3/30/10

Free film showing of "The Take"


Tuesday, April 13, 2010
6:00pm - 9:30pm

At Gallery5
200 W. Marshall St.
Richmond, VA


Potluck at 6:00pm
w/musical performance by
WM Draper, Brennan Chambre, & Jordan Chu

Film showing begins promptly at 7:30pm


Film Synopsis
In suburban Buenos Aires, thirty unemployed auto-parts workers walk into their idle factory, roll out sleeping mats and refuse to leave.

All they want is to re-start the silent machines. But this simple act - The Take - has the power to turn the globalization debate on its head.

In the wake of Argentina's dramatic economic collapse in 2001, Latin America's most prosperous middle class finds itself in a ghost town of abandoned factories and mass unemployment. The Forja auto plant lies dormant until its former employees take action. They're part of a daring new movement of workers who are occupying bankrupt businesses and creating jobs in the ruins of the failed system.

But Freddy, the president of the new worker's co-operative, and Lalo, the political powerhouse from the Movement of Recovered Companies, know that their success is far from secure. Like every workplace occupation, they have to run the gauntlet of courts, cops and politicians who can either give their project legal protection or violently evict them from the factory.

The story of the workers' struggle is set against the dramatic backdrop of a crucial presidential election in Argentina, in which the architect of the economic collapse, Carlos Menem, is the front-runner. His cronies, the former owners, are circling: if he wins, they'll take back the companies that the movement has worked so hard to revive.

Armed only with slingshots and an abiding faith in shop-floor democracy, the workers face off against the bosses, bankers and a whole system that sees their beloved factories as nothing more than scrap metal for sale.

With The Take, director Avi Lewis, one of Canada's most outspoken journalists, and writer Naomi Klein, author of the international bestseller No Logo, champion a radical economic manifesto for the 21st century. But what shines through in the film is the simple drama of workers' lives and their struggle: the demand for dignity and the searing injustice of dignity denied.

3/25/10

My student wins a National Gold Key

My Appomattox Regional Governor School student, Keven Zweerink, recently was awarded a National Scholastic Gold Key for his theater poster (seen below). He will soon be traveling to New York for the award ceremony.



More about the Scholastic Awards can be found on their website.

3/23/10

Gallery5's 5year celebration and fundrasier!


Poster by Bizhan Khodabandeh

Gallery5's 5 Year Anniversary
Every Friday in April (2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th)

We at Gallery5 believe that Richmond has a flourishing cultural community, home to many great artists. We are proud to be a part of this growing arts community and for being a catalyst for many creative initiatives. Over the past five years, Gallery5 has produce a wide array of art events featuring some of our region’s greatest talents and has served as Richmond’s launching pad for countless emerging artists. We exist to provide them with a space to share their innovations and to engage others.

Gallery5 has received many notable recognitions and awards over the years because of our collaborations with this art community.

Some of our awards include

- Theresa Pollock Award for Excellence in the Arts for “Arts Innovator” 2008.
-“Best Art Gallery” in Richmond Magazine’s 2007 Best and Worst of Richmond Awards.
- Finalist in the Virginian’s for the Arts’ “Rising Star” category of the Art’s Builds Community Awards.
-“Gallery with the Most Attitude” Richmond Magazine’s 2009 Best and Worst of Richmond.
- Featured on the front page of the Travel section of The New York Times in their article “36 Hours in Richmond: A Where to go guide for Richmond”.
- Style Weekly’s Top 40 under 40 awarded to several of our staff members and collaborators.

In April 2010, Gallery5 will be arriving at an important milestone... we will be proudly celebrating our 5th anniversary! We have devoted each Friday in April to showcase some of the best artists, performers and exciting new events that our great culturally diverse community has to offer. We hope that you will join us in supporting these amazing artists who make our city a better place
to live and work.

Each of these Friday events will celebrate a different aspect of our history, culminating in an exclusive Members Appreciation Night on the final Friday, April 30th. Our goal for this month-long celebration is to raise awareness of the arts, highlight forthcoming projects and to expand our audiences and supporters.



