Category: Events / History / Genre

Re(?)-Visiting: ‘ART IN THE STREETS’ at MOCA, 2011

10/16/2023

This exhibition took place at
The Museum of Contemporary Art,
Los Angeles, California
in 2011.

Art in the Streets
The first major historical exhibition of graffiti and street art organized by an American museum, surveys the origins and history of the movement in the United States and traces its influence as it spread around the world.

“O.K. so... I wasn’t actually there, and I don’t remember paying a whole lot of attention to the ‘Taggerz’ the, and to the ‘Throw-ups’ and the whole ’Self-Abuse-as-Art’ scene at the time… I was busy making money doing super-graphics and other large-scale mural projects that people were actually paying me to paint… but my Crew and the Kidz over in R&D said the show was pretty cool and well worth a visit!

So here's a re-visit to the MOCA website, designed to document this now legendary exhibition.” -RQ

Art in the Streets
was the first extensive survey of the history of graffiti and street art to be presented in an American museum.
The exhibition traced the trajectory of street art from TAKI 183 and his Greek American friends in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York to contemporary innovators like Barry McGee, Banksy, and Swoon who have helped to inspire a new global audience.

The exhibition attracted the highest attendance in the museum’s history.

Barry McGee, Street, 2011, Mixed media installation

Banksy, Untitled, 2011, Mixed media installation

Art in the Streets
included works by over one hundred artists from more than twenty cities.
The exhibition took place at the
Museum of Contemporary Art,
Los Angeles
from April 17 to August 8, 2011,
and included a historical timeline documenting the most important developments in street art from the early 1970s to 2011.

Wild Style mural by ZEPHYR, REVOLT, SHARP, New York, 1983

The show focused on major innovations
such as the invention of Wild Style in New York, Chaz Bojórquez and Cholo graffiti in East Los Angeles, and the heritage of Jamie Reid’s punk graphics in London.

Chaz Bojórquez, Tres Placas (Three Tags), 2011, Acrylic paint on wall and Keith Haring car

Several key venues in the history of street art were recreated, including the seminal
Fun Gallery and RAMMELLZEE’s entire studio, with his letter racers suspended from the ceiling.

Patti Astor at Keith Haring’s exhibition, FUN Gallery, New York, 1983. Photo: Eric Kroll

An entire wing of the museum was devoted to a new version of the celebrated Street Market, created by Barry McGee, Stephen Powers, and Todd James.
A gallery memorialized the work of
Dash Snow surrounded by works
by his IRAK crew.

The show featured ambitious installations by artists including Os Gemeos, Banksy, Shepard Fairey, RETNA, and Swoon
and an immense outdoor mural
orchestrated by Lee Quiñones.

Los Angeles legend Mister Cartoon created an installation around his famous ice cream truck, which he spent years customizing and painting.

Mister Cartoon, 1963 International Ice Cream Truck, 1995-2011, Urethane enamel candy paint on truck

There was an extensive section on the art
that emerged from the Los Angeles surf and skate subcultures,
featuring films by Spike Jonze,
conceptual posters by Craig R Stecyk III,
and an enormous photo collage
by Ed Templeton.

NECK FACE created a frightening trash-strewn and graffiti-scarred alley
where he lay in the gutter dressed as a bum, sometimes terrifying unsuspecting visitors.

Cars customized and painted
by Kenny Scharf,
and Keith Haring greeted visitors
at the entrance.

Installation view of Kenny Scharf, Untitled (car), 1981, with FUN Gallery in background and paintings by Lee Quiñones

Artists from around the world were invited to create works for the show including
Stelios Faitakis from Athens,
MISS VAN from Barcelona,
MODE 2 from Mauritius,
ROA from Ghent,
and JR from Paris.

Stelios Faitakis, The Legacy of Decline, 2011, Latex paint, acrylic paint, and spray paint on wood panels

A large section was devoted to Los Angeles artists including REVOK, RISK, and SABER.

View of murals by RISK, REVOK, Mister Cartoon, and Los Angeles artists; "heaven" freeway sign by REVOK above; and painted Chevy car by Mister Cartoon. Photo: Brian Forrest

There were galleries devoted to artist/photographers Gusmano Cesaretti, Martha Cooper, Henry Chalfant,
Estevan Oriol, KR (Craig Costello),
Terry Richardson, and TEEN WITCH,
and filmmakers Bill Daniel
and Charlie Ahearn.

A special arrangement was made
for Banksy and his crew to work late
at night with the security cameras shut off
after all the other artists had left.
He created a show within the show in addition to an outdoor steamroller installation.
Banksy had agreed to participate in the show on two conditions:
One, that there be at least one day a week of free admission,
and two, that photography would be permitted.
The museum administration initially said no
to both requests, being reluctant to forgo the admissions revenue and wary of the legal complications of allowing open photography.
In 2011, almost all museums still prohibited photography.
In response, Banksy immediately sent the museum a contribution to cover the estimated lost revenue on the free day.
Solving the photography challenge
was more difficult.
Letters had to be written to the copyright owners of every artwork in the show.
All but one of the three hundred fifty rights holders and owners sent back written permission allowing the works to be photographed.
The results were astonishing.
By the end of the exhibition
8,500 people were lining up to visit the exhibition on the free Mondays.
Photography in the exhibition became a phenomenon with thousands of images posted online, taking the impact of the exhibition to a different dimension.

In conjunction with the show, large mural paintings were commissioned for the facades of the West Hollywood Public Library
parking garage by Shepard Fairey,
RETNA, and Kenny Scharf.

RETNA, Los espiritus de la calle van a sobrevivir, 2011, Acrylic paint on canvas panels. Photo: Martha Cooper

https://artinthestreets.org/map

“The MOCA website also has a really cool interactive map that’s worth checking out.
You can click on the name in the gallery and see a view of that exhibit!” -RQ

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Last Judgment, Ceiling Mural 1572-9: Giorgio Vasari / Vincenzo Borghini, / Federico Zuccari

9/4/2023

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When I was researching my post for Giorgio Vasari’s Birthday recently, I came across this interesting article on a ceiling mural collaboration by Giorgio Vasari, Vincenzo Borghini, and Federico Zuccari of the Last Judgement for Brunelleschi’s dome in the Florence cathedral, which had remained unfinished after Brunelleschi’s death in 1446.
The walls of the dome, which should have been covered by resplendent gold according to Brunelleschi project, were whitewashed.(!)

Last Judgment, 1572-9, Florence: Duomo.

It was the Grand Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici who had the idea to paint the dome’s interior. In 1572, he commissioned Giorgio Vasari to paint frescoes on the dome of the Florence cathedral; Vasari was flanked by Vincenzo Borghini, who worked to the iconographic subjects and added other themes taken from Dante‘s Divine Comedy.

VASARI’s LAYOUT
The closest graphic text to follow was based on the mosaics in the Baptistery, divided into rows placed one on top of the other.

The Florence Baptistery, also known as the Baptistery of Saint John, the patron saint of Florence.

As a great admirer of Michelangelo, Vasari also drew inspiration from thewww.florenceinferno.com/the-last-judgement-michelangelo/ Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel.
As a result, the dome (4,000 square meters) was divided into six concentric rows placed one above the other, inside of which were arranged groups of figures separate from each other due to the division of the dome into eight vertical segments.

Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel.

Giorgio Vasari's subjects were carefully matched up along the the dividing lines of rows and segments so that the theological pattern could be followed vertically and horizontally.
Starting from the false central lantern at the top of the dome, surrounded by 24 venerable old men from the Apocalypse, each segment is decorated with the four following themes: an angelic chorus with the instruments of the Passion, a series of Saints and Elect, a triad of figures representing a Gift from the Holy Ghost, and a region of Hell dominated by deadly Sin.
In the eastern segment, opposite the central nave, the four themes become three to make space for the great Christ in Glory placed between the Madonna and St. John above the three Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope, and Charity), and followed under by the allegorical figures of Time and the Triumphant Church.

