Repressed V: Free To Speak, Exhibition Opening!

I co-curate this annual socially conscious art exhibition. More info below.


Poster design by Bizhan Khodabandeh

Free
7PM First Friday, May 7th
Opening Reception and Art Exhibition

At Gallery5
200 W. Marshall St
Richmond, VA 23220
www.gallery5arts.org
804.644.0005

Perfomances By
(During the Opening)
Sundials
New Rock Church of Fire
Drunk Tigers
DJ Whitine

Exhibition Closes
Friday, May 28th

About
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.


Artists In Our
Main Gallery
Heidi Blackwood
Kit Boyce
Daniel Clarke
Chris Crisis
Assil Diab
Nathan Haenlein
Matthew Hawthorne
Meta Newhouse
Elizabeth Peters
Jameson Price
Katherine Pryor
Katie Rusch
Joe Scorsone
Pravin Sevak
Margot Splane
Cody Whitby

Artists In The
Lucent Phoenix
(Our Resource Center)
Karolina Bassi
Sean P. Castor
William L. Coleman
Marleigh A. Culver
Bekky Diniega
Anna M. George
Christine E. Gilboy
Tammy Huang
Rachel Kim
Evan M. Leggett
Corinne A. Murphy
Sarah K. Nelowet
Hunter Nye
Stewart A. Penson
Sarah E. Sheehan
James M. Steentofte
Zenzile X. Sky Lark


In GallowLilys
Nitty-Gritty
by Lova Revolutionary
the art & craft
of Jodie Haffa

Repressed V call for entries!

REPRESSED V: FREE TO SPEAK May 2010

José María Heredia - poet: inspired the Cuban people to stand up and fight against Spain.

Seymor Chwast-designer - illustrator: his anti-war poster "End Bad Breath" indirectly encouraged the anti-war movement
of the 70's.

John Lenin and Yoko Ono - famous musicians/artists: created the powerful anti-war campaign stating "THE WAR IS OVER...if you want it to be."

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 "DON'T NEED YOU:The Herstory of Riot Grrrl."

Tuesday, October 13th
6PM Potluck
7PM Film Showing
Discussion to follow.

At Gallery5
200 W. Marshall Street
Richmond,VA 23220

Description:
Once upon a time girls rallied together to publish their own zines, make their own bands and there was a declaration for "revolution, girl style now!" However, a decade and some change after riot grrrl occurred why are so many women reluctant to declare themselves as feminists? For girls living after the rise and fall of riot grrrl, in a so--called "post feminist" world, what is our agenda today? Are there women still yearning for something more in the underground.

Kerri Koch's documentary "Don't Need You: The Herstory of Riot Grrrl" sets out to chronicle a DIY movement which created a community for women, coast to coast, to make themselves heard. Tired of being eclipsed by boys in the hardcore and punk subcultures, women rallied together and began forming their own bands, publishing their own zines, running art galleries and overall establishing a community accessible and safe for girls.

Koch explores the origins and evolution of riot grrrl through interviews with those involved including members of Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, and Heavens to Betsy. A need for a safe and equal space for women in a subculture tinged with violence and gender discrimination is reiterated by almost every interview. The explosive force and growth of the community soon gained national attention and misrepresentation of riot grrrl came along with it. Mainstream media outlets portrayed riot grrrl as a novelty and used the popularity of feminist ideals in the underground to market products and a lifestyle to women. The exploitation of its original sentiments would eventually lead to the dissolution the movement. The film concludes by acknowledging that while riot grrrl dissolved almost as quickly as it began, it's influence (and perhaps need?) is still felt by young women today.

You still have a chance to win a DINO prize!

We wanted to thank everyone for participating and to let others know that it isn't too late to win a prize. We are extending the "WHEN DINOS RULE RVA!" project to the end of September so keep an eye out for maps and bones.

