Public Art Projects

Beautifying the town for its residents and visitors as it engages members of Akumal’s local community in hands-on activities, the second annual Akumal Arts Festival was held earlier this month. Along with local artists, dozens of artists from around the globe brought their talents to Akumal while paying homage to the coastal town’s Mayan culture. The image featured above was painted by Peruvian artist Joe Fernández Carrasco aka Zelva Uno. Several more images captured by travel and street photographer Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad while visiting the region follow:

Montpellier, France-based Arnaud DE JESUS GONCALVES aka Arkane

Mexico-based Argentine painter and muralist Jose Dios

NYC-based Chris “Daze” Ellis  posing in front of his mural in the “land of the turtles” — as Akumal is known

Mexican artist Sheick

NYC-based Key Detail

The itinerant Kiptoe

Photos: Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad

{ 0 comments }

Last year at about this time, the NYC Department of Sanitation issued a call for volunteers to transform 23-ton collection vehicles into works of art using paints that had been discarded. Over 100 artists submitted design concepts.

The final participants selected for this innovative project were:  Misha Tyutyunik, Victor A. Saint-HilaireDisterJillian White, and Lady K-Fever, along with visual art students from Long Island City-based Energy Tech High School. First displayed this past summer in Times Square, all five trucks were then on view this past Sunday in Union Square Park. Pictured above is one side of a  truck painted by Brooklyn-based Misha Tyutyunik.  Several more images we captured from the “Trucks of Art” parked in Union Square Park follow:

Misha Tyutyunik and Yonkers-based Victor A. Saint-Hilaire, aka Vash, the other side of the truck

Manhattan-based Dister pays tribute to the sanitation workers

Brooklyn-based Jillian White, DSNY civilian employee in Staten Island, with a message, “Rethink, Renew Reuse.”

Long Island City-based Energy Tech High School students

Bronx-based Lady K-Fever, Recycle, so the future can smell the flowers too’

And the other side of Lady K-Fever‘s truck

Note: Lady K-Fever‘s truck will be on display during the the official launch of The Bronx Graffiti Art Gallery’s “I love Graffiti” clothing series this coming Saturday, November 23, from 12 pm to 8 pm at Scrapyard NYC, 300 West Broadway.

Photo credits: 1, 2 & 5 Ana Candelaria; 3, 4, 6 & 7 Lois Stavsky

{ 1 comment }

A PangeaSeed Foundation public art program, Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans is committed to bringing the message of ocean conservation into streets around the world. With over 350 murals created in 15 countries, Sea Walls is a model of ARTivism on a global scale. During her recent visit to Cozumel, Mexico, travel and street photographer Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad captured several of the Sea Walls murals that have surfaced in this Caribbean island off the eastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.

Pictured above is Mapache’s Stare, a mural painted earlier this year by South African artist Sonny Sundancerfeaturing a pygmy raccoon endangered with habitat loss. Several more images of Cozumel-based Sea Walls murals follow:

Australian artist Meggs, Coral Conch Shell, 2015

Canadian artist Jason Botkin, Protect What You Love, 2015

UK-based Phlegm, Untitled, 2015

Mexican artist Secreto Rebollo, Letanía, 2019

Argentine artist Nicolas Romero Escalada aka Ever, Untitled, 2015

International duo Alegria Del Prado, Su Vida Es Nuestra Vida, 2019

Photos: 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

{ 1 comment }

An art lover and dear friend to so many street artists, East Village–based Steve Stoppert is a local legend. True to his motto, “Just Paint,” he is the force behind one of NYC’s most visible public spaces – the wall facing the Second Avenue subway station. Dozens of artists have painted there, and dozens more wait their turn. Recently, we had the opportunity to interview Steve in his Second Avenue apartment that brims with art — from floor to ceiling — in just about every media and style.

We are fortunate that you have made New York City your home. Where were you born? And what brought you here?

I was born in Pontiac, Michigan — a northern suburb of Detroit. I came here in 1992 for two weeks to remodel my sister’s bathroom. And I never left. She was living on East 6th Street at the time.

What was it about NYC that so drew you in?

The music scene. It was magic!  Seeing the Pavement at the Mercury Lounge on the Lower East Side. Hanging out at CBGB on the Bowery…

And what about NYC’s art scene?

I used to go on my own to the Met. But it wasn’t until an artist friend took me on a tour of the museum and introduced me to Cézanne that something clicked!

What is your first street art/graffiti-related memory?

Definitely Shepard Fairey. Seeing Andre the Giant everywhere!

And how did you become so deeply involved with the current scene?

I started going out with Fumero late at night. I was his “look-out.” I remember thinking, “If only I’d had an aerosol can in my hand when I was 15!”