ZUCCARI’s LAYOUT
Vasari died on June 27, 1574, two months after the death of Cosimo I, when he had carried out only one third of the work. Although he had not completed the drawings for the four segments of the cupola and some sketches for the scenes of Hell, the new Grand Duke Francesco I de’ Medici called upon Federico Zuccari, an artist from Urbino, to complete the work.
Work on the frescoes started again on August 30, 1576.
Zuccari, well known in Roman circles, didn’t like Vasari’s style and tried as much as he could to affirm his own originality.
He stopped using Vasari’s method of “fresco” painting, preferring the “dry” or secco method, which was simpler but more perishable, and he changed the physiques of the painted characters, the costumes, the stylistic language, and the color range.
He boycotted the executive delicacy of Vasari, made of subtle color changes, reflections, polished descriptions of ornaments, which are difficult to pick out at such a distance, opting for a painting method that was weak in quality but of great effect, a technique he learned to use for theatrical backdrops.
He portrayed a lively gallery of contemporary personalities among the Elect: his Medici patrons, the Emperor, the King of France, Vasari, Borghini, Giambologna, other artists, and even himself as well as many of his friends and relatives.
As for the Christ in Glory, for which Vasari had left drawings inspired by Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, Zuccari preferred to follow the models used by Raffaello (Raphael), which were more in harmony with the sanctimonious rulings of the Council.

The Triumph of Galatea (1513) by Raphael, which decorates the walls of the Villa della Farnesina in Rome

However, his masterpiece in the cupola will always be his crude rendering of Hell, with its powerful devils inspired by Luca Signorelli’s frescoes in the cathedral of Orvieto, the shameless bodies of the damned, the violent gestures, and the red glow of blood that vividly brings out the dark colors of the composition to life.

Luca Signorelli’s frescoes in the cathedral of Orvieto,

When he finally completed the frescoes in 1579, having also carried out several other interventions and changes on the parts painted by Vasari, Zuccari celebrated the event by preparing a commemorative medallion. However, this did not spare him from the criticism of the Florentines.
The frescoes in the Cupola have never been popular in the city if compared with their counterparts in the interior of the cathedral: they are extremely difficult to look at because they are so removed from the viewer, placed in a dark spherical vault, and they have become increasingly obscured over the centuries by dirt.
However, these frescoes were scrupulously restored between 1978 and 1985, and it is now possible to re-evaluate them and appreciate the power of the cycle and its importance in Florentine art history.
This enormous space allows for an interesting comparison between two different ways of interpreting art rather than an antagonism between two painters: on the one hand we have Vasari, a “conservative” painter and follower of a Tuscan tradition that had been passed down directly from the Middle Ages; on the other, Zuccari, who “imported” the methods of the Roman painter-contractors to Florence, which were based on a poor executive quality but a grandiose final effect.

Articles from:
Florence Inferno
Florence Inferno is a blog about the Florentine mysteries, symbols, and places that are mentioned in Dan Brown’s novel Inferno,

And:

"Since you have made it this far…
Here is a link to a few of my modest ceiling murals from my virtual portfolio that I was fortunate to have been commissioned to paint." -RQ

http://www.artandsoulproductions.com/ceiling-murals--domes.html

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Happy Birthday Giorgio Vasari! July 30, 1511

7/30/2023

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Dedicated to the study of Italian art and architecture from prehistory to the present!

Happy Birthday Giorgio Vasari!
The painter, architect, collector, and influential author was born on this day (July 30) in 1511 in Arezzo.
A successful painter and architect in the service of Grand Duke Cosimo I de’Medici, Vasari is best known today for his Lives of the Artists, a collection of biographies from Cimabue through his autobiography. Published in two editions (1550/1568), the text has had a profound impact on the development of connoisseurship, art history, and Italian Renaissance studies.

St. Luke Painting the Virgin, Photo credit: Web Gallery of Art.

Self-Portrait, between 1550 and 1567. Florence: Uffizi.

Apotheosis of Cosimo I / Cosimo I de’ Medici among the Artists of his Court (1563), Fresco ceiling painting by Giorgio Vasari

“I have represented the lord Duke Cosimo triumphant and glorious, crowned by the personification of Florence with an oak wreath” -Vasari

The centre of the entire ceiling’s decorations is Cosimo I de’ Medici: the Duke is wearing a purple cloak, is seen sitting on the clouds and is accompanied by the Ducal crown, the cross belonging to the order of Saint Stephen and finally the Golden Fleece (received from the Emperor in 1545). Surrounding him are the symbols of the city and the insignia of the Florentine Arts. Photo: Simone Lampredi

For more on Vasari, see:
Julian Kliemann and Antonio Manno.
“Vasari.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web.
[http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T088022pg1].

An Equestrian Monument for Giorgio Vasari

In collaboration with Paradise for Artists of Pasadena, California, the cultural association Paradise for Artists of Arezzo presents the sixth appointment of a program of events and collective exhibitions to support the project:
"An equestrian monument for Giorgio Vasari
on tour in America and in Italy"
and raise funds to dedicate a bronze statue to Giorgio Vasari, the father of art history, the first art historian.

sculptor, Christopher Slatoff,

PARADISE FOR ARTISTS INC
is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Corporation,
Federal tax ID# 87-0978724
Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Our goal is to create an Equestrian Monument for
the Father of Art History and the First Art Historian
GIORGIO VASARI

For any further information
please contact the number (+39) 338 6005593
or
write to the following emails:
info@paradiseforartists.org .

www.ParadiseforArtists.org
www.GiorgioVasari.org

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Teotihuacán Murals

7/17/2023

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Beatriz de la Fuente
Teotihuacán Murals Museum
San Martín Centro, Mexico

Excerpts from an article on Atlas Obscura at:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/beatriz-de-la-fuente-teotihuacan-murals-museum

The pigments used to color Teotihuacán murals were sourced mostly from semi precious stones and earth; hematite produced a startlingly bright red, malachite an emerald green, and azurite a deep blue.

One of the many well-preserved wall murals of Teotihuacan. https://www.latinamericanstudies.org/teotihuacan-murals.htm

ELABORATE MURALS ONCE TATTOOED THE walls of thousands of residential complexes across ancient Teotihuacán. Today, many of them live in an unassuming museum within the archaeological site: The Beatriz de la Fuente Teotihuacán Murals Museum. Named after Mexican art historian Beatriz Ramírez de la Fuente, the museum houses over fifty millennia-old murals along with several artifacts recovered from on-site temples and palaces.

Teotihuacan fresco. Museo Nacional de Antropologia. Ciudad de Mexico

The museum consists of nine main rooms, each with its own thematic focus, spanning space and time. Within the murals, the real and the fantastical merge; a feline donning a feathered headdress sticks out a forked tongue and magnificent birds release fountains of water from their beaks. Human-like figures appear throughout the museum, too, some mortal and others deities.

The passage of time, closely linked with astronomical observation, is a recurring theme across murals and artifacts throughout the museum. A small monolith believed to have been used to keep track of time and solstices can be found toward the center of the museum. Two ceramic jars, along with eighteen obsidian blades and a human femur, found in an astronomical observation cavern are also on display.

https://www.picfair.com/pics/06542777-wall-mural-of-jaguar-palace-of-tetitla-teotihuacan-archeological-zone

Wall Mural of Jaguar, Palace of Tetitla, Teotihuacan Archaeological Zone, UNESCO World Heritage Site,
State of Mexico, Mexico, North America

Know Before You Go
The museum is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fee for general admission, which includes entrance to the archaeological zone, is 80 pesos.

