Keeping It A Bit Local

One World Concert

"Tuesday, October 9 at 7:00 p.m. Expected to be one of the largest gatherings of international artists ever to travel to the region, this special benefit concert immediately follows a public talk by the Dalai Lama and features an original song written and performed by multiple artists, especially for His Holiness." syr.edu

Enough said above.

Tunisian Graffiti Artist

His goal is to unite through the arts, through "calligraffiti." On many of his installations "el Seed" takes peaceful word segments from the Quran and displays them without having to hide in the shadows to do so.  Graffiti is not tolerated in many parts of the world and is fairly new to Tunisia. El Seed is 31 now. He grew up in France and reunited with Tunisian roots at a teenage. He lives in Montreal, Canada now.

"He said he was reacting to clashes between hardline Islamist Salafists and artists at an art fair in Tunis in June that showed works the Salafists believed was insulting to Islam." - By Catriona Davies, CNN

eL Seed has a solo exhibition opening at Gallery Itinerrance in Paris 13 on October 12.

TONY 2012

 I am all about supporting the local art scene. I was in Armory Square, Syracuse this past Saturday with a few friends and while I was waiting to meet them, I saw this well-lit 1st floor store front that spanned across two whole store fronts. It really caught my eye because that space was usually dark and abandoned. The location is prime and as I approached the building it looked like a private event. I kept observing the intricate artistry throughout the halls. I saw the name Michael Barletta on the door poster. He is an acquaintance/friend of mine.  A few shows were I was the host dj, he was out snapping pictures of the event. Around 3 years ago we swapped contact info. When I went to his site, his talent was so impressive, I still talk about it today.

The TONY 2012 array of talent and locations is currently bursting throughout the Syracuse metropolitan walls. This is a great day trip and the installations that are being shown are worth the journey 30 minutes north!

Chamberlain Blog

John Chamberlain on Park Avenue

Blog Blah Blog: To dive right into this: The contemporary art world, to me is growing and there are so many people giving it their all. Some get recognized while some should, but don't, for some reason or another. 

 The memoriam had some intriguing work. John Chamberlain's art makes metal sculpting as easy as pie. Last year, here at Cortland, I dabbled with cast iron molding and I was a seeker on the foundations of welding. If you don't like loud mechanic noises and/ or getting dirt and debris on you that may not come off for a good solid week or so, then metalwork may not be for you. Of course the end product can be worth the time. 

Along my travels I feel I have seen his lustrous work either in a magazine, museum, or just online. I want to see more of it, up close and personal. The pieces “PINEAPPLESURPRISE”, “ROBUSTFAGOTTO”, “MERMAIDMISCHIEF”, & “FROSTYDICKFANTASY” make me want to drive to NYC's Park Avenue today. These all tower over the average person, they look inviting, and I bet so many people are so curious to what they are called, and who made them, and of course, what they are. They are dancing, swaying, twisting, shining, balancing, & more. To some, intricate works like these are treasure, to others, like my cynical brother, they are nothing more than a person wasting time.