Art in the City

I enjoy Murals, I think they really define the culture of a city. I thought I just had to show you some of them. At this point I apologize for not writing more but it is so hot in New York that I can barely press the button "Publish" without breaking out into a sweat. I hope you will forgive me, and nevertheless enjoy these photos! 

I have been working more on my photography skills, I'm so glad Sue Pownall convinced me to get a decent camera for my trip! (Please note: The first photo is not an advertisment for beer but I just liked how the color of the beer and the sky mingled!)

Illustration Friday 'Remedy'

As I wrote in my last post I decided to challenge myself a bit and always write about what comes to my mind for the Illustration Friday themes. This week it is remedy and I have been brainstorming the whole weekend and couldn't really think of something until now. (this is me being honest ;-) )
      But now I think I figured it out - at the moment remedy for me is helping others find solutions to their problems. I know it sounds a bit cheesy at first - but it is something I really love doing. It doesn't have to be a big solution I come up with - but only pointing someone in the right direction or giving advice about promoting  artwork - it's what I enjoy. Especially when I have a bad day I love diving into a new project - it helps get my mind off things. I guess this is why I really would be happy to become an agent at some point - I enjoy working with artists  and developing creative projects. 
      One cause I really got attached to is bringing more education to women in Africa, this is why I also have a guest writer from Rwanda writing about the developments of building a cultural innovation centre in Rwanda. But I've also been working together with a really good friend of mine - she is trying to build a scholarship program for girls in Africa and we were brainstorming how we could give more girls the possibility to receive a scholarship to go to school - and now we are thinking of starting an art/music fundraiser in New York! 
     Maybe some art bloggers even want to join us, I think it could be a lot of fun! Please tell me what you think!!

Guest writer, Grant Jenkin: Reminder of the past

 Grant Jenkin (Developing World Connections volunteer) writes directly from Rwanda about building a cultural centre in Rwanda, new school programs for women and reminders of the past

Back in Kigali after an excellent week of work and fun. Looks like the rain has finally stopped and that we are well and truly into the dry season, and it happened just in time for the celebration at Nelson Mandela Education Center (NMEC).  The Green helmets, a German NGO who have been working on developing a school and young students since 200, has finished its term and has handed the school over to the Rwandan Government. It was an excellent ceremony. Illustrating all the new technologies and building principles that they have been working on for so long.

 It also showcased the Covaga Innovation Centre and the work that the NMEC students did last year before graduating and now thee six former students have created their own construction company - Vision Construction Company. Some members of the Covaga women were also there to show there appreciation to the green helmets and the school. All in all a great day for everyone.
Then took a group to the very emotional genocide memorial at Nyamata. A church which was used for the slaughter of over 5000. It is always so shocking even for myself after experiencing something so positive and uplifting and then having the reminder of the past...

Yesterday was liberation day in Rwanda so we so worked a half day then visited the finally completed Girls initiative school in Gashora. Very impressive facilities which makes school facilities in the West look poor. Its a very interesting experimental program only for women studying sciences. It hosts some of Rwandas most intelligent girls for three years before they hopefully go on to universities here and all over the world. 

Finaly we are waiting to catch a bus to Gisenyi, on lake Kivu,  for some much deserved R&R. A short trip as we will be returning to Kigali tomorrow so that we can catch the Festival of independence day at Amahoro stadium July 4th -  to signify the end of the Genocide.

Lydia C Crimp "Part of me"

Lydia C Crimp lives and works in London as a freelance artist and costumier. Her influences are cabaret, circus, fashion and literature from the early part of the 20th century. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about her huge collection of photographs dating from the late 1800's, inspiration from costumes and why she decided to start painting again.

Lydia C Crimp, http://www.lydiaccrimp.co.uk/

Why do themes like cabaret, fashion and literature inspire you most? 

I was brought up on a diet of a wide range of fiction (from Tolkien to Isherwood and back again) and a lot of folk music so I think it’s always been a part of me. I’ve always loved the decadence and faded glamour of old cabaret and circus and while I’ve often tried to pinpoint the one thing that makes this so attractive to me I’ve never really managed. As a very visual person I think it’s a mixture of everything, the vibrant colours, the textures, the shapes, the music and of course, costume.

You have a huge collection of old photographs dating from the late 1800's up until the 1950's. Do you like to use them in you artwork? 

All the time. They provide a great starting point- the characters in my paintings are mostly all imaginary. They tend to be a blend of people from my photograph collection, old film stars and a bit of myself normally ends up in there as well. Friends have sat for me in the past (and hopefully will do in the future!) although I find I often end up with a portrait that doesn’t resemble them in the slightest! I just take certain elements from a number of sources; for instance, it might be the way a shadow falls on a face or the shape of the shine on someone’s lips.    

When you are not painting you are a costumier. Is that also a form of art to you? 