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Art Exhibition Review!

6/12/2023

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Mindscapes: New Paintings
and Retrospective
by Roberto Quintana

Here's a link to a Video!

June 2, 3, and 4, 2023
at
The Pasadena Antique Warehouse Gallery

"What a great show this turned out to be!
I am very proud of the way the exhibition turned out!
All of my work looked Fantastic in the Warehouse
Gallery space, and the turn-out was great!
Here are some pix of the Show!

"I really enjoyed getting a chance to visit with all of my friends and family, and all of my patrons and clients who showed up for my exhibition. What a great time we all had!!"

Here are a few of the responses we received
from our guest book and emails:

   “Our whole family enjoyed your show. It was so wonderful to see so many of your paintings new and old. Just amazing. I have so enjoyed the first painting we have of yours and look forward to the new one.
   Both of these paintings are meaningful to me… Your first one came after my second breast cancer in January of 2015. Both paintings mean 'moving on' and 'experiencing joy in one day at a time' for me. I often lay in bed and look at your painting, and another painting I enjoy that inspires me. Since then I joined an art class and am part of a group of women artists whose skills range from beginners to outstanding. We have a class two times a month, and I Zoom-link the other two weeks, so we chat and make art together.
   The process of painting and drawing is healing and restoring for me.” -Cheryl

“Hey, Roberto!
What a pleasure to be here and to share in your Soulful Delights!!!”
-Paul and Michele

“Thank you for the beautiful artwork! We cannot wait to come to your next show!!”
con amor, -Daniel & Alegria

“So great to be able to see your work!”
-Gloria y Antonio

“Keep up the spirit and the work.”
Love, -Jim

“Congratulations on your wonderful, fabulous, and inspiring art show Roberto!!!”
Best wishes, -Govindini & Jason

“So very happy to be here! My friend forever,
here’s to another 50 years.  :)
Wonderful showing!"
-X0 Nisa

“Dang! All these artistic folks have nice looking penmanship.
I don’t, but I want to say how wonderful the art is in here. Great job Roberto.”
-Roger

“Your show is Fantastic!!! Your art is memorable in several ways!!! Your personality is so amiable and inclusive!!!
Thank you for sharing talent and spirit!!!”
   -Lynn and Tom

“Good Job! I like your paintings”
-Andi :)

“Roberto-
You are so talented!
I love how you combine science & engineering with
spirituality & soul. It’s wonderful to explore and connect different dimensions of our spirit. We love you!"
-Love, Laura

“Overjoyed to see your work!”
   -Jeff

“Always inspired by your creative soul,
and the art that invites us to reflect on your journey”
Love you bro! -John and Janet

“Roberto, Loved seeing your work.
Thanks for letting us know!”
-Sue & George

“Congratulations Roberto! You are so talented! Wonderful evening!”
-Rolin & Michael

“L’art best fantastique!”
Merci -Connie

“It’s great to see you and your work again!”
-Mary :)

“Roberto-
So wonderful to see your work today!
We loved it! & we love you!”
<3 Kate <3 AJ

“(Beautiful Asian script that I cannot read!)”
-Florence

-AND-
a special
“Thank You”
to everyone involved in putting the show together!
____________________

Chris Agazaryan: Empresario Extraordinarius
The Mindscapes Layers’ Team:
   Athena Agazaryan
   Gohar Torosyan
   Rebecca Agazaryan
   Thomas Costan
   Nare Haykazyan
   Andranik Safaryan
_______

The Green Street Jazz Trio
   Ron Cyger on sax,
   Dave Askren on guitar,
   Larry Muradian on bass.

Elaine Partnow
performance artist

Judy Barrat
Poetry

Sue Witkovsky
Special Editor and All-Around-Grande-Dame

Angel Gonzalez
‘Angel’ wrangler

Kate at Random Framing
framing and special materials
consultant

Larry Lousen
Last minute ‘Art Show’ sign

-AND-
a Very Special Thank You to:

John and Janet Quintana
Dan and Cindy Yowell
Ray and Yolanda Quintana
Cheryl and Bob Ooten
Mike Cedeno
Roz and Joe Witt
Alegria Garcia

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The Pasadena Warehouse Gallery presents/ Mindscapes by Roberto Quintana: New Paintings and Retrospective

5/15/2023

4 Comments

-Mindscapes-
are interior landscapes—paintings exploring the realms and technologies of perception, science, aesthetics and the technologies of instinct: symbolism, myths, dreams,
and the psyche.
These abstract and surreal paintings
are visual poems about our embedded reality. They explore the foundations
and the structures of consciousness,
interior realms of perception
and our various ways of knowing
and being.

Dates/Times:
Friday, June 2nd
OPENING NIGHT
Gallery Open 5pm - 10pm
Ron Cyger Jazz Trio (7pm - 9pm)

Saturday, June 3rd
Gallery Open 5pm - 10pm
Ron Cyger Jazz Trio (7pm - 9pm)
Spoken-word Performance
by Elaine Partnow

Sunday, June 4th
Gallery Open 5pm - 10pm
Ron Cyger Jazz Trio (7pm - 9pm)
Spoken-word Poetry
by Judy Barat

Entrance to this event is
FREE

RSVP is appreciated...

Event and Exhibition Address:
"You can't miss it!
It's the building with
the cool mural!"

-Pasadena Antique Warehouse-
1609 E. Washington Blvd,
Pasadena, CA 91104

Contact us at
(626) 404-2422
-or-
pasadenaantiquewarehouse@gmail.com

Contact the artist directly at:
artnsoulproductionsmurals@gmail.com

In a special effort to set a good example
to all of our elected representatives on the importance of listening to the other side, Roberto has been fiercely negotiating with his Marketing Department and with his banking team over at Collections and Receivables.

Collections insists on capping our Patron's spending by setting the highest price that the market will allow (which they have determined are the prices quoted below, and elsewhere on this website), while Marketing has this somewhat fanciful idea that lowering the prices of the paintings will somehow magically increase the sales and allow Roberto to serve as many Patrons as possible.

After weighing both arguments carefully, and after the usual lengthy and whinny discussions with his guru, and many of the Esteamed Ascended Masters on his internet-thingy device and his Runes...

Roberto has decided to go with Marketing and all of his new and returning Patrons and offer:

a Whopping! 20% off SPECIAL!
on EVERYTING in his upcoming show at
"The Pasadena Antique Warehouse Gallery"
WooHoo!

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Pasadena Antique Warehouse Gallery and Events Presents: Roberto Quintana’s ‘Mindscapes’: New Paintings and Retrospective!

4/9/2023

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It’s really cool when one of your favorite local patrons
calls you up!
(I painted his portrait, as a Circus Impresario, on his
Antique Shop several years ago)

...and he says to you:
“Hey, Roberto … I’m not just an Antique Shop anymore!
I’m set up as an Arts Venue and Events Space now also,
with a stage and a great exhibition space.
Everyone loves your mural!
...and I was thinkin’...
it would be great if you wanted to have an exhibition here!”

Well, what could I say!?
I just happened to have a new series of ‘glass vessel’ paintings I was hoping to exhibit in Italy this year,
(but that all got postponed)
so... “Yes! Let’s do it!”

Well, one thing led to another,
and the venue was so great,
I realized that not only could I mount
my new 'Vessels' paintings…
but I could also do a complete retrospective of all of my 'Mindscapes' paintings!
AND
have some of my friends perform and play!
How great is that!

So here we go!
Set aside the first weekend of June:
Friday, Saturday and Sunday
the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.
We’ll have a BIG Party!

