Live Painting at Saturday Stroll!

Every third Saturday, during Saturday Stroll, artists, Jesse Smith and Bizhan Khodabandeh paint live outdoors on the 200 block of W. Broad Street. Guest artists are regularly invited to paint along side Smith and Khodabandeh. This is a chance for art goers to witness both the process and the final product. The final 4' by 4' wood panel pieces are available for sale at reasonable prices.

Jesse Smith is an internationally recognized tattoo artist and illustrator, currently tattooing at Ghostprint Gallery. Jesse has received numerous awards for his Tattoo work and has also been featured in many national, and international, publications. He was recently included in a book called  "Tattoo Prodigies" which included 83 of the most innovative tattoo artists to date.

Bizhan Khodabandeh is a local graphic designer and design instructor for both higher and K-12 education. He has received numerous international and national awards for his design work, including: placing in Adbusters’ One Flag Competition, selected for Good 50x70’s poster project and recognition for his “I Dream of a Richmond ...” Campaign by the American institute for Graphic Arts’ via the International Cross-Cultural Design Awards.

Saturday Stroll is a daytime initiative created by downtown Richmond businesses to encourage local shopping, dining and public festivities in Midtown Richmond. Saturday Stroll takes place on the 3rd Saturday of every month from 11AM - 4PM. This even is free and open to the public.

Inspiration, Cool Stuf, Art, Etc #30

8 Lessons for Creating Social Impact

How Laws Are Made Infographic Seen on Flowing Data.

Instant Electric Bike/Data Collector convert your bike to a data collection device.

Little Green Thumbs-farming project for elementary school.

Fallout Flashmob in Switzerland Green Peace's response to the the reintroduction of nuclear power.

Bicycle Portraits: Everyday South Africans and Their Bicycles.

Gulf Charity Poster

New Work: Comics and Posters.

Below are select pages from Samad Behrangi's "The Little BLack Fish" artwork by Bizhan Khodabandeh












Above: Cover for "The Little Black Fish" with custom logo type referencing Persian calligraphy and comic lettering.



Above: Illustration and Design for Chili Cook Off by Bizhan Khodabandeh

I have also been working on a logotype for a Jewelry store that has yet to be given the go ahead ...

... and posters for both poster4tomorrow.org and good50x70.org, however, I do not think you are allowed to post your submission anywhere until after the contest

I will soon post posters, images and info for Gallery5's Sustainable Richmond exhibition.

Inspriation, Art, Cool Stuff, Etc #29

The 100 Brands Project from Robin of Shoreditch on Vimeo.

Steal from the rich and give to the poor.

Institute for Urban Design-hosts a symbposium June 4th on planning strategies for more socially, economically and environmentally sustainable futures for Haiti.

Museum of Arts and Design exhibitions the Handbuilt Bicycle.

A visual history of the US Supreme Court

A visual history of the American Presidency

Give a Breast To Give Life -ecouraging women to choose to breast feed. The Video is Puerto Rico and has been unreasonably flagged on youtube once for offensive content.

Investing in Haiti Women

Space Monkey-It's not a planet, it's our home. A collaboration between the World Wildlife Fund, Ben lee & Leo Burnett

Inspiration, Art, Cool Stuff Etc #28

Abelianas from miguel jara on Vimeo.

Glad Gets Louder article reviewing the identity for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

DesignCertification.org - debating design certification.

Is Our Fashion Also Our Identity? - article about fashion as identity.

Artist, Mutate Britain, On the Robin Hood Tax

Richmond's 2nd Annual May Day Parade

Richmond's humble contribution to the international marches, parades, speeches and rallies on May Day, International Workers Day.

This is our day! International Workers Day! Our day to recognize and appreciate the social and economic achievements of the international labor movement. The struggle began in 1884 when the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions passed a resolution that would enact an eight-hour workday beginning on May 1, 1886. On May 4th, 1886 during a general strike for the eight hour day in Chicago, police fired on strikers and killed a dozen people in what has become known as the Haymarket Massacre. In 1890, Labor activists, Leftists, Socialists and Anarchists began celebrating May 1 as the International Worker’s Holiday to achieve “…the legal establishment of the
8-hour day, the class demands of the proletariat, and universal peace.”

