion of activism) of business, from art, fashion, music, finance, tech, entertainment etc. At the end of our conversation I had a series of mixed emotions and thoughts.

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Events, Thing I Love, Things I Make

BLACKEST BLACK FRIDAY NOV. 25th-27th

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Yo! The Fine folks at Junkprints are hosting the blackest black friday open studio ever. This event is going to be so black that your gonna need a flashlight & affirmative actions to balance it out. Just kidding! I’ve been prepping for the holiday season & am thrilled to be open 11/25-11/27 for all your Junk shopping desires. Free goodies w/ the 1st 10 black friday purchases. Fri Nov. 25th and Sun. Nov. 27th // Noon til 7PM
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Art, Events, Thing I Love

Art Installation: Luke Jerram’s “Play Me, I’m Yours”

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At my old school sometimes I would study in the student center which featured just about anything a college student would need including a Starbucks, food court, a lot of seating area, a game room, and a lone piano on the second floor. Sometimes a brave individual would play a medley of songs that could be heard on multiple floors. It often reminded me of the Nordstrom department store where you could always find a pianist performing while you shopped. One day I went to study in the center and was able to score one of the coveted tables on the second floor. Just as I was getting into the groove of studying somebody begins to play the piano on the second floor. It would have been lovely because I like to study to the sounds of contemporary jazz anyway, but this so-called pianist was horrible. I almost began to feel embarassed for him because people began to shout at him, but then I remembered I had two finals to take the next day and he was distracting me. Cue imaginary laser beams of disgust from my eyes. I was reminded of that time recently when I read about an art installation in New York by artist Luke Jerram. Luke Jerram is a British artist who works through a variety of mediums including sculptures, live art, and installations. If you are in the New York area between now through July 5th  be sure to check it out "Play Me, I'm Yours". For this installation Jerram installed sixty pianos around Manhattan and its surrounding areas for anyone to play from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Even Cyndi Lauper has performed at one of the locations. If you are interested in tickling the ivories yourself in public then click here for piano locations.
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Art, Thing I Love

The “Props Rock” Series: Keith Haring

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This is the first entry of our new “Prop Rocks” series. The “Prop Rocks” series does exactly what it implies; it gives props to artists that rock. In this series I will feature artists with a truly unique vision and individual style. I wanted to start this new series by celebrating the work of artist Keith Haring. Today is the anniversary of the proclaimed artist’s death. Haring is remembered for creating work that expresses concepts of birth, death, love, sex and war by utilizing colorful graphics with sharp, defined lines. His work can be found in galleries all over the world and in collaborations with other artists and designers.

In 1988 Keith Haring was diagnosed with AIDS; and in 1989 he established the Keith Haring Foundation which provided funding and imagery to AIDS organizations and children’s programs.  Sadly, Keith Haring died of AIDS related complications at the age of 31 on February 16, 1990.

Keith Haring
Haring's Work
Haring's Work
Haring's Work
Tommy Hilfiger X Keith Haring Collection for Kids. Find it in Collette's Eshop: http://www.colette.fr
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Uncategorized

DNC/BABY/DENVER DOESN’T SUCK UPDATE

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It was nice to take a trip and since I've started Junkprints clothing this has been the longest period of time I've been away from Brooklyn. So it was def much needed. I had a chance to get some thinking in and this trip changed my whole perspective on alot of things, politics babies, family, lifestyle etc. I'll keep it simple in this recap and first talk about the show I had the honer to participate in. When I first saw the address for the Gallery all I could think of is how cracky the area was. It's been a minute since I've been in Denver. The last time I was there, a gallery such as Andenken did not exist and the area that Andeken lived in was the home of raves and crack heads. At that time Denver art work pretty much consisted of commissioned oil pastels and bronze sculpture of buffaloes, Indians and cowboys aka lame as hell. As if the institutional brick and brown skyline isn't enough. It's as if city planning didn't want anyone to forget that the most amazing part of CO is the epic endless sky (god forbid you'd go their anything else...I swear if I had one more moron make a dumb ass comment about my dreads I think I would have cut my leg off and stuck it up their...we'll just keep this rated pg13). Anyhoot, when I pulled up to this awesome warehouse space my jaw just about dropped. The place was super awesome and for a quick second I forgot all about the oversized bronze live stock littered all over the city and disguised as art. I was pretty inspired. Yay! Go Denver for keeping up on yer Juxtapose Mag and shit. Didn't know you had it in ya. After dropping off my art work. My dad took me to go see Rick Griffith at Matter Studio. He gave me and the fam a tour our his fantastic design and letter press studio. Damn I miss that studio. Wish I had had a chance to go back while I was in Denver, but ya'll should def check out his work. It will enhance your like...or at least affect it in some shape of form. It's good to see Rick doin' his thing and holding down those presses. Next time I'm out there I wanna intern at Matter, or at least take the trash out from time to time.