If you’r not on my eMail list, and want to be,
just contact me and I’ll keep you updated,
or
contact the Warehouse.
Peace and love -Roberto Quintana

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Miami’s Museum of Graffiti.

1/23/2023

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The World’s First Museum Dedicated to Graffiti!

Mission Statement
Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s in large cities all over the United States, children invented a new art form that started with writing their names on walls in their neighborhoods.

Local governments launched cleaning campaigns and mandated that young writers be arrested for their vandalism, but the movement could not be stopped. Unrelenting young people forged ahead at a feverish pace with creative innovations and inspired generations of new practitioners.

In no time, the wall writings quickly developed to become more elaborate and decorative. Taking on unique and distinguishable signifies like arrows, crowns and other innovations through design and color, this became the blueprint for tags, throw-ups, masterpieces, and the elaborate works seen today.

Fifty years later, the Museum of Graffiti was formed to preserve graffiti’s history and celebrate its emergence in design, fashion, advertising, and galleries. The Museum experience includes an indoor exhibition space, eleven exterior murals, a fine art gallery, and a world-class gift shop stocked with limited edition merchandise and exclusive items from the world’s most talented graffiti artists.

Museum Programming

SPRAY IT LOUD
GRAFFITI CLASS FOR BEGINNERS
(Every Saturday @ 5PM)

KIDS’ GRAFFITI DRAWING CLASS
LED BY LOCAL ARTISTS
(Every Sunday @ 10AM)

Featured Exhibitions

From Vandals To Trend Setters...
There is no complete story for the graffiti world as there are thousands of participants
in the past and the present.
We are students as much as leaders in this global movement, sharing our enthusiasm
as we present this exhibit.
Graffiti–the act of writing on walls–is an old practice traced back centuries to churches in England, visitors' names in the catacombs in Paris, and lewd jokes in Pompeii.
Humans have a need to leave public messages, always have and always will.

This exhibition celebrates the graffiti
of our lifetime, the type of graffiti that has become a global movement and culture started by American children and teenagers.
Style writing or just plain writing is what
we call it from within the movement.
Today, writing can be found in just about
every corner of the globe,
from Helsinki and Berlin to Lima,
Melbourne, and Miami.
Cities have their own indigenous styles
and passionate practitioners,
working daily to be seen and heard.
Social media carries the names
beyond the national barriers,
but it wasn’t always that way.

Two cities can claim bragging rights to
the birth of this new graffiti movement: Philadelphia and New York City.
In the late 1960s both cities were home to teenagers who saw public walls and trains as a perfectly natural and acceptable place to sign their names, breaking the law but adding a new spin on the typical gang graffiti
that was already present in the streets.
These teenagers were bold, adventurous, and sought fame and recognition from their friends.

The global expansion of New York City’s
graffiti style caused a stir in just about
every city it appeared in.
Trains and walls were covered, spray paint was stolen from shops, teenagers adopted the new cultural import, and adults had a hard time accepting it, leading to strict laws,
arrests, and severe punishments.
Of course, the writers suffered...
but they also adapted, innovated,
and changed to thrive and survive.
Writers plotted and transformed the culture
to their favor. Some took to graphic design, tattoo art, fashion design, and murals,
while others turned to hidden walls
or freight trains to pursue the writing tradition, and a few continued to paint trains
accepting the risk of more severe penalties. These artists influenced the world and continue to impact popular culture today.
This is a small part of the story.
__________________

OLÉ
A body of works by
ISE, FINOK, THIAGO NEVS, & SKOLAS
of Sao Paolo's VLOK Crew.

Ise, Thiago Nevs, Finok, and Skolas,
while individually being studio artists,
are all graffiti artists from São Paolo, Brazil.
The artists have come together as a collective, embodying four different generations of graffiti artists, to present a body of work that is not representative of their traditional graffiti
but rather communicates their shared life experiences as artists in their communities.

Their paintings depict self-portraits, street landscapes, and average citizens in an effort to highlight their deep love for all aspects
of the graffiti art movement,
not just the letters themselves.
The paintings, steeped in culture, present artifacts and symbols that are inherent in the fabric of both current daily life and history
in Brazil. Soccer balls, Bahia bracelets, religious shrines, tags, and flying kites are all integrated in a way that convey
an admiration for a city rich in personality
that serves as their inspiration.

The artists tap into folk art traditions and use colorful patterns, fabrics, found objects,
and assemblages to transport you to
Brazil and share some of the widely unknown and indigenous aspects of their nation
while also calling attention to the daily economic and social issues
that are present today.
__________________

Writers on Wax:
The Sound of Graffiti
An exhibition that pairs
the beats, basslines, imagination,
and expression of graffiti writers’
who make both music
and visual studio work.

Graffiti has historically been interconnected with certain types of music like punk rock, techno, and Hip-Hop. Commonalities like the use of public space, themes of rebellion and angst, and the “do it yourself” mindset are threads that run through the fabric of these art-forms. These congruities and the urban environment from which they originate have naturally led graffiti writers to experiment within these musical genres and vice versa.

Writers on Wax is a project created by Ruyzdael Music, a group of Dutch graffiti writers and creatives who saw the importance of compiling the music created by graffiti writers. Their vinyl-only project, Writers on Wax: The Sound of Graffiti, is a series of albums that feature exclusive tracks created by today’s leading visual graffiti artists from around the world – some who have alter-egos in the music world. All three of their vinyl music releases are on installed along with old-school turntables for your listening pleasure.

In the visual portion of the exhibition,
graffiti reigns supreme.
BLADE (Steven Ogburn, New York, b. 1957) via photographs by Martha Cooper,
DELTA (Boris Tellegen, Amsterdam, b. 1968),
NUG (Magnus Gustafsson, Sweden, b.1972), Paul Du Bois Reymond (Amsterdam, b.1974), and
PURE (Aindriais Dolan, New York, b.1969) each draw on their deep roots in graffiti
to present a wide range of styles
from pioneering lettering,
to using the spray paint medium
for abstraction,
to addressing the landscapes in which graffiti and their practitioners occupy,
and using the ornate aspects of graffiti
to create a composition.

Collectively, the pairing of the visual works
with the artist’s musical creations
provides a holistic snapshot of the
collective urban inspiration and output
of these multidisciplinary artists.

This program is supported as part of the Dutch Culture USA program by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York.
__________________

The Museum of Graffiti exhibits, educates, and celebrates the thousands of graffiti artists who have transformed walls in our public spaces into vibrant masterpieces.

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A Purple Party… and a Princely Mural!

1/16/2023

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Murals On The Street!
"Many times I come across some really nice mural, or a hand painted sign out there that I want to share with you!
This one is from my dear friends Daniel and Lois who were back home in Minnesota last May and they sent me this great photo of the street party and unveiling of Hiero Veiga’s new mural of TAKAPrince Rogers Nelson-(TAFKAPrince!)" -RQ

Mural by 33-year-old Hiero Veiga, a Florida street painter known for the rendering on the exterior wall
of Miami’s Museum of Graffiti.
Organizers say the $500,000 Minneapolis project
has been in the works for seven years.