How has the street art scene changed since you first began paying attention to it? 

It’s different. These days, there are lots of fluffy paste-ups, and just about everyone is documenting it. But I still love it.

What is your favorite aspect of the scene?

I love the hunt. When I first began in 2010, I was obsessed with Jim Joe. I used to hunt for him daily. I chased him everywhere between the Lower East Side and Tribeca competing with folks on Tumblr for the most Jim Joe sightings.

For the past several years you’ve been curating a hugely visible wall right on your block. How do you decide which artists to feature?

I have a list of about 80-100 artists who’ve approached me. We simply select a name at random from a hat. Each month the wall changes.

What has the experience been like?

I love it. I love working with artists. I don’t even mind when they’re flakey or late. I just go with it.

How do you deal with the ever-present politics in this scene?

I ignore it completely.

Do any memorable experiences stand out? 

Fun times! When City Kitty got up on the wall and changed it 6-8 times within three months. And, of course, riding on my bike at 3am to 4am with flashlight and bike light – not knowing what I will see that I haven’t seen before.

What do you see as the future of this scene?

It seems to be at an all-time high with its increasing appeal to commercial buildings and high-end hotels.

Yes! It certainly has changed since I first fell in love with it! And we are thrilled that you are doing what you are doing. The wall that you curate is one of our faves.

Images:

1. Steve Stoppert in front or wall painted last Sunday by Key Detail

2, Noted California-born artist and musician Paul Kostabi

3. The itinerant Sirus Fountain aka Pyramid Oracle

4. Bronx-based Zimad

5. Brooklyn-based Argentine artists Magda Love and Sonni

6. The prolific Optimo NYC aka Optimo Primo, Werds and No Sleep

7. Brooklyn-based Argentine artist Ramiro Davaro-Comas

Interview conducted by Lois Stavsky and Ana Candelaria and edited by Lois Stavsky

Photo credits: 1-3 & 5 Lois Stavsky; 4, 6 & 7 Ana Candelaria

{ 0 comments }

Opening this Saturday, November 9 at 9127 East 5th Street in Downtown Los Angeles is “The Streets Are Queer.” Presented by In Heroes We Trust and Rainbow Walls, it features works by over two dozen self-identifying queer North American artists who have left their mark on our streets. Featured above is LA-based figurative painter and muralist David Puck at work on a portrait of Vanessa Vanjie. Several more public works by a small sampling of the artists featured in “The Streets Are Queer” follow:

Brooklyn-based photographer and filmmaker, Daniel “Dusty” Albanese aka the Dusty Rebel, currently at work on a book and documentary about queer street art

New Orleans-based Brooklyn-native Hugo Gyrl

The itinerant São Paulo-native Suriani

NYC-based Patron Saint of the Underground Jilly Ballistic 

UK-based duo The Postman

LA-based Homo Riot

Curated by Homo Riot,”The Streets Are Queer” continues through December 7.

All photos courtesy the gallery

{ 0 comments }

I love when artists bring their talents to NYC public schools, not only beautifying them but also conveying positive messages that encourage dialog. And the best of these projects involve and reflect the members of the immediate community. Prospect Heights-based Jeff Beler has done it again! Following his wonderful transformation of PS 9, he has recently brought his passion and curatorial skills to PS 321 in Park Slope, Brooklyn. While there this past Thursday, as several artists were adding finishing touches to a huge wall in PS 321‘s school yard, I had the opportunity to pose a few questions to Jeff:

This looks great! I’m so glad you guys are bringing your talents to local schools. How did this come to happen? 

PS 321 PTA co-president Lauren Gropp Lowry had seen the STEAM Mural Project I had curated over at PS 9. She, along with other PS 321 parents liked what they saw and wanted to bring a similar project to their children’s school. And they, then, proposed the idea to their school’s principal.

When did this project, No Place for Hate, begin? 

We began talking about it in June, but we didn’t want to start it until the school year began. We wanted the members of the school community involved in every aspect of its planning.

And what about the theme of it? How was that chosen?

There was a general consensus that the emphasis would be on promoting tolerance and kindness and taking a strong stand against bullying. And the students at PS 321 came up with the specific concepts.

How did you decide which artists to engage in seeing No Place for Hate through?

Through the projects I’ve curated in the past — particularly UnderHill Walls and the STEAM Mural Project at PS 9 — I’ve developed  many close relationships with artists. I have a strong sense of which artists I can trust to show up on schedule and which artists work well together. Among the artists who participated in this current project are: Subway Doodle, Justin Winslow, Jaima, Calicho Arevalo, Marco Santini, My Life in Yellow, Majo, Paulie Nassar, Raddington Falls, AJ Lavilla, Zero Productivity and Paolo Tolentino.