Also, shirts and prints are available at GallowLily's, the Gallery5 store. All proceeds benefit the T.O.W.A.R.'s Public Art Collective so that we can produce more work for all of you to participate in.

If this is confusing; check out this past blog entry for more details on the project.

WHEN DINOS RULED RVA!

Friday, Sept. 4th
7PM-11PM
at the Lucent Phoenix Resource Center
located in Gallery5
200 W. Marshall St
Richmond, VA 23220
804 644 0005

When Dinos Ruled RVA! is a publics arts project as faux archaeological dig. There Once Was A Rebellion's (T.O.W.A.R.) Public Arts Collective has buried 20 sculpted ceramic "dinosaur bones" around the city of Richmond. Maps of the bones' whereabouts will be placed near the dig sites - as well as The Lucent Phoenix Resource Center - with clues to help the People of Richmond find them. People are then to take the bones to the Lucent Phoenix before or during the opening reception, Friday, September 4th, to receive a prize. The opening reception of When Dinos Ruled RVA! will include dino themed refreshments, cartoons, prizes, shirts, posters and more! Please joins us in this fun adventure to promote the public arts and acknowledge our magnificent predecessors whom have shared our planet earth.



Below are jpgs of the maps to find the dinosaurs. Just click on them to see a larger image.

X MARKS THE SPOT!

New Work!

Posts have been scarce lately because I have been working on a lot of projects as well as course development for the three schools I teach at. However, I am optimistic due to the overwhelmingly positive response from my students last year. Many students stated that I should be out in the world creating work instead of educating; others say that I am the best teacher/professor they have had. Their comments encourage me to continue teaching and make me feel as though I am doing something important.

Anyways, here is some recent work.


The above project is for a musician whom is trying to entice people to take private lessons from him. The first image is intended to show what life is currently like and the second - when it is finished - will exhibit what life could be like. The final product will be in the form of a guerrilla marketing campaign similar to the tear off the phone number system seen in laundry mats, on telephone poles, etc.I will post the finished image shortly.





This poster was recently hand-screen-printed for an exhibition opening September 4th at The Lucent Phoenix Resource Center (located at Gallery5 200 W. Marshall St Richmond, VA 23220). I have been working with a great team of individuals developing ceramic bones, prizes, shirts, maps and stencils. The system will be posted in it's entirety by the end of this week.




Poster for Embedded Narrative, an art exhibition. The exhibition opens 7pm September 4th at Gallery5 (200 W. Marshall Street. Richmond, VA 23220).




Of course, I am still working on the little black fish. Recently, I have completed pencils for the cover. Otherwise, finding time to work on the comic has been difficult with all of the current work and course development. Please keep an eye out for updates on these projects!

Honorable Mention from the AIGA's XCD Contest

Our project, "I Dream of a Richmond . . .", received an honorable mention for the Cross-Cultural Design Competition.

Our project will be published in the October 2009 edition of China's Package & Design Magazine and featured in AIGA XCD'S online publications.

Competition Details:

"Celebrating the Role of Culture in Design
How do you express the intersection between Culture & Design in Today's World?

AIGA Center for Cross-Cultural Design (AIGA|XCD) is an AIGA National Chapter established to foster greater communication between designers across cultures, as well as a better understanding of the interwoven experience of design and culture in our lives.

After six years of working to connect culture and the design community, AIGA XCD wants to experience your version of the role that culture plays in design. Submit your print, video, photography or interactive pieces that you feel best answers the question: How do you express the intersection between Culture and Design in today's world?

We have gathered an unique, international panel of judges to review submissions. True to AIGA XCD, this panel was selected for their contribution to design and branding work across cultures and the globe."

Information taken from the official XCD website.

Free Film Showing!

Unfortunately our August film showing has been canceled. Here is what to look forward to in September.