Schedule of Events
First Friday, April 2nd
First Friday Opening Reception
Our opening exhibition showcasing photographs from the past 5 years of Gallery5 by over a dozen talented local photographers. Live performances by musical, dance and theater groups will accompany the exhibition. Special outdoor performances by Dj's Reinhold and Conway Jennings with PLF celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Burning of Richmond. Featuring Indoor Performances By: Prabir and the Goldrush, Haints in Holler and Nahuatl Poetry
7PM FREE

Friday, April 9th
An evening of live performances for our loyal music creators and supporters.
Featuring the Ultra Dolphins CD Release Party. Also appearing will be one local and one touring band.
7PM $5

Friday, April 16th
The Science Museum of Virginia Presents:
Gallery5 after 5: A Happy Hour Lecture Series
An early bird music and lecture series geared towards young professionals and local art supporters. This event will feature The Dvorak American Quartet and special guest speaker David Oli from the Science Museum of Virginia presenting The Map of the Stars, a captivating lecture on the night sky and the origins of constellations.
5PM $5

Friday, April 23rd
Boylesque: An all-male variety show
A selection of community members, artists and local celebrities will bare it all in this comically inspired variety show.
8PM $7

Friday, April 30th
Exclusive Members Appreciation Night
Featuring live entertainment from two local bands, DJs, catered food, film projections, and more!
7PM Free with Gallery5 Membership

Galvanized Monstrocities


A three person exhibition of works by James Callahan, Matt Deans and Bizhan Khodabandeh. These illustrators have been highly influenced by sequential art, an art form beginning to receive recognition through long standing institutions such as the Eisner Awards, established in 1988. Galvanized Monstrosities moves sequential art and illustration from their origins on newsprint to the art print and installation.

7-10pm Friday, April 9th
At Black Hand Coffee Shop
606 North Sheppard Street
Richmond, VA 23221-1712

Artist BIOS

El Aquador


James Callahan, creator of Barf Comics, is an artist and writer for a host of international publications including his own graphic novel "Rotting in Dirtville", and the comics Booyah the Oblitorator, and the Barf Comics annual. In addition, he is art director of the skate magazine Born Ugly, owner of Nowhere Skateboards, and lends his skills to a bevy of commisioned illustration projects. Known as a connoisseur of cookouts, purveyor of comedy, and antiquarian of wasted time, the man known as Barf is currently on the "no entry" list to multiple countries and nation states.




Gills And Wings

Matt Deans is a full-time digital printer, part-time screenprinter and part-part-time illustrator. When the world was young in 2004, he started a screenprinting art club with some like-minded friends and it was called Team 8. Under the monicker of Team 8, he has contributed art for several t-shirts, album covers, poster, websites and public restroom stalls. Team 8 currently exists as an independent small business specializing in hand-printed gig posters and art prints. In 2008, Team 8 and Velocity Comics published a series of minicomics, one of those said minicomics being Tom Batten and Matt's La Viande est Mauvaise, which received outstanding critical praise from Matt's mom.




Nong Toom


Bizhan Khodabandeh is a visual communicator who moves freely across the professional boundaries as a designer, illustrator, artist and activist. His works vary from small graphic art projects to major public campaigns such as the internationally recognized, "I Dream of a Richmond . . ." project. Khodabandeh is particularly facinated by how art and design can be a catalyst for social change.

He was recently honored as one of the "Top 40 Under 40" Class of 2009 by Style Weekly Magazine. The descriptive article included....."In a town filled with noteworthy visual designers, Khodabandeh is one of the most influential — and prolific."

The work included in Galvanized Monstrosities, exhibits some of his illustrations and fine art prints. These prints exhibit frustration as dissent and surrealistic environments as escape. Most of the work is a combination of traditional and digital media, walking the fine line between commercial and fine art.

Khodabandeh is currently working on a graphic adaptation of Samad Behranghi's, The Little Black Fish, a children's story about questioning authority and finding the answers through exploration.

He teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University and Appomattox Regional Governors School. He is also the Design Director of Gallery5 and freelances under the name, Mended Arrow Design.

3/12/10

Fight Cyber Censorship!


Today is the international day against cyber censorship, an initiative promoted by Reporters Without Borders.

To know more about the campaign, please read the official statement "Enemies of The Internet"

To aid them in their fight against internet censorship, they are asking people to spread the logo around on facebook, your website or any other internet forum. The logo is available at the Reporters Without Borders website.

3/7/10

May Day RVA website launch!


MayDayRVA.org


I recently helped contribute a modest amount to the development of this website. The site provides photos, information, history, and an up to date calendar of related events for this years May Day Parade scheduled May 1st, 2010 in Richmond, VA.

3/2/10

Inpiration, art, cool stuff, etc #27

Typographic animation from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation about the future of US health care.

1 Hour Design Challenge - a challenge for architects to design short-term emergency shelters specific to Haiti.

This week is Global Ignite Week. More info here.

Carry Hope challenges designers to create a design for tote bags to be sold on MyDesignShop.com. Porceeds will benefit the cause of their choosing.

Crumpled City Maps an article about maps designed to be easily crumpled up instead of a complex folding system.