And I notice that you have students, parents and various members of the community involved today. You even have a local architect, @krassness, adding details to your buildings!

Yes, many members of the school community and folks who live in the neighborhood  have been involved, lending us their skills, since we began painting.

What were some of the challenges you faced in seeing this through?

I can’t think of any. Everything has gone so smoothly. And we’ve had wonderful sponsors. Among them are: Blick Art Materials, Starbucks Art Program, The Corcoran Group, Tarzian Hardware and Hanson Place Orthodontics.

How have folks responded to No Place for Hate? They seem to love it!

Yes! The response has been great!

Congratulations!

Images:

1. My Life in YellowJustin WinslowJeff Beler and more

2. Majo (pictured standing), Zero Productivity and Jeff Beler (pictured standing)

3. Calicho Arevalo and more

4. Subway Doodle and Paolo Tolintino 

5. Justin Winslow and Zero Productivity

Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky

Photo credits: 1-3 Lois Stavsky; 4 City-as-School intern Sage Ironwood and 5 City-as-School intern Angelize Santiago 

{ 0 comments }

The wonderfully talented Menace Two and Resa Piece have merged their sensibilities and skills to fashion a captivatingly stunning array of murals that have made their way not only throughout NYC, but across the country. I was delighted to have the opportunity meet up with them in their Bushwick home that they’ve aptly titled “Street Art Sanctuary ” — a spacious  graffiti/street art haven that Menace and Resa also host as an Airbnb. 

When and where did you first get up? And what inspired you to do so?

Resa: I started in 2015. The first wall I ever did was in the Bronx, but I painted mostly in Brooklyn at the time – often in Bushwick. What inspired me to? While I was living in Flushing, I used to regularly ride past 5Pointz on the 7 train. I thought it was all so amazing. I remember thinking, “Why would someone do this?” But it was awhile before I actually did it!   The sense that I had something to prove – that a female could create artwork on the same level as any established male artist — also drove me.

Menace: I was in the 7th grade in a local Queens public school. I was always drawing on my desk — anime at the time. One of the kids sitting next to me said I’d be good at graffiti. He introduced me to graffiti, encouraged me and invited me to join his crew, BTC. That was the beginning. I was 12 years old.

You’ve both painted in both illegal and in sanctioned places. Which do you prefer?

Illegal. Painting “without permission” is far more validating!

Have you exhibited your work in gallery settings?

The streets are our gallery.

What about the increasing engagement of street artists and graffiti writers with the corporate world? Would you consider such a collaboration?

It depends. No one can dictate to us what can or cannot do.

Have you any thoughts about the graffiti/street art divide?

Our job is to bridge it! It’s all about respect.

What is your main source of income?

Painting commissions.

Did you have you a formal art education?

Resa: I did not attend a specialized art college, but at Binghamton, I majored in both Art History and Studio Art. I will always remain grateful to the late Professor George Dugan for his support and encouragement.

Menace: I studied Graphic Design in college, but I never graduated.

How does your family feel about your passion for art?

Resa: My mom initially fostered it. She enrolled me in art classes when I was eight years old. But then when I wanted to go to an art college, her response was, “You’re too smart to be an artist.” And so she encouraged me to go into the art business. But after interning at Christy’s and working for a collector, I came to understand that the art market is driven by billionaires. I know now that I want to focus on creating my own art and not marketing other artists to the richest 1 per cent. And at this point, my mom understands and respects what I’m doing.

Menace: They intensely disliked my passion for graffiti. I was often getting into graffiti-related trouble in school, and any time my parents saw me writing graffiti, they’d scream at me.  They couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t just “draw something pretty.” My father and I fought just about every day. But my parents have since come to accept me. It helped that in honor of our mothers we painted a mural featuring a tiger mom embracing her cub for the Boogie Down event at the Bronx Zoo for Mothers Day, 2018.

When you paint in public spaces, do you work with a sketch-in-hand or just let it flow?

We generally work with Photoshop mock-ups.

Are you generally satisfied with your finished piece? 

Generally, we are.

What percentage of your time is devoted to art?

100 %.

Have you any other interests or passions?

Resa: Not many.

Menace: Video games.

Are there any particular cultures that have inspired your aesthetic?

Hip-hop and New York flavor, in general.

Who are some of your favorite artists? Artists who have inspired you?

Resa: There are so many – BK Foxx, Royyal Dog, El Mac, Meres, Jerms, Topaz, Seen, Skeme

Menace:Reach Eight, Glossblack, Revok, Saber, MSK

How has your work evolved in recent years?

It’s gotten much better. While touring the country, we felt we had to prove something at each stop!

In your cross-country venture — #paintloveacrossamerica — you hit several key cities from Philly to LA painting a range of spectacular murals — some with permission and others without. Does any particular memory stand out?