June 3 2022
Purple party: Prince fans celebrate mural completion in downtown Mpls
By Tony Kiene
On the same day that the Queen of England celebrated her Platinum Jubilee in London, Minneapolis honored its very own monarch: His Royal Badness, Prince Rogers Nelson. A 100-foot-tall mural of our favorite son, painted by internationally renowned artist Hiero Veiga, now looks out over the city’s entertainment district and the legendary music club that Prince established as an international landmark almost 40 years ago.
Last night’s event, billed as the “Purple Block Party,” saw throngs of people descend on First Avenue North, including many Prince fans from out of state and around the world, here for this weekend’s Celebration 2022 at Paisley Park.
A little after 9 pm, the dynamic duo behind the mural, also known as the “Crown Our Prince” project, graced the stage for the first time. With the blessings of Prince himself, it was Sharon Smith-Akinsanya, CEO of the Rae Mackenzie Group, and public art expert Joan Vorderbruggen, that conquered a multitude of roadblocks to successfully carry out this seven-year project “across the finish line.”
Things became a little emotional when they introduced two of Prince’s sisters, Norrine and Tyka Nelson, each of whom spoke to the crowd.
Tyka mentioned some of the many ways downtown has been important to their family through the years, recounting how she and Prince would often catch the #19 bus over North, and then, with transfers in hand, make a pit stop at Shinders bookstore on Hennepin Ave. before continuing on to their destination.
Norrine Nelson spoke to the crowd, promising not to cry. She closed by telling those gathered to honor her older brother, “Thank you for loving him. He loved you.”
Smith-Akinsanya and Vorderbruggen then returned, and after acknowledging the major sponsors, additional contributors, and the three photographers whose images served as the basis for the mural, further hyped up an already electric crowd, before introducing artist Hiero Veiga,
The unassuming and soft-spoken muralist did not address the audience, but no doubt felt its love and appreciation as he embraced Vorderbruggen and Smith-Akinsanya.
Finally, as the opening chords of “Purple Rain” reverberated through the nearby streets and skies above Minneapolis, Veiga’s masterpiece was doused in brilliant light, officially dedicating the mural and fulfilling the promise to 'make Minneapolis shine purple.'
DJ Mickey Breeze closed out the night with a more adventurous set the second time around consisting of a couple of classic Prince B-sides, including “Violet the Organ Grinder,” in which Prince repeatedly declares, “I’ll die, but I won’t go away.” That certainly rings true to all his fans. And though he didn’t end with it, Breeze’s inclusion of “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night,” recorded live in Paris on the 1986 Parade Tour, proved to be the perfect depiction of the night’s festivities.

Hiero Veiga
a Florida street painter known for the rendering on
the exterior wall of Miami’s Museum of Graffiti.

Bio
“I am obsessed with the practice of my craft.”
Hiero Veiga grew up in the small boxing town of Brockton, MA
and has been spray painting since he was 12 years old.
With over 21 years of experience, Hiero has evolved from writing graffiti to curating hyper-realistic pieces ranging from portraits, natural scenery, and psychedelic art.
Hiero’s unique perspective and experience of light and color is reflected in his distinctive compositions. His current personal work style involves abstract backgrounds and kaleidoscopic designs with Groucho glasses, chattering teeth,
and rubber ducks.
Hiero has participated in countless mural festivals and collaborated with numerous artists in his community. His most prominent works were done in participation with Pow Wow! Mural Festivals, including a mural displayed in the
Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Hiero is based in Florida, but you can find his work in the streets, businesses, and galleries across the United States, Jamaica, and Canada.
If you are interested in working with Hiero,
please fill out the contact form or directly send an email.
© 2022 HIERO VEIGA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Article By Tony Kiene
Tony Kiene’s experience in the Twin Cities nonprofit and entertainment industries includes work with Minneapolis Urban League, Penumbra Theatre, Hallie Q. Brown, and Pepé Music.
He welcomes reader responses to
tkiene@spokesman-recorder.com.

Related Stories:
Artist Hiero Veiga now painting Prince mural in downtown Mpls

Honoring Prince: community reactions to new street sign and mural

“This all reminds me...
of the work Christina Rosenthal and I did
for Prince’s nightclub ’Glam-Slam’ in L.A.
and at his Paisley Park Studios in MN.
Here’s a link to that project…" -RQ

Glam Slam and Paisley Park Studios

www.ChristinaRosenthalFineArt.com

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Murals in LA Lift the Voices of Iranian Protesters

1/2/2023

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Mural by Katrine Karimpour (photo Matt Stromberg/Hyperallergic)

Article by Matt Stromberg
December 14, 2022

Murals by Iranian-American artists across the city are inescapable reminders of the regime’s ongoing brutality.
Drive north on Main Street through Los Angeles’s fashion district and a striking new mural is visible just past Interstate 10. Against a backdrop of green, white, and red — the colors of the Iranian flag — the faces of 13 women who have lost their lives at the hands of the Iranian regime are depicted in stark black and white. Below them, their names, and others, are written on the palms of outstretched hands. Most of them were killed during the recent protests in response to the September death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, who was detained by Iran’s morality police for not wearing her hijab correctly and died in custody. “Women, Life, Freedom,” the originally Kurdish slogan that has become a rallying cry for the protests, is written in English and Farsi.

The mural is the work of Katrine Karimpour, who was approached by her friend Mojgan of Mona_E_Arts with a concept for the mural and a connection to the owners of the building at 1605 S. Main Street. Karimpour created the image on her iPad and it was then printed on two large panels of weather-resistant paper and hung on the building’s southern facade on November 27. The mural is just one example of Iranian-American artists in Los Angeles showing solidarity with the protesters in Iran.

For Karimpour, it is also a way to express a connection with family, despite the tumult of revolution and emigration. Her late grandfather and mother fled Iran just before the 1979 Revolution. “When it started, they said they would come to the US for a week til it died down,” but they ended up staying,” she told Hyperallergic. “[The regime] took all my family’s belongings, everything my grandfather had worked for, everything he owned.” She says her grandfather wrote poetry; however, she couldn’t read it, since she was never taught Farsi. “Doing this, I thought about my baba the whole time,” Karimpour said of her work on the mural.

About 10 miles northwest of Karimpour’s mural, a nearly three-story-tall image of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini graces a wall in Fame Yard on Melrose, a hotspot for street art. Her hair, colored green, white, and red, spills out from her hijab, while the chains covering her head break apart.

Mural by Cloe Hakakian and Todd Goodman
(photo by and courtesy Impermanent Art)

Cloe Hakakian
https://www.instagram.com/cloehakakian/
https://beyondsquarefootage.com/beyondsquarefootage/2020/5/14/cleopatra-by-cloe-hakakian

Todd Goodman
https://todd-goodman-art.myshopify.com/

“I used to stay away from everything political, but this is personal for me. This is not political, it’s about basic human rights,” artist Cloe Hakakian, who created the mural with Todd Goodman, told Hyperallergic. Hakakian was born in the US to parents who had emigrated shortly before the revolution, “Otherwise I could have easily been one of those girls,” she said, referring to those killed in the recent demonstrations,
who are in the hundreds.

Iran has already executed two people involved in the protests, with 25 others facing the death penalty, according to the Guardian. On Monday, Majidreza Rahnavard was publicly hanged from a crane in the city of Mashhad. He was accused of killing two members of the Basij militia. Last week, Mohsen Shekari was executed after he was convicted of “waging war against God” by a revolutionary court. He had been accused of blocking a street and injuring a militia member. Today, the United Nations announced its decision to remove Iran from its Commission on the Status of Women, thanks in part to campaigning by activists in the diaspora.

Since the mural went up in early October, Hakakian has shifted gears, connecting artists with building owners willing to offer up their walls for murals in support of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement through her “Murals for Freedom” website. The site lists murals across the globe, in San Diego; Washington, DC; London; Paris; Berlin; and Sydney, Australia. “Not all the artists are Iranian,” she notes. “It’s inspiring a lot of people outside of the community.”

