31 May 2009

Joe Iurato Show

Rex and :01 (Joe Iurato)Rex and Joe Iurato

Last weekend, I had the chance to head up to Montclair, Jersey to meet Joe Iurato and check out his artwork. I found it an awesome collection of stencil work that had some amazing detail. In a field that is becoming more popular, Joe is indeed someone who could rapidly be an essential part of the stencil world.

It took a bit of adventure (and a little misadventure) for me and my two other Musketeers Sarah and Allison, but after a long cab ride after the train ride, we finally found it. Good times. For more art information on Joe without having to go on an adventure, check out THIS SITE after enjoying the pics.

Joe Iurato

Joe Iurato Show

Joe Iurato

Joe Iurato Show

Joe Iurato

Joe Iurato My personal favorite

Check out here too

Click on the picture to see the full article

25 May 2009

Wounded in Action: An Exhibition of Orthopaedic Advancements in Art

Wounded in Action: An Exhibition of Orthopaedic Advancements in Art celebrates those heroes who have had orthopaedic injuries as a result of serving our country in war. From World War II to Korea to Viet Nam, from the Gulf War, to Afghanistan to Iraq, thousands of military troops serving the United States have had extreme and severe musculoskeletal injuries.

This exhibition also recognizes those orthopaedic surgeons who, throughout history, have risked their own safety to care for our troops, to save lives and limbs, to advance medical treatments, and to conduct research and learn from war in order to better treat those who sustain orthopaedic trauma.

Wartime experiences have changed the course of orthopaedics. The sheer numbers of the wounded; the opportunities to attempt bold new surgical treatments, the creation of hand, burn and amputation centers, fracture care, the use of new drugs and biologics, and the tremendous need for rehabilitation has challenged every medical professional, but particularly orthopaedic trauma surgeons.

As US military initiatives continue overseas, approximately 82% of war injuries involve the extremities. These injuries are often multiple and severe with the majority caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs), rocket propelled grenades (RPGs), as well as various high velocity assault weapons.

Given the current conflicts in both Iraq and Afghanistan, there is a growing demand for increased medical research focused on veterans with multiple severely injured extremities. Now, more than ever, the medical and military communities need the ability to research innovative techniques to restore functionality to save injured extremities.

American troops injured in Iraq and Afghanistan are more likely to recover than those from any other war. Modern medical care can save troops whose injuries would have been fatal in previous wars.

The art in this exhibition will reflect what has been learned in trauma care throughout history that affects how trauma patients are treated today and the impact war injuries have on the lives of those injured, their families, and the doctors who treat them.

This Exhibition is a tribute to injured troops, civilians, and the orthopaedic surgeons who are caring and have cared for them as they served and/or serve our country in time of crisis.

Submissions will be accepted beginning May 15, 2009, and due October 15, 2009.

For more information, visit: WOUNDED IN ACTION

22 May 2009

Joe Iurato - Solo Show at Cafe Eclectic

Rex is excited to be able to get out of town and visit some of the folks who have supported NoLA Rising in the past. So, this Saturday night, Rex will bear royal greetings to :01

If you're in the area, come check out the show!



This Saturday, May 23rd, Joe Iurato presents his solo show at Cafe Eclectic between 5 & 9 p.m.

:01
Joe Iurato
Solo Show

CAFE ECLECTIC
400 BLOOMFIELD AVENUE
MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CHECK OUT STENCIL HISTORY X FOR JOE'S SHOW HERE

25% of all proceeds to go to Wine for Water non profit org

20 May 2009

INSPIRATION 3: TEL AVIV!!!





INSPIRE Collective and NOA AYA are proud to present the third annual Inspiration Art Exhibition: INSPIRATION 3!!!

