Tag: artist showcase

October 11, 2019

Collective IMPRESSIONS

project: #14

location: ELKO, NV

date: 26 – 29th Sept, 2019.

type: Collaborative mural. Mural Expo.

JUST OFF HWY 80.

If you drive too fast or get lost in the endless expanse of open desert and far off mountains you might miss it. Most do.

It’s a HWY stop, it’s a rail stop, it’s a stop from the gold rush West on that historic California Trail. And now, as fresh paint has had a few short weeks to dry, Elko Nevada can proudly say it’s an Art stop as well.

As the big coastal cities continue to grow beyond means of land and tradition, the little high desert town of Elko is just getting it’s feet wet. With promise of a simple life where your community has your back the town is opening doors and arms to those brave enough to take Elko into it’s next age of prosperity. The long time locals, who laid the first dusty bricks that grace tourists with old west nostalgia, now yearn for new attractions on grandeur scales. The willingness to share tradition with modern artistic flare has made Elko, NV a new hot spot for public art and a trend-setter for those small towns still trying to find their way into the next century of what is America.

THE ELKO MURAL EXPO.

It all began about a year back…

Art Spot Reno, an art promotion organization, had just wrapped up their first Mural Expo in Reno’s downtown district. The event mastermind’s had a well deserved pat on the back coming but all they could focus on was where to next. With that lingering thought in mind a few letters were written and out of the wood-work came Elko.

Art Spot got some insider help from The Elko Art’s & Culture Board and a kick-off mural was created by Reno Artist Eric Burke… making the entire community sweat with anticipation. As months went and seasons changed the brewing excitement lead to an entire town working together to make this event one to not be forgotten.

Then, as summer passed it’s torch to autumn and a chill brought the morning sun, 40 international and local artists hit the streets with brushes and spray cans in hand. It was a mad creative time-warp… Four days of non-stop painting, live music, culture walks, and creative conversations. A town full of history and stories was now creating the next chapter of their existence.

LAMOILLE MEMORIES.

Alley Art always aims to work with a Community to help showcase what that Community stands together for. So it didn’t take more than a bat of the eye to recall memories of camping and painting in Elko’s iconic Lamoille Canyon as the most impressionable place to start. An unfortunate fire had recently scarred the canyon… leaving ashes and char in the place of the cherished Aspen and Sage which flourished there for generations. The only collaboration that made sense to honor how much the Elko community has done to preserve their region was to have each individual leave their unique mark on a landscape which means so much to each of them. This landscape would only be an impression on a wall… but hopefully through the action of creating, it would leave an inspiring impression on the community who helped create it.

THE TASK.

Leave behind your inhibitions and get back to your creative instincts. Make your mark in the most simple yet meaningful and unique way… a thumb print.

It’s not all so black & white, is it?

Collective Impressions…

As the last thumb marks dried and the artist’s of the expo prepared for a final paint day the clouds rolled in like a J.M.W. Turner Tribute party. All paint covered hands on deck! With the clouds came wind. then snow… and it all seemed to bother nobody, as the artist’s still worked and the patrons still strolled. A surreal moment for all fortunate to witness it.

And as the sun came back to warm the streets the fresh paint glistened…

artists: J.Charboneau,

Artists as part of the Mural Expo: buZ blurr, Erik Burke, Sebastian Velasco, Alain-Derok, Stephane Cellier, Dr. Chip Thomas, Nathaniel Benjamin, Hernan Borrero, Mike Lucido, Joe C. Rock, Bryce Chisholm, Ernie Upton, Eric Brooks, Jamie Darragh, Katy Ann Fox, Edgar Garcia, Gina Holmberg, Justin Johnson, Leslie King, Bill Louis, Arthur Richmond, Seth McCorkle, Anthony Ortega, Matthew McDowell, Colene Paradise & her students, Sage Elementary School Art Dept. Students, Rachel Pittario, Dale and Jake Slingland, Angie Terrell, Simone Turner, VAKA, Simo Vibrant, Derek Yost, Peter Whittenberger, Kela Downs, Phil Nichols. (anyone else I may have missed please let me know!)

contributors: 75+ people of the Elko Community.

Local students creating their own Mural.

detail of @joecrock with an addition from legend @buzblurr

team from Spain, @sebasvelasco1 @alaintherock

the solo work of lead alley art artist, @j.charboneau

we should have helped paint this guy… Note: ‘White King’ is now fully restored!

Alley Art Project #14: “Collective Impressions of Lamoille” 75+ community hands.

alley art facebook @alleyartproject alley art videos

alleyarteverywhere@gmail.com

June 1, 2016

AS seen on 4th

project: #8

location: Reno. 4th Street.

date: 4/23. 2016

type: collaborative painting. 4th Street Block Party

A STREET OF ~~HISTORY~~ VICTORY.