The Lucent Phoenix Library presents a FREE film showing of:
Popaganda: The art and crimes of Ron English
located in Gallery5
200 W. Marshall St.
Richmond, VA 23220

FREE
Tuesday September 8th
Potluck begins 6PM
Film begins 7pm


For more info:
804 644 0005
www.gallery5arts.org


About:
POPaganda: The Art & Crimes of Ron English is a film about the culture-jamming and billboard-liberation antics of Ron English. The modern day Robin Hood of Madison Avenue, Ron paints, perverts, infiltrates, reinvents and satirizes modern culture on canvas, in songs, and directly on hundreds of pirated billboards. Shot entirely guerilla-style, the film chronicles the evolution of an artist who offers an alternative universe where nothing is sacred, everything is subverted and there's always room for a little good-natured fun.

The original 30 minute version has recently been expended to a full-feature documentary running time 82:00 minutes. This film is in competition for the Golden Gate Award!

Following the film there will be a discussion about statement focused are moderated by your friends at There Once Was A Rebellion.

May Day bandanas to be reprinted.

We are reprinting the bandannas I designed!


Due to the overwhelmingly positive response to the bandannas made for Repressed IV: May Day, we have decided to reprint another run of 100. The new bandannas will be hemmed, hand-printed with black ink on red fabric. They will be available at Gallery5 starting this Wednesday, May 27th from 11AM-6:30PM for a suggested donation of $4-10. All proceeds will benefit Gallery5 and There Once Was A Rebellion to continue to hold collaborative exhibitions and extend their mission each year. Your response to these exhibitions, projects and campaigns drive our volunteers to continue their efforts in organizing and executing this form of public art. Please stop by the gallery this Wednesday, Thursday or Friday from 11AM - 6:30PM. For all other hours or questions about reserving a May Day bandana, please email gallery5@gallery5arts.org or call us at 804 644 0005

Thank you for your support.

Gallery5 and T.O.W.A.R

Dinosaurs!

Working on these four illustrations for an interactive exhibition coming up.

The idea is to:
1. Sculpt several dinosaur bones and bury them in various places in Richmond.

2. Hand out "treasure maps" for people to find them and bring them back to the exhibition. (The bones will have an attached tag explaining the project and exhibition details.)

3. Participants will receive a prize if they bring the bones back.

4. Bones will be exhibited in their respective places on blown up dino-illustrations.

Anyways, not completely happy with these yet. Still working on how to compose the stampede and imply depth with a limited color palate. A composition similar to this will be screen-printed in 3 colors for the exhibition poster.

Exhibition is yet another project from the There Once Was A Rebellion public art collective.

Workshop with the YMCA

To coincide with the MAY DAY exhibition; we assigned kids from the YMCA (3rd to 5th grade) to make watercolor paintings and color pencil drawings of what they wanted to be when they grew up. The children were briefed not to restrict themselves to a known occupation, but to invent an ideal one. Then we gave them a second project.

For the second project, students were to illustrate people they would help - as the invented occupation - on a card. We explained to them that their philanthropy should not be restricted to something within their field. To better illustrate this idea, we gave examples of how some volunteer their services outside of their professional skills. One of the examples we gave was: "In Iran the wrestlers are generally the first to help during natural disasters (ex: earthquakes). They feel compelled to help because of how physically fit they are as well as they are taught to do so." The finished card is then intended to be presented to someone within the field - or closest to it - with the idea that it might inspire them to help others.

The majority of the students chose a teacher as their occupation. The most interesting invented occupation was a pastry chief astronaut.

Scans of their illustrations will be posted soon.

May Day: Repressed IV

This years Repressed IV was quite a success. Photos below. Photos of us screen printing the poster soon . . . really soon.


Some of my students' work


Live screen-printing of bandannas



Power To The Poster Exhibit



Photo from the May Day parade courtesy of Hassan Pitts


NOBS Brass band!!!

AND THE PARADE!!!
Photos by Hassan Pitts click here.

Photos by Jennida Chase click here.

Photos and blog entry by Wendy Hsu click here.