Definitely. I spend a lot of time working on costumes for film, theatre and television, designing and illustrating, as well as sourcing the fabrics for a company called Academy Costumes. I do a lot of sewing in my spare time and have just started designing and making a range of hats inspired by the Mexican festival of the Day of the Dead. In my opinion anything that has been created by human hands has some sort of artistic quality to it.

Why did you start painting again? 

I’d just been swing dancing one Sunday afternoon and was in a rather lovely cocktail bar on Broadway market, East London drinking gin when all of a sudden, filled with inspiration I called over the manager and asked if I could have an art show. I sort of had to start painting again then…

If you could choose to work with another contemporary artist, who would you pick?

One project in particular that I really wish I had been involved in is Swoons ‘Swimming cities’. She designed and created these absolutely fantastic and completely eccentric boats out of all kinds of things (old stair cases, rotting doors…) inspired, as she describes it, by “dense urban cityscapes and thickly intertwined mangrove swamps”. She and her team of performers/artists then sailed them around the Adriatic Sea. It’s a bit similar to my own plans to build a galleon that incorporates a theatre. I really love the idea of having a theatre production with an ever-changing cast and show as people join and leave my boat at different ports. What fun!

Lydia C Crimp, http://www.lydiaccrimp.co.uk/

Illustration Friday - Midsummer Night

The Illustration Friday  word of the week is Midsummer Night and although I'm not a very gifted painter or illustrator I just had to write about this theme (and isn't writing a form of art too?) The image that immediately popped up in my mind was the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare. But most of all I was thinking of Puck, the little elf. (I just think he is too gorgeous!)

I guess if I could illustrate I would have sketched him. Shakespeare plays with the themes of magic and dreams, and Puck is essential to the play because he causes a lot of confusion in the lives of the main characters. However, Puck tries to explain to the audience at the end of the play that what the audience had just experienced was nothing more than a dream - 

If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream. 

Even though Puck basically apologizes to the audience that everything they had just seen had been a dream - isn't that exactly what the audience wanted to experience when they came to see the play in the frist place? 
To dive into a magical world, that, even though is sometimes confusing, is filled with dreams, visions and of course love? Isn't that what all artists do, to bring their vision on paper and share it with other people? Aren't they practically inviting their audience to have a glimpse of their creativity and inspiration? 
Sharing these dreams and visions is also something very honest and of course, makes you vulnerable in a certain way, because you reveal your true feelings to your audience. I guess blogs have also changed the way artists work and share their vision - the audience can learn much more about the artists' true feelings about their own vision and of course, their dreams. It is a quite magical world at times - and I think it is truly great to be part of such a creative world, filled with inspiration. 
This is why I had to mention Puck to you - and although I wasn't able to show him to you here, maybe you can just imagine how he would have looked like. If I could draw. :-)

Art everywhere you go

What's fascinating about New York is that you find art everywhere - on the street, in the park, in Cafés. I thought I'd share some of these moments with you. I also discovered how much fun photography is, and so I recently spent two hours in Washington Square Park just trying to capture the people and how they created such a special mood in the park. 

This man was using buckets as drums and

 created an amazing mood in the subway station. 

A piano in Washington Square Park. 

Painting in the park. 

A Letter from Rwanda, Part 1: The Covaga Women get a pavilion to showcase their work

Amakuru Sussana!

Greetings From the "Land of a thousand hills" my name is Grant Jenkin, I and my co leader Robin Ripley have arrived in Kigali awaiting the rest of our team who should be arrive this evening. Robin and I are very excited to be back for our second volunteer trip to Gashora. We met with our host partner Lama Mugabo yesterday and he brought us up to speed on where the project is and what Building Bridges with Rwanda (BBR) is hopefully expecting from our trip. 

We will be continuing with the construction of the west wing of the Covaga Innovation Center (CIC). Everyone is very hopeful that we will be able to complete the first part of the center, the pavilion in which the Covaga women can showcase there work. We will also be doing extensive work with the gardens trying to incorporate some nutritious vegetable and fruit that can be easily harvested for the eventual restaurant. It is also hopeful that the CIC will become an example of sustainable crops in which the entire Village of Gashora will be able to harvest.

It was really great finally getting here and seeing all our hard work with planning and fund raising coming into fruition. It was especially nice seeing Lama again as well as our friends from La Palisse Kigali. It makes me so much more excited to get to Gashora and meet again with all the special relationships we made with the people last year.

Tomorrow we are hopefully going to take our participants on a tour of kigali By moto and bus, and also visit the Kigali memorial center which has the history of the genocide and all genocides around the world. Monday morning we are off to meet with our partners at the Nelson Mandela Education Center, with a short visit to the Rwanda girls initiative in Gashora. And last but most certainly not leasst we will be meeting with the Covaga woman and taking a look at the project....

Chloe Allred "Collect the stories of the people"

                                                     

Chloe Allred is a sophomore at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. She recently organized an art auction at Cornish to raise funds for Rwanda Partners. Chloe is also the designer of our "Art for Rwanda" logo. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about art as a form of communication and why she sees herself as a storyteller. 