Mural by Rashin Kheiriyeh (courtesy Farhang Foundation)

Further West, in Santa Monica, the side of an office building now bears Rashin Kheiriyeh’s mural of a woman’s silhouetted head in profile, her hair rendered in sinuous, turquoise Persian calligraphy. Kheiriyeh created the mural before the death of Amini for a mural competition sponsored by the Farhang Foundation, a nonprofit that supports Iranian art and culture. After Amini’s death, Kheiriyeh posted an image of the mural to social media and added the slogan “Women, Life, Freedom.”

According to Alireza Ardekani, executive director of the Farhang Foundation, the group has other murals planned in Los Angeles in support of the movement, but has run up against a troubling issue with one artist selected for a mural at 1031 South Grand Avenue in Downtown LA. “The artist just informed me he’s under surveillance in Iran and being threatened. I offered to have the art anonymous, but his work is quite iconic,” Ardekani told Hyperallergic. “Murals are big in Iran. Before the uprising, artists had learned how to dance around red lines and go under the radar. Now they’re cracking down.”

Through these public artworks, artists in the Iranian diaspora are able to speak to — and amplify — those whose voices are being stifled.

“Culturally I felt very in the middle. This was something that could feel so personal to me, but this isn’t about just me. It’s about all the women who are fighting for their future and future generations,” Karimpour said. “What art can do is amplify those who are not being heard. We are their echoes.”

by Matt Stromberg December 14, 2022
https://hyperallergic.com/

Murals for Freedom
https://www.muralsforfreedom.org/
https://www.muralsforfreedom.org/gallery

Murals for Freedom aims to amplify the silenced voices in Iran through art. All over the world, artists have painted murals commemorating the victims of the Islamic Republic of Iran's brutal regime. This project is about promoting freedom and spreading awareness.

Get Involved
There are multiple ways to get involved!
Email muralsforfreedom@gmail.com to:
▪ Paint a mural.
▪ Offer a wall as a canvas.
▪ Volunteer.
▪ Inquire

Submit a Mural!
If you have painted a mural and would like to submit it to the website, please fill out this form.

Mural by Rashin Kheiriyeh

Related

Artists Worldwide Demand Freedom for Iranian Women September 28, 2022
Iranian Activists Stage “Die-In” at Met Museu December 5, 2022
Artists Stage Mahsa Amini Protest at New York’s Guggenheim Museum October 24, 2022

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8 Artists to Fly to the Moon!

12/12/2022

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“I love it when Art and Space Exploration converge!” -RQ

Japanese billionaire unveils the 8 artists he'll fly to the moon on SpaceX's Starship dearMoon flight!

By Elizabeth Howell
@Spacedotcom

A Japanese billionaire picked his crew-mates for the first-ever artist-centered mission! Yusaku Maezawa, who made his fortune as an online fashion retailer, announced the eight people who would be flying with him on the dearMoon mission, which aims to use a SpaceX Starship to fly around the moon as soon as next year.

Check out their profiles here: https://dearmoon.earth/

(Each member of the dearMoon crew was briefly quoted in a video)

The announcement was confirmed on Dodd's and Maezawa's Twitter feeds"I don't know what it's going to do to me emotionally, and I guess that's part of the adventure," Dodd says in the video. Adds Adam, "I expect that this mission will bring about many changes personally and professionally."
The video also includes several views of Starship under testing, including at least one of the static fires of the SpaceX system.

(Just a good excuse to post a photo of a rocket blasting off! -RQ)

The previously-announced 2023 launch date may push back substantially, however, as Starship has not yet been approved for an orbital journey around Earth, let alone a flight to the moon.
The spaceship has been grounded for more than 18 months as SpaceX awaits approval from the Federal Aviation Administration regarding environmental assessment requirements at its Starbase launch location in South Texas.

Elizabeth Howell is the co-author of "Why Am I Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a book about space medicine.

Follow her on Twitter @howellspace.

Follow on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook

Join on Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more!

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Octavia E. Butler Mural Honoring Sci-fi Genius...

11/28/2022

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"A Lot has been going on over at the Washington STEAM Multilingual Academy since I painted their Octavia E. Butler mural for their Library in 2020! " -RQ

"Octavia E. Butler is one of the first African American women to be recognized in the science fiction genre.
She also exemplifies the integration of science with the arts and humanities, and the expression of STEAM-integrated learning. This mural makes someone with her genius relatable.
Middle school students (and really most people) can relate to the idea of feeling insecure or unmotivated when faced a large task, but you don’t have to be perfect to be great. Octavia Butler is proof that you can always get better, learn more, and achieve great things. She set a goal for herself and who she was going to become very early in her writing career, so we included statements from her notebooks in our mural to inspire our kids. You can set your sights on something and work towards it and actually realize it."
-Dr. Shannon Malone, Principal, Washington STEAM Multilingual Academy

First...

Their Library was named for their famous alumnus on September 8, 2022.

Washington STEAM Multilingual Academy renames library,
creates mural to honor famous alumna and prolific sci-fi writer!

Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD)
Board of Education
approved the school's proposal to rename their library in recognition of Octavia E. Butler.

Then...

on Augest 8, they had a Science fiction Festival
AND
Renamed the whole school
for Octavia E. Butler!

The Washington Steam Multilingual Academy will now be known as:
The Octavia E. Butler Magnet
(following the Board of Education’s unanimous approval in February 2022.)

Octavia E. Butler Magnet
(formerly Washington STEAM Multilingual Academy)
is a middle school serving students in grades 6-8.
Certified by the National Institute for STEM Education.
We provide a rigorous Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics integrated curriculum which helps our students to become technologically literate problem solvers, logical thinkers, and innovators.
The school is located at:
1505 North Marengo Avenue,
Pasadena, CA 91103.

And now!...

The New York Times has just printed an excellent article on the school, it’s renaming, my mural, and on
Octavia E. Butler's story.

‘The Visions of Octavia Butler’

By Lynell George
a Los Angeles-based journalist, essayist and author.
Her latest book, “A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler,” was a 2020 finalist for the Hugo Award.

The visuals for this New York Times article and on-line project were created by converting scanned real-life objects, spaces and video footage into 3-D point clouds
by Ainslee Alem Robson
Director/Writer/Media Artist,
https://www.ainsleealemrobson.com/
https://www.ainsleealemrobson.com/about

Octavia E. Butler mural courtesy Roberto Quintana
and the Octavia E. Butler Magnet School.
http://www.artandsoulproductions.com/octavia-e-butler-mural.html

"I really love everything Roberto has done at
Altadena Arts Magnet / Octavia E. Butler Magnet School."
-Shannon Mumolo, Coordinator:
Signature Programs, Pasadena Unified School District

Special ‘THANX’ To:

Head Librarian:
Natalie Daily
(daily.natalie@pusd.us)
Octavia E. Butler Library
Octavia E. Butler Magnet
(formerly Washington STEAM Multilingual Academy)

And to:

Marcelle Hopkins
(marcelle.hopkins@nytimes.com)
Visual Editor, Special Projects
The New York Times

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Quadrature Illusionism

11/14/2022

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"In fine art, the term quadratura describes a form of illusionistic mural painting in which images of architectural features are painted onto walls or ceilings so that they seem to extend the real architecture of the room into an imaginary space beyond the confines of the actual wall or ceiling. The term can also apply to the illusionistic "opening up" of walls."
(From: http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/painting/quadratura.htm)

“Der Plessurfischer” by Fabian Bane Florin in Chur, Switzerland

Street Art by Edgar Müller

Tracy Lee Stum

"Quadrature Illusionism is mainly associated with
Italian church fresco painting, notably that of the Baroque era.
A particularly inspiring form of Christian art - and a key feature
of Catholic Counter-Reformation Art (c.1560-1700) - this pure type of quadratura relies heavily on 17th-century theories of linear perspective but produces a more complete form uniting
architecture, painting and sculpture."
From: http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/

St. Maron’s prayer niche ceiling oculus: Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon / St. Peter’s Cathedral

“Oculus del Dio” by Roberto Quintana

“The Threshold” by Roberto Quintana / Church of Religious Science, upper lobby landing.

