Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

Still I Rise

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

Maya Angelou

NoLa Rising Arrives in San Diego

Custom NoLA Rising Posters Now Available

New, custom made posters showcasing the fighting spirit of NoLA Rising is now available through our good friend and ally, Mags. If you would like one of these beautifully appointed posters for your collection, visit Mags at

http://www.artbymags.com/

Those of us at NoLA Rising are looking forward to having Mags back at home (in NoLA) where she belongs. For those of y'all interested. This will also be the design of our first solo t-shirt. Stickers of this design will be coming out in the next week or so.



Plans are also well underway for our partnership with DEFEND NEW ORLEANS for a joint venture shirt coming out this fall. This strategic partnership transcends business as we are in the final stages of setting up our status in Louisiana as a non-profit, where J.C. of D.N.O. has decided to join the board and continue the battle for the culture of New Orleans on another front.

RIP SOLVE - Brendan Scanlon

ReX sends his second official letter of condolence to the family of Brendan Scanlon. Though ReX and Solve had never met, ReX has long admired many of his pieces from afar. We here at NoLA Rising have seen what violence does to a city, a family and the spirit of community. Let us honor him for his conviction and celebrate his life. For more information about our fallen brother, check out a flickr group honoring him:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/ripsolve/



Click on the NOTICE to enlarge and read. NoLA Rising will be sending a donation to the Madison East High School, In honor of Brendan Scanlon, 2222 E. Washington Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin, 53704 and we kindly request that you consider also.

G.I.T.M.O. Arrives on the Scene

ReX has received a message today from G.I.T.M.O., the group taking responsibility for the F. RAdTke stencils of his face and the empty bubble...emblematic of the fact that he has nothing interesting or worthwhile to say. It's an open-ended project (revolution!) that allows the passer-byer to fill in statements according to their sentiments. Here is what G.I.T.M.O. has to say to introduce themselves and their call to action:

G.I.T.M.O.
Galloping Indelibly Toward Mass Outfreakage

Greetings citizens of New Orleans, we are G.I.T.M.O.
We are one and many.
There's a chance you have seen our handiwork around town.
If you haven't, here are some examples:




You will soon be seeing xeroxes of the stencil with instructions at various locations around town.
this is an open invitation to anyone who wants to join in on the fun.
This fall be on the lookout for phase 2 of G.I.T.M.O.
sincerely,
G.I.T.M.O.

DISCLAIMER: I would like to add that I am unaware of the members of G.I.T.M.O., but their recent efforts show that they are many and they are strong. In other news, F.R. allegedly attacked a boy yesterday in the Lower Garden District with mace pepper spray...details to follow once I get a full report and can accurately make a news report.

What is Art? - Dave Bachli shows XO Studios to Doug McCash from Times-Picayune

Dave Bachli shows XO Studios to Doug McCash of Times-Picayune. See what he has to say here:

X/o Studios

NoLA Rising Photo Triptych by Robin Walker

This following is a repost from Robin Walker about a photo shoot we did. I personally believe that Robin is one of the ten best photographers in the city and is getting better by the day. You can see some of her work HERE. ALSO, click on the picture if you'd like to view the full triptych...



Now for the Re-post:

Statue: Jaggedsoul
Body Painting: Michael Dingler
Artist, Fred, Tagger: Michael Dingler
Lighting designer/technician/badass assistant: Max Prophet
Photographer: Robin Walker
This little brainchild of mine was inspired by Mike Dingler's recent legal battle with the city of New Orleans, posed upon him courtesy of Fred Radtke.

For those of you not from New Orleans or not in the know, I'll give you a synopsis:

Michael "Rex" Dingler is an artist in New Orleans who founded Nola Rising, a project that creates signs that bear messages of hope for a floundering city and posts them around the city. They are usually brightly colored pieces of art that generally make people smile. Many other people joined the Nola Rising family and started creating art and helped him hang it around the city.

Fred Radtke is a generally hated radical vigilante who started Project Clean Sweep in New Orleans. His non-profit organization’s goal is to wipe out graffiti in the city. He does this by smearing gray paint on any piece, bomb, tag, or sticker he sees. He’s even been known to paint over flyers people have posted. Graffiti artists respond by painting over the gray blocks. Some have created stickers with stylized images of Radtke that read “Fred Radtke is a ticking time bomb” or “Fred Radtke is a criminal”. Recently, someone started stenciling a photo of Fred’s head with the text “Fred Sez” underneath him and an empty word bubble over his head so that taggers can voice their dislike for the violent “activist”. His most recent endeavor: painting over Nola Rising artwork, which is in no way graffiti.

Late last year, he launched a personal vendetta against Michael Dingler and set out to “financially cripple” him. He got the city involved and Michael was cited on many different counts and faced a potential fine of $50k.

Instead of stopping his project, it brought more publicity to it and rallied more people behind him. The Nola Rising family grew and soon hundreds of signs were created. Benefit shows were held and money was raised for Michael’s defense fund. A petition was passed around stating that Nola Rising was much loved art and not graffiti.

When the court date rolled around, Michael was ready and Radtke made a fool of himself in court. In the end, he was basically given a slap on the wrist and a $200 fine. He was told he couldn’t personally hang the signs anymore. It was a small victory for Mike and Nola Rising, but we’re sure Radtke’s fight to stop his project will not end. The good thing is that this has raised a lot of buzz on Radtke’s actions and the widespread dislike for him, and the numerous lawsuits raised by business and property owners whose properties he’s illegally painted on, have come to light. I think New Orleans will soon see a stop to this villain.

I want to thank Rex Dingler, Max Prophet,and Jaggedsoul for all of their help on this project. Without them, this idea never would have come to life.