Chloe Allred, gnomecentric.tumblr.com

You recently organized an art auction at Cornish to raise funds for Rwanda Partners. Do you think art can help to raise social awareness? 

Certainly. Art is a form of communication, and a beautiful form at that. The arts not only have the potential to bring these issues to a greater public eye, but to then also spark interest and curiosity for that cause. 

Art and Rwanda, if you had the possibility to carry out any art project in or for Rwanda, what could you imagine to do? 

I see myself as a storyteller, my work a visual narrative; going to Rwanda, I would want to collect the stories of the people there and do illustrations from those stories. I love the coupling of two art forms, word and imagery, they have a synergistic effect when combined. A lot of my favorite artists are illustrators, so that tends to be what my mind aspires to. 

Besides social causes, what inspires you to your art?

I'm mildly obsessed with environmental science and just finished a 3ft by 2ft painting about endocrine disruptors in US waterways and their effects on endemic fish populations...I also like to take a general idea and explore it, see where I can push it. A lot of making art happens before you actually sit down to do the piece. Through out your day your constantly picking up fragments of information; these fragments combine, and combined make the seed of an idea. I'm always carrying a sketchbook so that I can record little details as they come to me. I'm really fascinated by the human body....there's just so much variety from person to person, little tweaks in detail can entirely change a character. I love that. I love drawing long time friends and discovering new things about their face, or little gestures that they have, that I just didn't notice until I sat down to draw them. 

Chloe Allred, gnomecentric.tumblr.com

If you could collaborate with any artist in the world, who would you pick? 

Oh man! What a difficult question.... I just finished watching Wasteland, about the Brazillian artist Vik Muniz. He's definitely super inspiring as an artist and as a human being, it would be a dream to collaborate with him. I love Michael Shapcott's aesthetic, he's been a favorite artist of mine for quite some time. David Choe. Travis Louie. João Ruas. It would be most excellent to collaborate with a writer; it would be wonderful to illustrate a story of Neil Gaiman's.   

Chloe's Blog: http://gnomecentric.tumblr.com/

Chloe Allred, gnomecentric.tumblr.com

Chloe Allred, gnomecentric.tumblr.com

Chloe Allred, gnomecentric.tumblr.com

Creative Times in New York

Finally I have some time to tell you more stories of my New York adventures. Creativity seems to grow on trees here - and I love it! I met so many interesting creative startups here already and it is so great to meet like-minded people. With all this going on we also finally launched our website, entered a creative competition and our ideas are growing and growing... maybe it's just this city which gives my creativity even more drive. 

I visited this gallery which was showing some of Andy Warhol's soup cans, although I didn't find it that spectacular... Just lots of soup cans in lots of different colours... (Am I allowed to write that? I apologize to all the Warhol fans... )  I actually asked to meet the manager behind the exhibition and when she came down to meet me I realized I didn't have anything to ask her...

Even the shop dummies do pilates over here...

 The Guggenheim - many people are always lingering infront of it which creates a really nice atmosphere

My friend the amazing photographer trying to ask this homeless man if she could get his picture. They ended up having a really long conversation but he still didn't want his picture taken - so I just took one from further away...

Washington Square Garden - the parks in New York are very beautiful. There is always something going on, music or a photo shoot

Introducing: Talent Traders and Colobus Creative

The last couple of days have been very hectic, I've been inspired by this city so much that I'm thriving on creativity - let me show you what I've been working on: 


TALENT TRADERS
I'm currently working on our TYT website and I'm introducing a concept called Talent Traders! Many artists have told me that they would love to collaborate more with different artists, but it is often hard to do this, especially across the globe. I would be happy to try this project out - but I need your help for it to work! It is really simple - I just need to hear what you've been up to in order for me to introduce your project on the website. And please spread the word about this!!!
3 Easy Steps
1) Tell us about your creative ideas or your project that you've been working on in your community!
2) Let us know if you are looking for a photographer, illustrator,  painter, journalist, producer... to work with. If your idea fits our creative criteria we will write about your project on the website. Just send in a short summary of your request, maybe even attach an image of what you've been working on and contact details. 
3) Tell a friend about this over a cup of coffee or tweet about it! :) This could be something really great! + Let me know what you think!


COLOBUS CREATIVE 
Our startup for developing children's book apps and eBooks finally has a name :) We have been working on getting the twittername (@colobuscreative) from another artist who has actually thought of the same name a while ago, which I didn't know until a couple of days ago. But he really supported our project and gave us the account, as he is not using it anymore!! This is really exciting news! We also started a website www.colobuscreative.com  to introduce our concept! 
Feel free to spread the word about all of this, repost or tweet it, I would love to get as many artists on board as possible for both projects!!!! ;) 
Have a great week! 
Susanna