When we had reached LA, we asked an established street art organization to help us find a legal wall. When assistance didn’t come our way, we found — on our own — one of the largest walls in the heart of the LA  arts district. When the cops rolled up, we didn’t know what to expect, but they expressed appreciation for our work. And when the owner came by, we convinced him that we are in the process of beautifying his property. The final mural — one of our favorite ones — is a visual representation of our collective prayers.

No doubt that what hat you painted was a gift  — however ephemeral — to the city!  What’s ahead?

More painting, of course! And our ultimate goal is to create a community center that serves as a base for us to teach painting and mural-making skills to others.

That sounds wonderful! And thanks for sharing your talents and visions with so many of us.

Images:

1 “Madonna Menace” in Bushwick, JMZ Walls

2 Close-up of Resa and Menace captured at work in Bushwick, JMZ Walls

3 “What a Wonderful World,” portrait of Louis Armstrong, in Esst Harlem, GrandScale Mural Project

4 “When the whole world is silent/Even one voice becomes powerful,” portrait of Malala in Bushwick

5 “Believe in the Reality of Your Dreams,” in Bushwick

6 “Real Eyes Realize Real Lies,” portrait of Tupac in Wynwood

7 “Protect,” Unsanctioned mural in LA’s arts district

Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky

Photo credits: 1-3 Lois Stavsky; 4 & 5 Ana Candelaria; 6 & 7 Courtesy of  Menace and Resa

{ 1 comment }

From October 10 to October 14, BLINK Cincinnati  — a light and art event featuring large-scale projection mapping, light-based sculptures, interactive art, live performances and mural art — attracted close to 1.5 million people. Spanning over 30 city blocks from the banks of Northern Kentucky to downtown Cincinnati, it was the region’s largest event ever. While much of BLINK Cincinnati was ephemeral, the 16 murals produced are expected to be part of the region’s visual landscape for quite some time. Pictured above is the hugely talented Beau Stanton in front a segment of his mural depicting the Greek God Atlas “carrying the burden of the earth represented as a fragile object, a glass rose window sourced from the nearby Cincinnati music hall.”  Several more images — all captured by  travel and street photographer Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad — follow:

The German duo Herakut, “The Young Can Learn From The Old Can Learn From The Young…”

LA-based Chris Chan Shim aka Royyal Dog

The Amsterdam-based The London Police; pictured here are Bob, Chaz, Chinny Bond and Chaz’s brother, Douglas.

The Amsterdam-based Colombian artist Chinny Bond, captured with Vintage Polaroid  SX-70 camera provided by B&H Photo

Puerto Rican artist Bikismo and his flying pig

 New York City-based Logan Hicks standing in front of his mural

LA-based South African artist Keya Tama sitting in front of his mural

Photos by Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad with sponsorship by B&H Photo

{ 0 comments }

A free four-day event taking place from the banks of Northern Kentucky to downtown Cincinnati, BLINK Cincinnati is one of our nation’s largest light and art festivals. Under the curatorial direction of  BLINK partner The AGAR, over a dozen new murals are currently underway or near completion. Featured above is the increasingly itinerant ELLE at work. Several more images — all captured by  travel and street photographer Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad — follow: 

Polish artist Natalia Rak

Miami-based Tatiana Suarez

LA-based Chris Chan Shim aka Royyal Dog, captured with Vintage Polaroid  SX-70 camera provided by B&H Photo

NYC-based Logan Hicks and son with work-in-progress

Portuguese artist Vhils

South African artist Faith 47  (center) with her son, Keya Tama, and Tyler B Murphy — captured with Vintage Polaroid  SX-70 camera provided by B&H Photo

BLINK Cincinnati continues through this Sunday, October 13.

Photos by Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad with sponsorship by B&H Photo

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 }

This is the 15th in a series of occasional posts featuring the range of faces that have surfaced in NYC open spaces. The image above featuring Lauryn Hill was painted by the Brooklyn-based “dynamic duo,” Menace Two and Resa Piece with JMZ Walls.  Several more images of captivating faces that I’ve come upon in my relatively recent meanderings follow:

San Juan, Puerto Rico-based Son Coro in Bushwick

Mexican-born, NYC-based Maria De Los Angeles, painted on glass at Pratt Institute on West 14th Street

Netherlands-based Michel Velt at the Bushwick Collective

Asian-Canadian multi-media artist Jess X Snow, curated for Art in Ad Places by Dusty Rebel in the Village

Sicilian duo Rosk & Loste at the Bushwick Collective

UK-based Dreph at the GrandScale Mural Project in East Harlem

Photos by Lois Stavsky

{ 0 comments }