We asked over 100 public artists local and worldwide to show off some inspiration!
DJ Markey Funk will be spinning records live on May 21st for the opening of the open air exhibition...As May 21st approaches , be sure to check the INSPIRE Collective site online for location details and more!

www.inspirecollective.blogspot.com


For the last three years, the Inspiration Art Exhibitions are public art activist events so they're always free and for the people! Each year, the shows are sponsored by artists who contribute to the show & by people like you who contribute towards more creative & cooperative public efforts like this one...
Love and respect...

www.idiotthewise.com

16 May 2009

Save Our Schools NoLA Inaugural Shindig

After stopping by the Kelly Israel Art House Benefit at the NooMoon Compound, c'mon past the Save Our Schools NoLA shindig and enjoy some music and entertainment. After both, there will be an after party at the SKULL CLUB.

Save Our Schools NOLA's Inaugural Shindig: "A COMMUNITY CELEBRATION OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS"

Date:
Saturday, May 16, 2009 from 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM (CT)

Location:
Federal Reserve Bank Ballroom
(The Security Center)
147 Carondelet Street
New Orleans, LA 70130

For more info, CLICK HERE

14 May 2009

Benefit Art Auction for Kelly Israel's Art House

SATURDAY MAY 16TH, NOON TO 8 P.M. - 823 ST. ROCH AVENUE

NoLA Rising is glad to join forces with NooMoon Tribe, FUNROCK'N, and Skull Club for a benefit art auction & BBQ to support Kelly Israel's Art House. Join us as we get our grub on and enjoy artwork that has been donated to help benefit the Art House.

13 May 2009

WOOSTER IN THE WHITE HOUSE - Marc Explains...

Wooster In The White House - An Explanation

It’s amazing how times change.

When Sara and I started the Wooster Collective eight years ago, it felt to us at the time that the ONLY lens the media was providing as a way into understanding street art and graffiti was vandalism. As a gatekeeper, mass media’s control of what was being said about graffiti and street art made it impossible for most people to appreciate the positive role that it can play in our lives. The media had shut out, and refused to amplify, any diversity of thought. And because of this, graffiti has never been recognized by mainstream society as an “important” art movement. Even though it’s in every city in the world.

We want this to change.

The great thing about the Internet, as we all know, is that no media company or city government controls it. Any of us, including two people who happen to live on Wooster Street, can become a media entity. All they need is a point-of-view. By simply celebrating unauthorized acts of public art when it seemed nobody else was - and then having people spread the positive message it sends - Wooster, by happenstance, has in essence become a media entity.

As the popularity of the Wooster website started to grow, and we began meeting other people who felt the same way as we did, it quickly became clear to us that MANY people understood that graffiti and street art was not about just about vandalism. But rather, that it raises important issues about the need to reclaim our public space; the need for us to affirm our existence on this planet by writing on walls; the need and importance of spontaneous acts of creativity to make our cities more “livable”. And so, so much more.

So last month when we received an invitation to attend a briefing at The White House (yes, that one), we were at first a bit shocked, definitely skeptical, and finally, after giving it a lot of thought - absolutely delighted. To be included in the conversation at the level of The White House, we felt, was a huge testament that our voice (meaning our collective voice) was being heard.

Yesterday, along with about sixty amazing organizations who are committed to grassroots arts initiatives, we met with various officials in the Obama Administration, to listen and learn what the administration was thinking in regards to the Arts, to ask questions, and then to participate in working sessions on issues that we felt passionate about. (Ours was the need to better understand the issues around public and private space)

We know that a lot of people will hate us for going to The White House. But for us, the goal of attending the meetings yesterday was not to attempt to “partner” with government on anything. Or to ask for their acceptance. The power of street art is that you don’t ask for, nor need, permission. At best, it’s about tolerance and understanding.

For us, we felt the issues related to the disappearance of common access to our public space and the need for a deeper understanding of what is and what is not “art” should not be limited to those who read blogs – especially ours. Talking solely to “the converted” will get you only so far. We learned a while back that when you have a chance to sit at the table you take it. Even if those around the table are not people you fully trust.

