Public Art Projects

In addition to the first-rate graffiti in the vicinity of Philly’s 5th Street and Cecil B Moore, the entire city is home to a remarkable range of public art — hosting everything from striking unsanctioned interventions to hundreds of hugely impressive murals. The image featured above is the work of Philly-based Adam Crawford. Several more images I captured on my recent visit to Philadelphia follow:

Baltimore-based duo Jessie and Katey 

Philly-based crochet street and installation artist Nicole Nikolich aka Lace in the Moon

Philly-based San Salvador-born Calo Rosa

Philly-based Jes

And Philly’s iconic stikman

Photos by Lois Stavsky

{ 0 comments }

Focusing on street art, graffiti and creative urban culture, UP is a provocative cutting-edge NYC-based quarterly magazine.  Launched in spring 2019, each issue spotlights a specific theme. Its first (sold-out) issue features several articles on money-related issues, and its second highlights matters of travel and place, as they relate to urban culture.

Lower East Side-based photographer Anna Candelaria introduced me to UP, and I was impressed by its in-depth coverage of the contemporary global urban art scene. Last week, Ana joined me as I met up with its chief editor, T.K. Mills.

Can you tell us a bit about UP Magazine‘s mission?

Our mission is to provide the art community with provocative writing that reflects the critical issues of our generation. We strive to present to our readers high-quality articles that investigate, inform, and entertain. Like good art, UP Magazine is made to make you think and make you feel.

What attracted you to urban culture? Particularly street art and graffiti?

After I had received my Masters Degree in Global Affairs from NYU, I wasn’t quite sure what direction my life would take. Shortly after Trump was elected President, I decided to visit Cuba. That’s where I first discovered my love for graffiti. I kept seeing 2+2=5. It seemed to be written everywhere. At first I couldn’t figure it out, and then I realized it was a reference to George Orwell’s 1984  — which certainly seemed relevant at the time. I even got to meet the artist. From that point on, I began paying close attention to the writing on the wall!

Before launching UP Magazine, had you any experience writing on this topic for other publications?

Yes, I wrote for several platforms including Sold Magazine, Open Letter and Art Fuse. I was also hired by a company, Saga, to interview West Coast-based street artists. When the company ended up not publishing my interviews after taking a different direction, a few of us began thinking about starting a new publication that would focus on urban culture.

How did you assemble such a dedicated and talented staff? 

Awhile back, I met Vittoria Benzine, a Brooklyn-based street art journalist and personal essayist, outside McNally Jackson Bookstore in Soho. As we began talking, we discovered our common interest in urban art. She then introduced me to Christina Elia, a freelance writer with a BA in Art History Communications. From there the crew grew to close to a dozen people, including street photographer Lonnie Richards, our Director of  Videography.

You have produced two excellent issues, each over 100 pages. What were some of your challenges in seeing this through?

The biggest and main challenge is finding sponsors and raising money to make this magazine happen.

Where is Up headed?

The only direction is up. We plan to further develop and expand our print and online presence. And we are looking forward to the launch of our third edition — with its focus on community — this spring.

That sounds great! I’m certainly looking forward to your next issue. And good luck with it all!

Note: Be sure to check out Up Magazine’s website and online shop. And with the promo code streetartnyc you can purchase issue II of Up Magazine at 25% off.

Interview conducted and edited for brevity by Lois Stavsky with Anna Candelaria

Images

1 Illustration of T.K. Mills by Vanessa Kreytak

2 Cover of Issue #1 featuring artwork by Fumero

3 Spread from Issue #2,”The Banksy Tunnel,” written by Candelaria Barandiaran with photos by Sabrina Ortolani

UP pop-up in Miami

5 Photo of T.K. Mills by Gabriel Ortiz, Jr

{ 0 comments }

Under the curatorial skills and direction of NJ-based Darrius-Jabbar Sollas aka Nasty Neo, the rotating walls in Hackensack’s Union Street Park brim with bold rhythms and swooping patterns. Featured above is the work of NYC-bred, Jersey City-based Raul Rubio aka Sue Works. Several more recently-captured images follow:

New York-based Jamie Hef

Bronx native Yes One

Brooklyn-based 5PointzCreates founder Meres One

Bronx native Abe BT5

Bronx native Pase BT

Bronx Team veteran writer Jew

A segment of the park — featuring (from left to right) TenseOneMeres OneSue Works, Sade TCM, HefPase and Jew

Photos: Dani Reyes Mozeson

{ 0 comments }

Conceived in 2014, the RAW Project has been bringing color, intrigue and inspiration to schools in Miami and beyond at a time when American schools continue to see their programs defunded. During the week of Art Basel 2019, a group of local, national and international artists painted murals at the Enedia W Hartner Elementary School and the Jose de Diego Middle School. The mural featured above was fashioned by the Netherlands-based duo  Telmo Miel. Several more images — all captured by travel and street photographer Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad — follow:

Frankfurt-based Case Maclaim

  Montreal-based Kevin Ledo

UK-based Dale Grimshaw

LA-based Eric Skotnes

Miami native Amanda Valdes

London-based Fin DAC

Photos by Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad 

Note: Hailed in a range of media from WideWalls to the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.

en-play-badge 2

{ 0 comments }

During the UN Climate Change Conference COP 25 held earlier this month in Madrid, Spain, NYC-based Greenpoint Innovations teamed up with Barcelona-based, Cuban-American artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada.

Two new street art murals, fashioned by the hugely talented artist for the first international activation of Greenpoint Innovations‘ art plus purpose series, now grace Madrid’s visual landscape as they bring awareness to the impact of climate change.