At its earliest of days the street breathed character as thick as the streetcar exhaust that raced its ways. East. West. It stretched wings across the great America.

Victory Way had no mercy for the soft soul. Street lights flickered while the neon motels lit paths for transcontinental passengers. Nothing promised more satisfaction than to witness the honesty of the street. The rough and dirty outer shell just proves how long it’s been around. The inner core is where the stories wait to be told. It’s the stories and the honesty in their words that keep the character alive on 4th.

AND THEN CAME THE RENAISSANCE.

Rebuilding walls of brick and mortar doesn’t bring the beauty back. Actually, it was always there. It’s been there and will be there beyond your and my days.

4th Street leaks its secrets of beauty through the people walking it’s cold grey pavement day in and day out. Those wise enough. Creative enough. Open minded enough to listen to these secrets are those who keep Victory Way as beautiful and true as it began. The Renaissance of Reno is in motion. And Victory Way stands as a playground for those Renaissance Men & Renaissance Women brave, crazy, and inspired enough to honor the truth beneath the gravel and behind the walls.

A PARADE.

A Community gathered in celebration is stronger and more impactful than one gathered in protest and anger. Victory Way was a perfect setting to demonstrate this. It began with a rolling Viking Ship and costumed creatives. The road served as their runway as they waved and smiled towards crowds of morning watchers. The celebration of “Victory” rang out before it even began.

SEEN ON FOURTH.

4th street is mostly familiar to me as one glowing a midnight yellow from street lights and stars. Biking by tracks, buses, and empty alleys I keep a keen eye out for the next 4th Street story to lend itself to me. Victory Way is crawling with characters and the wild untamed jungles have nothing on this street. And, Behind all those heavy warehouse doors…

Bars. Breweries. Pinball junkies. Two-wheel mechanics. And thrifting gems. The road draws me back to wander it’s sidewalks time and time again. There is too much story to be told there, and you have to see it to believe it.

MAKER MADNESS.

Alley Art was designed for a street like 4th. The recycled and worn wooden canvas rested much too comfortably along the blank concrete wall. The paints were scattered, and the action was just as spontaneous. Rules stopped after directions of color palettes, and the Reno community took full advantage of the open-ended creative process. Splatters. Drips. Words. And shapes began to suggest connections to the place. 4th street stories were emerging through the untamed layers of community creativity. Later, a few outlines from the artist, J.Charboneau would complete the madness.

PAVE YOUR PATH.

The creative dusts finally settled with the sun fading behind western mountain walls. The street stood as it was before the attention began, but a new glint of inspiration now lingered.

4th Street. Victory Way. It’s just a road… but roads give direction. They lead. They divide. They withstand more time than we.

They are paved by man, and the man who paves his own path is an innovator. A dreamer. And a creative victor.

Victory Way will be there for you to walk its course, it will offer you it’s stories, it will guide you through doors you may never have opened. Take what it gives you and make Victory Way a path of your own. It may not ‘just’ be a road after all.

artists: J.Charboneau

contributors: Fourth Street Block Party Artists . The Reno community

IMG_20160227_173543 — Pinball junkies found here.

aa-33 — as seen here. street busker. painter. character.

IMG_20160227_182459 — behind warehouse door #2…

aa-4 — history. stories. characters. as seen here

aa-22 — it all began with a viking ship.

aa-20 — and finally… behind warehouse door #3…

IMG_20160519_161805 — project #8. piece #1.

IMG_20160526_175851 — project #8. piece #2

alley art facebook @alleyartproject alley art videos

alleyarteverywhere@gmail.com

September 1, 2015

coast to coast

project: #4

location: 13 cities across the U.S.

date: 17th May – 12th Sept, 2014

type: tour / collaborative paintings / music / live art / artist showcases / poetry slams

COAST TO COAST

An idea built up from dream state suddenly carved deep within the creative veins that consume the artist self in me. An idea seemingly too big too soon was to be tested and executed across America. The map lay there and the cities began calling out from the page as if the people, the communities, were begging for a creative chance. Dots and lines were drawn, and all of a sudden 13 unrelated places had a connection to each other. The Coast to Coast road trip tour was underway.

THE CITIES.

Minneapolis. Creative gems hide along a majestic river bed. Musicians making waves. Art-district streets flowing with inspired locals. Bike-ways, green grasses, and cool blue fresh waters.

Chicago. Train and subway lines showcasing street art genius. Historic architecture keeping eyes up and necks cricked. Poets, park artists, and creative city type stamping this Midwest city as the center of it all.