Z Magazine Campaign- Z Magazine is a publication that German homeless sell to generate revenue.

Model Citizen opening this Friday


I have a T-shirt design in the fashion art exhibition, Model Citizen, at Gallery5. The exhibition opens this Friday, March 5th. The shirt, Indigenous Resistance, is available for purchase on Team8 Press' website.





Gallery5, Rumors and CECO Studio Present:
Model Citizen

Gallery5 is excited to announce the first annual, Model Citizen. This two-day event and month long exhibition will showcase the best of Richmond’s fashion industry and seeks to inform the audience of the abundance of local talent and offerings. This exhibition is created to encourage our community to support their locally owned businesses by shopping locally. The event will feature runway shows, student design work, exhibition openings, craft vendors, musical performances, and more - highlighting our favorite boutiques and fashion designers. According to show coordinator Casey Longyear from Rumors, "I wanted to really display elements that are the heart of this city regardless of age or interests. This fashion show recalls the history of the city, recognizes the beauty of the river and parks, pays attention to the dirtiness of the streets, and showcases the ability to express yourself.

Model Citizen Facebook Page
/ Ceco Studio


SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

FREE Friday, March 5th
7PM - 11PM First Friday Opening Reception

We kick things off Friday during the First Friday Art Walk, with multiple exhibition openings in each of our gallery spaces.

Featured work will be exclusively from Richmond artists and designers and will include fashion illustration and photography. Original textiles and accessories will be showcased by Live Models throughout the evening. These live mannequins will also display looks from the winners of our Young Designer competition, showcasing the best fashion design work from area students and recent graduates. Vendors will be located both up and downstairs selling handmade designs and Gallery5 will feature a wall of local T-Shirt designs that will be available for easy sale by local artists such as Barf, Thief and Bandit, Flux Rad, Bizhan Mended Arrow and more! Live music will take place on both floors!



$7 Saturday, March 6th
Doors 8PM, Fashion Show 9PM
Dance Party 10PM and on
Model Citizen Fashion Show
Sponsored by: RVA Magazine and CECO Studio

The main event continues Saturday night with runway shows from Richmond’s best boutiques, a juried show with looks from the Young Designer finalists, hair and makeup provided by CECO Studio, raffles, and more with music provided by some of our favorite local DJs. After the show, the excitement continues with the official after party held right here at Gallery5.

Participating boutiques include:
Need Supply Co.
Dominion
Pink
Eurotrash
Halcyon
Exile
and others.

Golden Key Awarded to Two of My Students

Two of my Appomottax Regional Governor School students received a Golden Key for the Regional Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards by National Judges. Students used knowledge of semiotics to develop posters for a school performance of "The Crucible."


by Keven Zweerink


by John-Charles Holmes

3/1/10

Repressed V: Free To Speak submission deadline is coming up.



REPRESSED V: FREE TO SPEAK May 2010

DEADLINE IS MARCH 6th

What makes statement driven art so emotionally powerful? It being witness to a piece of work that creates a bond between you, the viewer and the creator of the piece. A bond that can change the direction of thought and purpose. A successfully executed statement driven piece can be the catalyst that inspires the average person into an active agent for change. Art exists in societies to create shared dialogues and experiences. No matter the medium, art and artists can be the spark to establishing a commonality, to allow us to empathize with each other and encourage altruistic pursuits for the greater good.

Dedicated to social awareness, Gallery5 invites visual and performing artists to submit their statement focused work to Repressed V: Free to Speak.

More info and an application can be downloaded here.



Free film showing of "Heavy Metal In Baghdad"


Presented by the Lucent Phoenix

FREE March 16th
potluck begins at 6pm
film begins at 7pm

At Gallery5
200 W. Marshall St
Richmond, VA 23220
www.gallery5arts.org

About:
"Heavy Metal in Baghdad is a feature film documentary that follows the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda from the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 to the present day. Playing heavy metal in a Muslim country has always been a difficult (if not impossible) proposition but after Saddam’s regime was toppled, there was a brief moment for the band in which real freedom seemed possible. That hope was quickly dashed as their country fell into a bloody insurgency. From 2003-2006, Iraq disintegrated around them while Acrassicauda struggled to stay together and stay alive, always refusing to let their heavy metal dreams die. Their story echoes the unspoken hopes of an entire generation of young Iraqis."

"Film Synopsis" Heavy Metal Baghdad. 2007. VBS IPTV. 1 Mar. 2010 http://www.heavymetalinbaghdad.com/about.html.


Official website:
http://www.heavymetalinbaghdad.com/