Pictured above is Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada‘s completed mural, Past, Present, Future, featuring a portrait of Hilda Pérez, a leader of the Indigenous Ashaninka Community and Vice President of ONAMIAP, the    National Organization of Andean and Amazonian Indigenous Women of Peru.  Several more images of the two murals, captured by photographer Fer Alcalá, follow:

Past, Present, Future — in progress

Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada at work on Forest Focus — an eye of Planet Earth with the Amazon rainforest as the pupil and Chile clearly visible as a homage to the official COP 25 host country. The mural shines a light on the opportunity to address natural forest loss as a pathway to climate stability, habitat conservation, and ecosystems preservation.

Forest Focus, the completed mural

Greenpoint Innovations founder and curator Stephen Donofrio with Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada

The wall host for the murals is the Occupational Center in Lineal City ( Centro Ocupacional Ciudad Lineal), a center for people with intellectual disabilities.  Aligned with the goals of GreenPoint EARTH, this facility is dedicated to helping people develop professional, personal and social skills.

The project was completed with support from local and global organizations — including the City and Community of Madrid, UNFCCC, National Wildlife Federation International, Arbor Day Foundation and Forest Trends.

Photos: Fer Alcalá 

{ 0 comments }

Founded and curated by Miami-based Registered Artist, the Third Annual aWall Mural Projects took place in South Miami from December 1-8 bringing a diversely rich range of artworks to the Jorge Mas Canosa Middle School. Featured above is Richmond-based Wingchow. Several more images captured by travel and street photographer Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad follow:

San Diego-based Michelle Ruby aka Mrbbaby

 Massachusetts native Tom Bob

North Carolina-based Dustin Spagnola

 Malaysian artist Kenji Chai and to his right Texas-based Tarbox

Guatemala-born, Texas-based W3R3ON3 

Founded in 2017, the non-profit aWall Mural Projects is “built on the idea that through service, art becomes a catalyst for social change.” Its special emphasis is on transforming schools through large scale art including murals and installations.

Photos:Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad

{ 0 comments }

Curated by Museum of Graffiti co-founder Alan Ket, the museum’s exterior and the immediate environs host over a dozen murals in a range of graffiti styles. The exquisitely-crafted mural featured above was fashioned collaboratively by: Hiero Veiga, Bacon and Quake. Several more of these recent murals, captured by travel and street photographer Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad this past week, follow:

UK-based Lovepusher in his inimitable 3D style

Eurotrash at work, and to his left — Miami-native James Monk aka Rasterms 

Miami’s Sinse at work with Amsterdam-based calligraffiti master Niels Meulman a.k.a. Shoe‘s “Museum of Graffiti” signage looming in the background

NYC-based graff masters Ces, Yes2, Doves and Mast

Miami native Abstrk with Lima-based Entes

Photos: Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad 

{ 1 comment }

Earlier this fall, ST.ART founder Kamilla Sun traveled to Kathmandu, the capital and largest city of Nepal. On a voluntary mission — with money raised through a crowdfunding campaign to procure art supplies — Kamilla taught young Napoli students how to transform their school’s drab, dingy walls into vibrant, colorful ones.  

The “Start With A Dream” project, explains Kamilla Sun, “aims to teach the little builders of the future how to imagine, dream bigger and create.”  The vast majority of Nepal students live in poverty and have had little exposure to the arts.

Renowned NYC-based artists Jason Naylor, Sonni Adrian and Adam Lucas created simple mock-up mural designs that the students easily recreated for their school’s walls under Kamilla’s guidance. Other artists who contributed to the project include Agata Wojcierowska and Natasha May Platt aka Surface of Beauty.

Pictured above are the student participants in front of their collaborative mural, “Dream,” as designed by Jason Naylor, and — below that  — the mural as painted on NYC’s Lower East Side by Jason Naylor and Surface of Beauty.  Several more images — all created by the young Nepali students — follow:

Designed by Sonni Adrian and painted collaboratively by Nepali students

Young artists pictured with ST.ART founder Kamilla Sun

Designed by Adam Lucas and painted collaboratively by Nepali students

Completed mural

Designed by Agata Wojcierowska and painted collaboratively by Nepali students

Completed mural

And you can watch Kamilla talk further about the project and view the youngsters in action here:

All images courtesy ST.ART founder Kamilla Sun

{ 0 comments }

Featured above in Part II of  travel and street photographer Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad’s documentation of Playa del Carmen’s delightful public art is another mural painted by the wonderfully talented Mexican artist Farid Rueda. Several more images of artworks captured by Karin on her recent visit to Mexico’s coastal town in Quintana Roo follow:

Mexican artist Minoz with the Dreamers Art Fest

Mexican artist and musician Ekza One

Spanish artist Dourone

Cancún-based Dherzu Uzala with Calles Corazón 

Urban art collective Pinta o Muere

Mexican artist Senkoe

Photos by Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad

Note: Hailed in a range of media from WideWalls to the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.

en-play-badge 2

{ 0 comments }

Among the cities situated along the Caribbean Sea that host a huge range of infectious public art is Playa del Carmen in Quintana Roo, Mexico. The mural featured above was fashioned by the Mexican artist Senkoe. Several more murals captured by travel and street photographer Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad, who recently visited the region, follow:

Mexican artist Farid Rueda

Italian artist Zed1 with the Dreamers Art Fest

Urban art collective Pinta o Muere. whose mission is to artistically transform damaged or forgotten public spaces

Also by urban art collective Pinta o Muere

And on a different note, France native Sbu One

Photos by Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad

{ 0 comments }