 

After that I pretty much stayed close to my pal Naomi, I planned this trip around her due date. Yep that's right my gal (and her man) brought a freakin child into the world. Generally I'm not really into babies. I appreciate them but they aren't my thing. They're fragile, they look funny at first, the shit and cry and need stuff all the time and a good chunk of them grow to be assholes. Yes, some of 'em grow up to be awesome folks, but let's not kid ourselves, even Hitler was someones lovable baby at one point. This baby is special though, because both of his parents are reasonable, open minded, free thinking folks and that just might be the formula for being parents. I don't know exactly what it is, but I was def inspired and kinda mushy on the inside for their fantastic family. "My own babies?" you ask...I wasn't that inspired, and anything that requires me to not roller skate or jump on trampolines for long periods of time is a hindrance to my quality of life, call it selfish but I know my limits. And then the show opened! Yah! Except for the art work wasn't freakin labeled. That's right, they did a group show, had a press opening and didn't label the work. Shepard Fairey was swarmed with press but the rest of us chumps (well the ones that were their to witness the show) were on our own. This sucked balls and I left shortly upon arrival pretty pissed off and ready to take my work off the walls. Sometimes I have a hard time asking for stuff and get all upset on the inside trying to figure out what's a fair request. This was one of those moments. So I decided to give the coordinators a piece of my mind the next morning and threatened to pull the work it wasn't labeled by noon on the terms that it was wack to invite artists to show work (many of it created specifically for the occasion of supporting the Democratic convention) and not to give them credit. WTF??? So after I spoke with them they assured me that the work would be labeled (after letting me know that it wasn't just my work that wasn't labeled, so basically they were doing  bunch of artists dirty not just me, yay! solidarity in your fuck up, that makes me feel alot better;) I had to check things out for myself . When I arrived they were in the midst of putting up maps and gallery guides for the art work so I labeled my own art work and spoke to them again, and well, I'm a sucker! They gave me passes to live performances there and I left with a smile. Sorry for all ya'll that didn't get credited, I can't fight all the battles all the time and my dilemma had been solved. Check this out...after I labeled my art work I got contacted by 3 publications that afternoon doing write ups on the show. Go figure.

After all that whoohaaa I finally had a chance to enjoy the show and enjoy the festivities. Over all  the show was great, I was super excited to be showing with a great group of artists. I know that the theme was Hope and Change but I didn't anticipate sooooo many portraits of Obama. I was taken aback by it and couldn't help but compair it to Nazi propaganda art. I don't remember an election that had so much iconic imagery centered around one man and his theme (maybe I'm too young). I am NOT comparing Obama to the Nazis, I am simply comparing the propaganda and effect on the audience. I literally saw folks in tears at just a mention of Obama and his intentions. It's awesome to see folks this moved but a bit concerning because ultimately the 'hope, change, believe' thing was put into production by a marketing team, with a target audience. Obama seems to stand behind this 100%, but it's still a sold concept like the 'Be Kanye' ads and I think it's important to keep things in perspective and use some media literacy to decipher this stuff as best we can. The show organizers had asked that some of the artist donate the art work to help raise money for the campaign. I know that campaigns are expensive and I appreciate Obama not taking money from private lobbyists but I can't cosign private jets and expensive dinners for Obama and crew, so I decided not to donate my piece and just felt that my artwork could serve a broader cause then that. I look forward to the elections and the debates and can't wait to see it all unfold. As a side note that Palin chick is wack and I'm not feeling the tokenism, McCain an peeps.

...and one more thing. If you find yourself in Denver, well Thorton to be exist. you must go to jump street...wall to wall trampolines. NO LIE! It smells like feet but after you get over that, you can play dodge ball on trampolines and get completely pooped out in less than 20mins.
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