Saint Louis. The gateway to a new type of creative. Sculptural playgrounds. Mouth watering markets. Collective art spaces. All likes of the city highlight the talents of the people. The unique people… building new bridges to connect us all.

Denver. A mountain casting shadows from afar. The shadows dance, sing, create, eat, and live anyway. A cross-way of the country drawing inspiration from all corners. Bright, colorful, flavorful inspiration.

Santa Fe. A place like no other. The streets, the homes, the cafes, the people… like no other. A small charm creating in big, expressive, impressive, like no other, ways.

Moab. One may visit and never leave. Stay for the natural red-orange, dusty beauty. Stay for the sunrises and the sunsets. Stay for the community that is constantly creating, exploring, and growing together.

Las Vegas. Bright lights beam on even brighter stars. A sleepless city. Downtown. Arttown. Paristown. Moneytown. It’s a city of all cities. Of all flavors. Of all creative stars.

Long Beach. A lighthouse leads to coastal creatives. Local shops. Local foods. Local attitudes. It’s all happening here. Work hard. Create more. Inspire all.

San Francisco. Steep city hills keep creative juices rolling. New age innovations. Old school community creations. Mixing up the traditional. Creating new forms of art, media, food, and community.

Portland. A fresh, new, weird that keeps your spirit young and pure. Trucks of food. Bikes of color. Life is anything but ordinary. Creativity thrives. Let your inner child roam free.

Miami. Look beyond the beaches and the palms. Walls become canvas as the outdoor gallery rounds every corner. Flavor and style give this hot stirring city a creative punch.

Philadelphia. History and art go hand in hand. Comics keep things light. Musicians keep things true. Artists keep things interesting. An old community still thrives.

Boston. Harbour and lake views stun the senses. A city re-invented with music, art, and love. Old highways hold as much character as the old red bricks built below them.

New York City. A tangled dirty beautiful mess of art, music, and madness. Night and day the city beats its creative drums. The crowds, the fashions, the foods, the neighborhoods, they all blend uniquely together. One big city. One big dream.

ONLY ONE DAY.

From city to city. This tour had us on the run. Drive all night. Explore all day. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. The minutes couldn’t get any faster, but when event days came time stood still. The street side set-up stopped everyone in their tracks. Suddenly, there was enough time to listen to a sidewalk band. Enough time to watch an artist paint a portrait. To hear a poet speak and a friend sing. To laugh, learn, communicate and create. Each city event was only one day. But sometimes only one moment is all we really needed anyway.

THE END OF THE ROAD.

And in the end they hung on white walls side by side. People from each corner of the country. People from different cities, different backgrounds, different jobs, environments, and personalities. In a room fit for 50… over 700 were there. This was the end of the road, and they all showed up.

Co-tour comrad, Bernard McNearney, biking NE Minneapolis streets.

Bikes along the Mississippi River Park Path. Minneapolis

Musician Elizabeth Ghandour playing a set at the Minneapolis event.

Minneapolis community paintings.

Framing the iconic Bean Sculpture. Downtown Chicago.

Creative Doorways. Chicago. — Doorway. Art. Chicago.

Chicago community member painting the Alley Art canvas.

Chicago community paintings.

A Saint Louis market filled with bright, savory, colorful foods.

Cake sculpture. Pogo jumper. Saint Louis

A local DJ mixing at the creatives hot spot, Blank Space.

A father and son bond while painting on the Saint Louis Alley Art canvas. — A father and son bond while painting on the Saint Louis A.A. canvas.

Saint Louis community paintings.

Hidden in the shadows. Art on walls. Denver.

Denver musician on Santa Fe St. First friday art madness.

Denver event rocking the patio at Backstage Coffee. — A.A. Denver event rocking out the patio at Backstage Coffee.

Denver community paintings.

Santa Fe Railyard. Visual displays at the Currents Festival. currentsnewmedia.org

Artists collaborating with spray. Santa Fe. — Artists collaborating with spray at an outdoor arts event. Santa Fe.

Santa Fe community paintings.

An awe inspiring sunset over the Moab landscape.

Local musicians Scott Ibex and Dhyana Green collaborate at the Alley Art Moab event. — Local musicians Scott Ibex and Dhyana Green collaborate at the A.A. Moab event.

Moab community paintings.

Bright lights shine throughout the night. Las Vegas.

Interesting art fills downtown Vegas galleries.

Artist Jef Logan working live at the A.A. Vegas event.

Artist Alexander Huerta poses for a portrait.

Las Vegas community paintings.