Below is video of the guest speakers.

Speakers at Richmond, Virginia May Day Parade - May 1, 2010 from Silver Persinger on Vimeo.

Below are a select few images thanks to my amazing wife, Amanda Robinson. More images will soon be posted on MayDayRVA.org.

Design Vs Poverty

Bizhan Khodabandeh spent the past few weeks developing this illustration for a contest Design Vs. Poverty. Part of the brief discusses how poverty and war are intertwined. I spent extra time trying not to imply specific races, regions or military/militia. I am happy with the end result, although, I wish had more time to meditate on the image. You can find the image on the Design Vs. Poverty facebook group and "like it!" There are so many wonderfully executed posters in the their photo album. It is definitely worth while to look at.

Introductory workshop on flyer design

Bizhan Khodabandeh is representing There Once Was A Rebellion (T.O.W.A.R.) by hosting a flyer design workshop as part of a workshop series in conjunction with Richmond's second annual May Day Parade. The workshops will be held today and tomorrow.

I encourage people to participate in as many workshops as they want. Participants are not required to participate in the parade to attend the workshops. More info about the rest of workshops and the May Day Parade is available here.

Info about our workshop
Title: Introduction To DIY Flyer Design
Description: The first job of flyer design is to retain an audience’s attention. It is arguable that the average person spends 11 seconds deciding whether or not they want to ignore a flyer – when in passing. There are several design tools available to aid one in acquiring the attention of your audience. This workshop will go over several of these rules and provide a mini exercise to practice composition.

This workshop assumes that people have access to a word processor, a printer or copier, a pair of scissors or exacto knife, paper and glue. Materials will be provided.


Facilitator: Bizhan Khodabandeh

Short bio: 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 fascinated by how art and design can be a catalyst for social change.

Website: www.thereoncewasarebellion.org

Suggested Material for Reading: “DIY Design” by Ellen Lupton, “Typographic Design” by Rob Carter, Philip Meggs and Ben Day, Type and Image by Philip Meggs

ARGS Student Work

Appomattox Regional Governor's School is having it's annual Spring Visual Arts Gala.

Opening Reception
Friday For The Arts, May 14th 6-9pm.

At The Petersburg Area Art League
7 E. Old Street
Petersburg, VA 23803
804.861.4611

Opening Hours
Tues-Fri Noon-6PM
Sat 10AM-4PM




Below are Illustrator portraits created by a selection of my students as an exercise in the pen tool and clipping masks. This work will be exhibited at the exhibition.

By Jake Dorsey


By Henry Schick


By Lia Bayne


By Holly King


By Ben Copolillo



By Alex Kolb



Below are a selection of information graphics developed from data gathered by students about their day. These images are also intended to be exhibited at the exhibition.

By John-Charles Holmes


By Fasendria Mungin


By Kevin Zweerink


By Boon Snavely


By Jimmy Cloutier

This years May Day Parade bandanna.

This year's May Day bandanna was designed by Bizhan Khodabandeh and references the May Day Parade poster design seen at the end of this post. The theme of this year's parade is the sabo-cat, a symbol of wild cat strikes, and threat to the "bosses." More info about the sabo-cat - as well as a sabo-cat poster designed by Bizhan Khodabandeh - can be found at maydayrva.org.


Above is a detail of the bandanna. The patterning is a reference to M C Escher's work. A repeated geometric pattern of a cat alternates between black and white. This was a particularly difficult image to create - more difficult than the cat and cat-worker illustrations seen on the poster.


Above is an image of the bandanna while it is being worn. The cat mouth becomes part of the wearer and a direct metaphor that comments on the sabo-cat as a device to amplify a worker's voice.



Above is the original poster design by Bizhan Khodabandeh for May Day.