Teeming with color and charm, the huge wall at City-As-School on Hudson Street between Clarkson and West Houston in the West Village has been the talk of the town. I had the opportunity to visit it while it was still in progress and speak to CAS educator Maria Krajewski, who’s been devotedly involved with this project since it first began.
When did this impressive project begin?
Magda Love actually started her mural in May, 2016. But due to permitting issues, the painting had to be stopped four days after it had begun. We were told that we needed formal approval not only from the Department of Education, but, also, from the Department of Environmental Protection. About 25 people in the DOE and DEP had to approve the process. We had to work out insurance, liability, releases… That took about a year. We were so grateful to get the permit!
What is happening here is described as a project of the Mad Academy that you had co-founded. Just what is the Mad Academy?
It is a pre-professional training initiative that was developed as a collaboration among students, teachers and mentors. Its goal is to provide CAS students direct training in design, arts and music under the guidance of NYC’s top creative industry professionals.
I know that Magda Love has been involved with City-as-School now for several years. I remember the first mural that she had painted here. But how did you engage the Brazilian muralist Eduardo Kobra? His popular appeal is enormous!
Eduardo Kobra’s team actually approached us, as it was a great opportunity for him to paint on such a huge wall adjacent to a school building and to engage with students.
Working on a project this enormous must have posed many challenges. What were some of the main ones?
The enormous bureaucracy that confronted us in obtaining the necessary permissions to seeing it through was our greatest challenge. And funding, of course was another huge challenge. Once we got the permit, we didn’t have any money! When Lisi Gehrend joined the team to fundraise as part of her Master’s Degree in Art, Law and Business at Christie’s Education, the largest mural in NYC was finally underway
You’ve had quite a team. And how has the response been — from students and the community?
It’s been amazing. The community loves it, as do the students. They are, in fact, painting their own murals now on our building.
Congratulations! It is amazing! And it’s so wonderful how it all came together.
And some more action — with Zera to the right of Shiro
Also featured was an art gallery photography exhibition by Gloria Zapata that continues through Saturday, November 17. Here is one of Gloria’s photos featuring her original work:
Photos 1-7 by Houda Lazrak; final photo Gloria Zapata
Introducing the general public to an eclectic range of outstanding street artists from across the globe while boosting the development of the local street art scene, the third Russian biennale Artmossphere is now near completion. A particular highlight of this year’s Artmossphere was Shepard Fairey’s huge outdoor mural, Tunnel Vision, inspired by the bold aesthetics of Russian Constructivism. Several more images — representative of the wonderfully diverse artwork that made its way into Artmossphere 2018 — follow:
Shepard Fairey at work earlier on with a little help from his friends
Amsterdam-based Adele Renault at work on one of her signature birds with the legendary Martha Cooper capturing it all
Brooklyn-based assemblage artist Hyland Mather at work as he repurposes discarded materials into an intriguing installation
Swedish graphic designer Finsta’s completed installation
POW! WOW!, the international art movement that celebrates culture, music and art in cities throughout the globe, continues this week to enhance the city of San Jose. The image featured above was painted by Ivan Gonzalez. Several more works — many in progress and all captured by travel and street photographer Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad — follow:
Local artist Drew Flores at work — on ladder — with a little help from his friend
Dragon 76 and Woes — along with local students — posing in front of their mural
Iranian brothers, Icy and Sot at work on “Ladders to Nowhere,” a metaphor for the inhumane US prison system, which makes it almost impossible for a released prisoner to move up in society
Founded and directed by Jasper Wong, POW! WOW! is an international art movement that celebrates culture, music and art in cities throughout the globe, as it engages the broader community.
In 2017 — its inaugural festival in San Jose, California — it added 20 murals to the city’s landscape It is back again this week with new public murals, musical gatherings, educational programming and a range of diverse activities. Featured above is a close-up of a huge mural in progress by the extraordinarily talented twin brothers How and Nosm. Several more images from earlier this week — all captured by travel and street photographer Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad — follow:
The Audubon Mural Project, a collaboration between the National Audubon Society and Gitler & ____ Gallery, continues to enhance Hamilton Heights — the late John James Audubon’s upper Manhattan neighborhood — with a range of public artworks featuring images of of climate-endangered birds. Since I’d last documented this project, dozens of new murals have surfaced. The image pictured above features a pinyon jay, painted by Vermont native Mary Lacy. Several more follow:
If you are an artist and you would like to participate in this project, you can e-mail amp@gitlerand.com. And to find out how to help sponsor a mural, check here.
Two brilliantly conceived and beautifully executed murals – one by Sonny Sundancer and the other by ASVP – surfaced last month on the exterior walls of IS 318 in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Sonny’s mural– at the corner of Lorimer Street and Throop Avenue – depicts a Yawanawa girl from Acre, Brazil, along with a jaguar, representative of a species that is sacred to the indigenous peoples and at risk of extinction. ASVP‘s black and white tower mural — painted on the opposite wall — features an elephant, bear, tiger and more, all interdependent and threatened or endangered in some capacity.