So all of this is to say that we felt that by going to meet with officials in the new Obama Administration we were representing not us, but all of you. It wasn’t about stroking our ego or having a photo-op with the President (which didn’t happen). It was about letting people who make decisions at the highest level know that the definition of what "art" is needs to change in our society. If art is "over there" and health and science and transportation is “over here" - then art will always be something that is perceived as elitist, misunderstood, undervalued, etc. It will always be something that is only found in museums and in galleries, not put on our streets and on our walls with the artist taking the risk of getting arrested.

Again - our definitions need to change. An we think Obama can do that. At the very least he can start to move the needle forward.

The amazing thing we found out yesterday is that there are people working directly for Obama who get it. We know this not from what they said, but from the diversity of their backgrounds.

Yes, there are indeed graffiti artists working in The White House!

On Monday, when we told a friend that we were heading down to Washington to participate in these meetings, he said - “That what I voted for!”

We felt the same way.

And that's why we went to the White House.

Posted by marc at THE WOOSTER COLLECTIVE

11 May 2009

Hephaistos features an excellent article about New Orleans Sculpture



Hephaistos, a well respected and internationally known German metal arts magazine, gave props to New Orleans as being a world arts destination. Here's to the sculptors who've helped beautify New Orleans through their work. For those interested in reading Hephaistos, it does come out in an English version as well...

10 May 2009

Quote of the Day by Brack Obama

Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it's not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. It's whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.

* Barack Obama

A Mural in Williamsburg from Max O



As our esteemed colleague Max Left travels up to Philly to visit some folks with the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, he's getting around some of the spots that have been "muralized". Yes, I just made up that word...

Here's one from Williamsburg:

NoLA Rising plans a New Orleans mural

A group of New Orleans art activists hopes to produce the nation's longest mural on a length of floodwall in the Lower 9th Ward.

The painting would stretch along the east side of the Industrial Canal from North Derbigny Street to Florida Avenue, bordering a neighborhood that suffered apocalyptic flooding when the wall gave way after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The plan: 65 artists would divide the concrete ribbon, each rendering a version of a New Orleans home, symbolically rebuilding a part of the city that is still largely empty. At 3,900 feet, the mural would outdistance the somewhat similar 2,754-foot Great Wall of Los Angeles.

All the mural-makers need is permission and money.

One of the goals, art activist Michael "Rex" Dingler said, is to improve the quality of life by discouraging graffiti.

"This is not going to be a graffiti wall, in no shape or form, " Dingler said. "There will be no graffiti style."

Dingler, a maritime shipping agent and former Marine, is an unlikely Crescent City counterculture icon. In the months after Katrina, he took it upon himself to replace lost street signs with colorful substitutes fashioned from storm debris. He and friends branched out, creating folksy wooden signs that read "smile, " "laugh, " "joy, " "sing, " "dance, " "keep the faith."

He called his self-styled public art project NoLA Rising.

Not everyone appreciated Dingler's street-level cheerleading. Anti-graffiti patrols painted over his placards and eventually he was fined $200 for illegally placing signs on telephone poles. Though Dingler says he's never taken to the streets with spray paint, he soon found himself a cause celebre among the city's pro-graffiti faction.

Instead of illegally posting artworks, Dingler began hosting paint parties where anyone could make NoLA Rising-style signs. Now he hopes to make the leap from small signs to one of the world's largest artworks.

He and a handful of friends have begun transforming NoLA Rising into an official public institution, forming a board of directors and applying for nonprofit, tax-exempt status so they can raise money for the mural they've dubbed the United Artist Front.

In April, the group auctioned 165 pieces of donated art (including works by notable graffiti artists) at the Old U.S. Mint, raising roughly $8,000 for the mural.

Next, Dingler says that NoLA Rising will seek the go-ahead from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and New Orleans City Council. NoLA Rising will select the artists but, he said, area residents may have a role in dictating the style and content of the painting.

Darlene Mosley, a lifelong resident whose home was flooded and who recently moved into one of Brad Pitt's "Make It Right" houses, has a view of the wall from her porch. Like others in the neighborhood, she offered guarded approval, so long as the mural doesn't depict anything "nasty, " as she put it.

"It would be nice to look at something different, " Mosley said. "There's nothing to look at over there now . . . the bridge and traffic and boats that pass by, that's it."