Kids working hard on a larger A.A. Long Beach painting. — Families working hard on a larger A.A. Long Beach painting outside of ARTX. www.artexchangelb.org

A completed large collaboration from the A.A. Long Beach event. — A board collaboration from the A.A. Long Beach event.

Long Beach community paintings.

San Francisco. Interesting architecture. Interesting murals.

A birds eye of the community collaborating at the A.A. San Francisco event.

Musicians playing their weekly Sunday tunes. San Francisco.

Local artists sketching at 111 Minna's "Sketch Tuesdays" — Local artists sketching at 111 Minna’s “Sketch Tuesdays”

San Francisco community paintings.

The Alley Art table of paints. Portland.

Portland community paintings.

Wynwood murals lit up after hours. Miami.

A.A. Miami event underway in the Wynwood Brewing Co.

Miami community paintings.

Philadelphia locals getting creative for their portrait shot.

Black Brick taking the stage at the A.A. Philadelphia event. — Black Brick owning the stage at the A.A. Philadelphia event.

Philadelphia community paintings.

An alley of art, just what we like. Boston.

Boston musicians lighting the stage at a SOFAR Sounds gig.

Young aspiring artists making bold moves on the Boston A.A. canvas'. — Young aspiring artists making bold moves on the Boston A.A. canvas’.

Boston community paintings.

Fashion. Frames. And fully colored walls. The living Gallery, Brooklyn.

The Living Gallery owner and artist, Nyssa Frank getting involved with the interactive Alley Art installation. Brooklyn.

Artists creating at the final event from the tour. NYC.

 More TOUR PHOTOS

 Links to ARTISTS & CONTRIBUTORS

 TOUR VIDEOS

 AND… A real live photo book for PURCHASE

ALLEY ART COAST TO COAST by Jennifer Charboneau | Make Your Own Book

alley art facebook @alleyartproject alley art videos

alleyarteverywhere@gmail.com

June 1, 2015

BEGINNINGS

project: #1

location: Denver @ undisclosed garage site

date: 3rd August, 2013

type: collaborative paintings / artist showcase

THE ROAD.

It was a project that began on the road. Two artists, Kate Jane and J.Charboneau drove. slept. ate. and painted. Their inspirations came from endless horizon lines. From sleeping under the stars. From good conversations over bad coffee. They painted by moonlight while drinking whiskey from the bottle. They wandered towns and cities with no aim but to experience them. They sat on dirt paths and busy sidewalks sketching and busking the hot summer days away. This was where it all started. Alley Art began as a chaotic idea from a couple of chaotic artistic nomads.

A TREE FELL IN THE FOREST.

As difficult it seems to show work in a gallery, it proves even more so difficult to catch the attention of the uninterested viewer. An artist’s survival depends on being noticed. Whether their work is noticed in good or bad taste, it is the interaction of another fresh eye that brings whatever idea or subject the artist is portraying to life. If it remains unseen it could very well be just as true as the tree that fell in the forest that nobody heard.

QUESTIONS.

The uninterested, dis-involved viewer rang focus in the coffee shop conversations of the two artistic nomads. They schemed and plotted. Questions rolled off their over-caffeinated tongues. How does one unintrusively grab the attention of the non-viewer? How does one bring the non-gallery goer to the forefront of the arts scene? How does one give art and creativity back to the people? How does one get the people to start looking?

ANSWERS.

The answers came with an invitation. Invite the non-viewer to participate rather than speculate. Grab them from their comforts and, even if for just one moment, make them the creator. Create art that is not only for the people… but that is also by the people.

CREATION FOR ALL.

Give them visual reigns on their turf. In their cafe’s. On their walls. In their *Alleyways. In the places they can’t avoid. So when it’s there in front of them, they look. For what man would avoid attention to that which they created.

A BEAUTIFUL MESS IN DENVER.

The first “Alley Art” project -as every series needs a name- began simple. A short invitation for a small community in Denver to stop by a house. The invitation: come paint. come drink. come see local art. There was no cover at the door. No white walls with art and titles to ponder over. Music blared from a house speaker. And when it rained the wooden board with stretched stapled canvas was moved to the small garage beside the house. It was 6 or 7 of them. Painting. Dancing. Drinking. Every once in a while they would step away to giddily gaze over what they were creating. Paint and chalk were layered and erased as the day turned to night. Hours went. But no one noticed until the storm finally struck fierce and took the power. They finished. Closed the paint jars. Critiqued by candlelight. The spontaneity of the many hands that approached the canvas’ left a mess of colors and lines. But what a beautiful mess.

BEGINNINGS.

The beginning of Alley Art. A chaotic beautiful mess that made the non-viewer not only look… but also help create that which they are looking at.

artists: Kate Jane . J.Charboneau

contributors: 15 Denver community members