While visiting the school last week for the murals’ dedication and ribbon cutting, I had the opportunity to pose a few questions to Greenpoint Innovations founder Stephen Donofrio, who had organized the The Point NYC project.
These hugely impressive murals are one component of The Point NYCinitiative. Just what is The Point NY?
Its mission is to respond to the human impact of climate change and to exercise the power we all have, particularly the youth, to take action for a better future.
And what inspired the direction that this project has taken?
It was inspired by a comic book story —Tre, by Sathviga ‘Sona’ Sridhar — about a climate change superhero. Sona had become passionate about climate change when her town in Chennai, India was flooded and when she heard about the Climate Comic Contest by UNICEF and Comics Uniting Nations, she decided to submit her art.
How did you connect with Sonny Sundancer and ASVP? Their murals are perfect for this project, as they are exquisite and brilliantly reflect environmental issues.
Karin du Maire introduced me to Sonny, and I met ASVP at the Moniker Art Fair in Greenpoint this past spring. Both Sonny and ASVP were ideal to work with, as they are not only wonderful artists, but caring people.
Were you presented with any particular challenges in seeing the project through?
Coordinating with the Department of Education was somewhat of a task. And then discovering that a segment of the wall that Sonny had completed had been coated to protect it from any lasting paint was another challenge. But – with considerable effort — we overcame them both!
How have the members of the local community responded to these two murals?
The response has been overwhelmingly positive. They love them.
The latest, soon-to-be-released edition of the street art coloring book series by Aimful Books, created by Diego Orlandini, features images of murals from the streets of Brooklyn, NYC’s Mecca of urban art. Intent on contributing to educating children across the globe, Aimful Books matches every coloring book purchased with a free textbook to a school-age child. Its ultimate goal is to provide a million free textbooks to children by selling one million street art coloring books.
While visiting PS9’s STEAM Mural Project in Prospect Heights last month, I came upon a delightfully playful mural gracing the outside of the school building. STEAM Mural Project curator Jeff Beler told me a bit about the intriguing visionary artist behind it — Cuban native Myztico Campo. I was delighted to, soon afterwards, have the opportunity to interview the Brooklyn-based, self-taught shamanic artist.
When did you first begin to make art?
My earliest memory is of melting crayons on the radiator, so that I could watch the colors drip. When I was about five or six, I started to draw.
What inspired you at the time?
I used to watch my father draw caricatures. I was fascinated.
Are there any other early art-related memories that stand out?
Growing up in Hells Kitchen, I attended Catholic school for twelve years. When I was 7 years old, I drew an image of Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs eating nuns. My classmates loved it. But the nuns didn’t; they were horrified. They responded to it by slapping me across my knuckles.
How did your family respond to your early art-making?
Both my parents were encouraging. They loved what I did.
What about your particular visionary aesthetic? When and how did that evolve?
When I was sixteen, I started to explore psychedelics — such as mescaline and peyote — and I began to have visions. I started then to create art that reflected an alternate consciousness. I felt as though I was connecting to the Godhead of infinite love.
Are there any specific cultures that have inspired or influenced your visionary aesthetic?
Among those that have influenced me are indigenous cultures… aboriginal, prehistoric and African.
Are there artists out there who particularly inspire you? Who impact your visionary aesthetic — or whose aesthetic you relate to?
Your artwork can be amazingly detailed. Approximately how long does it take you to complete a piece?
Anywhere between 40-60 hours.
Are you generally satisfied with your final piece?
There is always room for improvement; I sometimes go back to a “finished” piece and tweak it.
What percentage of your time is devoted to art?
I’d say somewhere between 5-7 hours a day are devoted to visual art.
How has your art evolved through the years?
Originally creating art was a hobby; I didn’t take it seriously. But as I grew, I began to see myself as a vessel for the art to express itself. And it became very important to me. I’ve, also, expanded my range of media to include sculpture, 3-D art and digital art.
Have you shown your work in galleries?
Mostly in alternative venues. My work has been exhibited abroad in England, Spain, Peru, and here in the US in New Orleans and in New York.
You do quite a bit of live painting. What is that like?
I see it as sacred form of communication with the people who are around me.
I discovered your particular aesthetic while visiting the STEAM Mural Project at PS 9 in Prospect Heights. When did you first paint in a public space?
The first public mural that I painted was in 2005 in East Yorkshire, England.
And since then?
Among the places I’ve painted outdoor murals are North Bergen, New Jersey and Tarapoto, Peru. And last year, I painted New York’s first black light street art at Underhill Walls here in Brooklyn.
What are some of your other interests?
I also produce films, direct music videos, compose and play music and write poetry.
That’s quite impressive! What do you see as the role of the artist in society?
To heal and to raise consciousness. I see myself as a conduit to a higher consciousness.
Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky; photos of Myztico Campo‘s artwork — as seen in his Brooklyn studio/living space — and of his PS 9 mural by Lois Stavsky
Directed by Myztico Campo, the featured video stars Dakota Day, co-founder and lead vocalist for the psychedelic soul band Brooklyn Bonez, performing Buddy Guy’s “Skin Deep.”