Jane Golden, executive director of the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, has overseen the creation of the 3,000 gigantic paintings that speckle that cityscape. Murals can be a social and economic boon, she said, adding that start-up projects should "be cognizant of capturing the voice of the community. . . . If you start with something great, it will lead to other projects."

Golden said that in the early days of the Philadelphia mural project, spray paint was not allowed, though many of the artists were one-time taggers.

Dingler said he accepts graffiti-style painting as a valid art form but he doubts spray painting will play a part in the mural, which he hopes will deter taggers.

Others, such as West Coast anti-graffiti crusader Randy Campbell, say graffiti artists will not avoid another artist's work.

"In the case of the murals in Los Angeles, many were artistic murals and had nothing to do with graffiti, and these got vandalized by taggers more than the graffiti-style murals did, " Campbell said via e-mail. "Vandals do not respect any property."

Dingler argues that a legitimate mural program might help break the tit-for-tat struggle that's taking place in New Orleans, in which graffiti tags are covered in gray paint by anti-graffiti activists.

If things work out as he hopes, the three-quarter-mile mural might lead to similar painting projects on other walls that ring the flood-prone city.

"We want a whole program for the whole city, " Dingler said, "given that we are a city of walls."

---
Except pulled from Nola.com and can be found at this LINK

09 May 2009

POP CITY T-SHIRT PROJECT! Tonight!


POP CITY T-SHIRT PROJECT
3430 St. Claude Ave • (504) 528-5889

Art and Rock Show

Featuring art by:
Rachel O'Brien (Manwitch)
Kenny Sunera (Spickle)
Michelle Lacayo (Manwitch, Terranova)
Brett Davis (Spickle)
Gregg Harney (Spickle)
Catherine Terranova (Terranova)

With music by:
Terranova, Spickle and Manwitch

Proceeds to benefit the SPCA

Event Hours: Saturday, May 9th, 6 - 9pm

For other goings on in the neighborhood, check out www.scadnola.com

07 May 2009

New Website Launch - NOLA RISING . ORG


Howdy Everyone!

NoLA Rising is proud to announce the launch of its new (& official) website created and designed exclusively by Lance @ HOUNDSTOOTH MEDIA:

WWW.NOLARISING.ORG

While the blog will still be a functional aspect of everyday news-sharing, the website will be the official page. Stay tuned for a bold new look on the blog as we update away on both sites.

We couldn't have made the website a reality without the technical genius of Lance Vargas at Houndstooth Media...check him out and get yourself a site...

And, as always, thanks for supporting NoLA Rising!

06 May 2009

Students of NoLA Rising present Swamp Swap at Tulane University

Moving out? Got stuff to get rid of? Wanna exchange your trash for treasures?

On Thursday, May 7th from 2-4:30pm, Students of NoLA Rising will be hosting Swamp Swap on Tulane University's UC Quad (McAlister Dr.).

The Swamp Swap is a community bartering event in which people can come and exchange anything: from goods like clothes, furniture, books, art, and food to services like tutoring, music lessons, and bike repair...even ideas!

Get creative! Anything can be brought and exchanged; the only catch is: NO MONEY!

This event is completely free and open to the community. (And if you can’t make it, don’t worry. There will be more Swamp Swaps to come...)


...Because community matters!!!

01 May 2009

Video/Preview: Logan Hicks & Broken Crow - “Broken Horse” Exhibition

BROKEN HORSE : ARRESTEDMOTION.COM from joe russo on Vimeo.



Stencil sensations Logan Hicks and Broken Crow (Mike Fitzsimmons & John Grider) took some time do an interview with AM for their upcoming “drive-by” show “Broken Horse.” The much anticipated urban stencil show will be held in an awesome venue that was once the Hamilton Savings & Loan in Brooklyn, opening tomorrow, May 1st, from 7-11pm. Keep in mind that this show will only be up through the weekend, so be sure to check it out before it closes Sunday.



Video shot and produced by Joe Russo (AM-NY)