“Heimark Hacienda” by Laurence ‘Link” Linkus

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DCA Call for Muralists/Murals

10/17/2022

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“Hey Folks!
The Mail-Room just sent this down to my desk!
It looks time sensitive
so I'm passing it along to you.
No good pictures but a lot of good info.” -RQ

Call for Muralists and Mural Restoration and Conservation Projects
DEADLINE:
Nov 13, 2022 - 11:59 pm

Request for Proposals (RFP)
The Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) is seeking muralists to propose their own historically significant murals located in the City of Los Angeles that need conservation. The mural conservation proposal must include a paid youth apprenticeship opportunity for young people from the mural’s local neighborhood. Selected mural conservation projects should also depict the social justice theme(s) of the mural, notable cultural figures, or important histories that are meaningful to residents.

Preservation of these historic murals will serve as cultural markers, connect them to the social justice themes of today, and inspire multiple conversations between the past and the present.

AMOUNT: $10,000 to $25,000, all inclusive

GRANTING ORGANIZATION: City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) Public Art Division

DEADLINE: Nov 13, 2022 - 11:59 pm

STATUS: Open

CONTACT: For technical guidance with the Airtable platform, visit Airtable’s support page.
For questions about this RFP, please contact Yami Duarte, DCA Public Art Division, at: dca.publicart@lacity.org with subject line “DCA Mural Works.”

For project goals, criteria, eligibility, budget, selection process, workshop info, and how to apply download the RFP below.

Resources/Links

Request for Proposals <RFP here!
Application Portal

CONTACT:
Department of Cultural Affairs
City of Los Angeles
https://culturela.org/
201 North Figueroa Street, Suite 1400
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: 213 202 5500

MURALS
The Citywide Mural Program seeks to establish a comprehensive network of mural activity and engagement by muralists, property owners, community stakeholders, educators, technicians, technologists, and preservationists in an effort to stimulate Los Angeles’ mural resurgence.

GOALS

To preserve, conserve, and restore historically significant murals throughout the City with an emphasis on City-sponsored murals;
To produce new murals that re-engage communities, especially youth, and create new opportunities for muralists;
To provide technical assistance, training, and workshops for muralists as well as interested community members and stakeholders; and,
To support mural documentation, presentation, and engagement activities that are interactive, educational, and/or cultural tourism opportunities related to murals.

The City of Los Angeles occasionally sends out requests for proposals or qualifications for public art opportunities.
Find out more about these artist opportunities:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the City’s Mural Ordinance and why was it established?
The City’s Mural Ordinance is local legislation adopted by the Mayor and City Council related to existing murals and the creation of new murals in Los Angeles.
The Mural Ordinance was established in order to:
1) Lift the 2002 ban on murals on private property,
2) Differentiate new and existing murals from current prohibitions that apply to outdoor advertisements,
3) Create a mural registration process, and 4) Increase public access to and community participation in the creation of original works of art.

Does the City provide any funding support for new murals?
The Department of Cultural Affairs is working with each Council Office to provide funding for Council District-Specific mural related projects.
To find your Council District representative, go to:

https://www.lacity.org/government/popular-information/elected-officials/city-council.

(To be notified of Calls for Artists, please join our mailing list.)

What is an Original Art Mural?
The Mural Ordinance defines an Original Art Mural as:
”A one-of-a-kind, hand-painted, hand-tiled, or digitally printed image on the exterior wall of a building that does not contain any commercial message.
For definition purposes, a commercial message is any message that advertises a business conducted, services rendered, or goods produced or sold.”

What is a Vintage Original Art Mural?
A Vintage Original Art Mural is a mural that existed or was created prior to October 12, 2013.

What does the Vintage Art Mural registration process entail?
Murals with documented proof of existence prior to October 12, 2013 are deemed Vintage Original Art Murals are considered registered murals by the Department of Cultural Affairs. The DCA manages a mural database which can verify the mural’s date of creation. However, murals that are not registered in the DCA’s mural database may register with a Vintage Art Mural Application. Property owners and artists are encouraged to register. There is no fee for Vintage Art Mural Registration.

Who do I contact if a mural in my community needs to be maintained, restored and/or is in need of graffiti removal?
Please call our Public Art Division’s main line: 213-202-5555.
Email is preferred including background information, address, and an image of the mural to:
murals@lacity.org

Where do I get information about the City’s Mural Ordinance?
For information about the City’s Mural Ordinance and guidance on the mural registration process, please call the Public Art Division, DCA at: 213-202-5544 or send an email to: murals@lacity.org

What is the timeline for the individual artist grant programs? When can proposals be submitted, and what is the submission deadline?
The guidelines and forms for the AIR and COLA grants programs are posted on DCA’s website in the first week of September each year.
The deadline for submitting a proposal for either grants program is the fourth Friday of October of each year.
Thats this Friday, October 28!
Better get on it!!

BE IN THE LOOP!
Receive notes about art, culture,
and creativity in LA!

Department of Cultural Affairs,
City of Los Angeles
dca.digital@lacity.org
https://culturela.org/

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Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles

10/10/2022

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The Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles maintains a FREE database of Los Angeles' Mural History linking artists, murals and neighborhoods.
The foundation of this database was shaped by Robin Dunitz' book "Street Gallery", the first true compilation of Los Angeles public murals.
The MCLA website allows submissions of murals created recently in Los Angeles, forming an ever growing archive joining the historic with the new.

“The MCLA site can be searched by Mural Location, Artist, Type, or Title.” -RQ

The Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 86231, Los Angeles, CA 90086-0231
Phone:
(213) 291-1811
Email:
muralconservancyLA@gmail.com
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/muralconservancy
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/themcla

And here’s the book the collection was originally based on
(one of my favorites)

"Street Gallery
Guide to over 1000 Los Angeles Murals"
by Robin Dunitz (Author)

With a foreword by Adolfo V. Nodal.
431 pages including an index with artists biographies and a bibliography.
A comprehensive listing with maps showing the locations and in some cases a brief description and/or a color photo of the more than 1,000 murals of Los Angeles and its surrounding neighborhoods.

2 Comments

What’s up at The Cheech!

7/25/2022

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Cheech Marin (Yeah, That Cheech Marin!) finally has a place to show off his amazing art collection.
Check this out…

Frank Romero, The Arrest of the Paleteros, 1996

The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture
Cheech Marin Art Collection in Riverside
Exhibition: June 18, 2022–June 18, 2023

Cheech Collects weaves a story of Cheech Marin’s efforts as a passionate collector, exploring the making of a major collection from the first works acquired through the most recent acquisitions.
This inaugural exhibition is a celebration of the foremost champion of the Chicano School of Art.
The creation of The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture furthers his advocacy and will continue to shape the art world’s perceptions and understanding of Chicano art.
Marin’s efforts have brought unprecedented attention
to Chicana/o art with exhibitions of and loans from his collection to over 50 museums nationally and internationally.
The inaugural exhibition features almost 120 works from Marin’s generous gift of over 500 works to the Riverside Art Museum as well as from his personal collection.
A second iteration of the inaugural exhibition
will open in December of 2022.

"Nice Job, Homey!" -RQ

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I Madonnari Chalk Festival: Santa Barbara, CA - 2022

6/12/2022

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This last Memorial Day I had the pleasure of attending the
I Madonnari Chalk Festival in Santa Barbara, California.
I went up to see Tracy, Sayak, and Julio’s artworks and to enjoy the grounds of the beautiful Santa Barbara Mission on a gorgeous Southern-California afternoon.
The Bands were Jammin’, the food was great, and the crowd was well masked and glad to be outside, and it was all for a good cause:
Supporting the Children’s Creative Project (CCP)!

I Madonnari serves as the main fundraiser for the Children’s Creative Project, a nonprofit organization that brings arts education to thousands of school children throughout Santa Barbara County through workshops and performances by multicultural touring artists.
Local organizers were the first to bring this romantic Italian festival to the Western Hemisphere from Santa Barbara’s sister festival in Grazie di Curtatone, Italy.
For information about the I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival, including participation and sponsorship opportunities, visit:
https://ccp.sbceo.org/i-madonnari/welcome.
To support the Children’s Creative Project go to:
https://ccp.sbceo.org/donate

Featured Artist: Dawn Morrison Wagner

Street painting probably began in Italy during the 16th century and has a long tradition in cities in Western Europe.
Artists began street painting by traveling to religious
and folk festivals where they drew images of the
Madonna using chalk on the street.
These artists became known as “Madonnari” or street painters. Their images are called street paintings because when well drawn they resemble paintings.

Tracy Lee Stum: “In the Studio” by Maria Bashkirtseff 1881

Sayak Mitra: Photo Reference by N.H.Reed, circa 1893

Julio Cesar Jimenez: Bugatti Royal

Jennifer LeMay

Artist?: Sponsor, Psychedelic Honey

Delphine Louis Anaya

Cheryl Guthrie and Terri Taber

If you think this all looks like fun,
Look what’s coming up in Pasadena!

Pasadena Chalk Festival
Father’s Day weekend
June 18-19, 2022 at The Paseo.
The event is open to the public 10:00am to 7:00pm.
https://pasadenachalkfestival.org/

200 murals and over 500 artists
• Art Gallery & Silent Auction
• Animation Alley & Chalk of Fame
• Children’s Art Area
• Live Music
• Dine and Shop at The Paseo!

KIDZ LAND
Saturday & Sunday
10:00am – 4:00pm
Upper Fountain Court

If you’re a chalk artist: Entries are closed,
but if you’d like to be put on the waiting list:
Email: PasadenaChalkFestival@yahoo.com

LIVE MUSIC LINEUP
Saturday, June 18th
2:00pm – 3:00pm
Taylor Plenn (Jazz)

3:30pm – 4:30pm
The Carlos Ordiano Trio (Latin Jazz)

5:00pm – 6:00pm
La Güera Chakaloza Y Sus 5 Animales
(Norteño)

Sunday, June 19th:
3:00pm – 4:00pm
Rhythms of the Village Family Band
(Nigerian Highlife Fusion)

4:45pm – 5:30pm
Lucas/Heaven (RnB/Jazz)

6:00pm – 7:00pm
Spaghetti Cumbia (Cumbia)

(Dress like your going to paint a mural in the hot sun!)

2 Comments

The 2022 Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival!

5/23/2022

2 Comments

Hey, Check this out!
Mark your calendars and enjoy great performances!
live under the stars!!

The Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival returns
for an entire summer of theater under the stars!
From July 2 - September 4,
join us Wednesdays - Sundays in Griffith Park.
____________

The Knight of the Burning Pestle
by Francis Beaumont
July 2 - July 31
This wild and wonderful 17th century comedy
receives a 21st century makeover
in an anarchic, Los Angeles-specific adaptation.
_______________

Macbeth by William Shakespeare
August 6 - September 4
The iconic tale of magic and mayhem will get a seductive, environmental treatment as we take advantage
of the secluded Dell performance area.
____________________

Plus our signature offerings of pre-show events
including salons, great opening acts, and the return of our playful family workshops.

Taught by Joseph Culliton
May 8th - June 26th
Sundays 11 am - 2 pm ONLINE
Be part of an engaged digital ensemble
that collectively explores the fundamentals of
verse structure and Shakespearean performance.

2 Comments

...to Roberto's Blog!

  "Duit-On-Mon-Dai"

  Roberto has been pestering the ‘Marketing’ staff here at Art and Soul for some time now to get together with ‘Research and Development’ to come up with a fun way for him to share all the great work out there of all the many other talented muralists and artists he's been "influenced by" over the years. ‘Sales’ was totally against the idea! ("How could that possibly improve the bottom-line?!"). ‘Marketing’ remains split, as usual ("We need more data"). ‘R&D’ thought it might be a fun way to "show off a little", and to showcase all those great ideas they keep finding out there on the internet. ‘HR’ said it might be a good way to keep 'The Crew' distracted ("Since they are all so bored since Covid hit, and Roberto is spending more and more time in his studio working on all those silly little easel paintings").
'The Crew' said: ’'Sure, We've got nothing else going on …but only if we get to share stuff about technique, materials, and equipment." ‘Receivables’ said: "It obviously won’t make more work for us, so why not!". 'Legal' said: "No Way! You are NOT going to reveal where you steal all your ideas from!" (Although Roberto values their legal advice, He rarely listen’s to their hysterics anyway). So... here we are! Welcome to Roberto’s new blog:
  "Duit-On-Mon-Dai"
     "As the title implies, I will post once a week (on Monday, more or less). Feel free to leave a family friendly comment. Dialogue and praise is encouraged. Creativity, passion and wonder should be expected. Politics and personal grievances hopefully kept to private emails. And please… no Whining! and no sales pitches either (you can make your own damn blog for that).
   I expect to start becoming a little more savvy with all this social media stuff, but for now ‘Bookmark’ my website and check back every once in a while. I hope you will find it interesting. Don’t be too persnickety over my whimsical spelling and creative punctuations either, my Editorial Department is not what it used to be… I am seriously understaffed these days."
Peace and Love...
-Roberto Quintana, WFA

Re(?)-Visiting: ‘ART IN THE STREETS’ at MOCA, 2011

Last Judgment, Ceiling Mural 1572-9: Giorgio Vasari / Vincenzo Borghini, / Federico Zuccari

Happy Birthday Giorgio Vasari! July 30, 1511

Teotihuacán Murals

Art Exhibition Review!

Mindscapes: New Paintings
and Retrospective
by Roberto Quintana

The Pasadena Warehouse Gallery presents/ Mindscapes by Roberto Quintana: New Paintings and Retrospective

Pasadena Antique Warehouse Gallery and Events Presents: Roberto Quintana’s ‘Mindscapes’: New Paintings and Retrospective!

Miami’s Museum of Graffiti.

A Purple Party… and a Princely Mural!

Murals in LA Lift the Voices of Iranian Protesters

8 Artists to Fly to the Moon!

Japanese billionaire unveils the 8 artists he'll fly to the moon on SpaceX's Starship dearMoon flight!

Octavia E. Butler Mural Honoring Sci-fi Genius...

First...

Washington STEAM Multilingual Academy renames library,
creates mural to honor famous alumna and prolific sci-fi writer!

Then...

And now!...

Quadrature Illusionism

DCA Call for Muralists/Murals

Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles

What’s up at The Cheech!

I Madonnari Chalk Festival: Santa Barbara, CA - 2022

The 2022 Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival!

...to Roberto's Blog!

Archives

Categories

Mindscapes: New Paintingsand Retrospective by Roberto Quintana ​

First...

Washington STEAM Multilingual Academy renames library, creates mural to honor famous alumna and prolific sci-fi writer!

Then...

And now!...

...to Roberto's Blog!

Archives

Categories

Mindscapes: New Paintings
and Retrospective
by Roberto Quintana

Washington STEAM Multilingual Academy renames library,
creates mural to honor famous alumna and prolific sci-fi writer!