Tag: live art

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

October 9, 2019

CONNECTIONS @ RNO

project: #13

location: Reno-Tahoe International Airport

date: 7/1.2019 [event date] 7/1-7/31.2019 [painting display period]

type: 1-minute interactive portraits. Live painting.

CONNECTIONS

It only takes a moment to make or miss a connection. Within a blink of an eye you could meet your soul mate or miss your train. This subtle but spontaneous act of Being forces you to be anxious. to be observant. to be present…

Imagine how many *missed-connections there are these days with the lack of attention to the world that surrounds us.

We must re-connect to reality to re-establish a presence.

We must connect to exist.

RENO IS ARTOWN

Each year in the hot month of July, Reno Nevada becomes a bustling creative town full of life, music, art, and celebration. Artown is a month long art festival that captivates the city and highlights what is ART in Reno. From live band stand shows in the park to dance performances scaling building walls the events throughout the month offer a unique showcase of any and all kinds of artistic creation.

As a Kick-off Event for Artown 2019, Alley Art left superstitions behind and hosted project #13 in The Reno-Tahoe Airport Terminal… welcoming arrives’ and waving goodbye to those flying on.

There was no bad luck passing through these creative gates as attentive airport-goers got free portraits and earned a roll in the making of a collaborative painting lead by artist, J.Charboneau.

THE TASK.

GET YOUR PORTRAIT DRAWN ON THE COLLABORATIVE CANVAS & DRAW A CONNECTION LINE TO THE NEXT PERSON’S PORTRAIT.

One-minute portrait’s done by artist, J.Charboneau

FLY ON YOU CREATIVE SOULS… FLY ON.

No passports were required for this creative journey. AND REMEMBER… Staying Connected = Staying Conscious.

artists: J.Charboneau

contributors: Reno-Tahoe Airport passengers on July 1.2019. Reno Community.

Artown Pride art show @ Sierra Arts Gallery. 2019

Reno Artist Killbuck representing his works during Artown/Nada Dada. 2018.

A Dance Group performing on the side of Reno City Hall. Artown 2018.

Alley Art collaboration mural. Artown 2017.

alley art facebook @alleyartproject alley art videos

alleyarteverywhere@gmail.com

July 17, 2019

Together WE SEE sparks

SPECIAL EDITION: SEEN ‘ZINE

project: #12

location: The Streets of Sparks. (Victorian Square)

date: 6/23 – 9/20. 2019

type: community newspaper. ArtBike. 1-minute portraits

SPARKS…

A city with 100+ years under it’s rusty & wind blown belt has a story to tell.

With Time, wisdoms and wise tales begin to define what is significant. What should be said? What should be seen? What should be preserved? And what should be the goal for the future?

Sparks is a city with grit, grandeur, and glory days… Only it’s people can preserve it.

TOGETHER WE SEE SPARKS.

“In 2015, the City of Sparks began one of the largest redevelopment projects in its history in downtown Victorian Square. Planned for completion by 2022, a six-square-block area of downtown Sparks called Victorian square will be transformed into housing (apartments and condos) for 5,000 new residents, new restaurants and retail spaces, an event venue, a central plaza, and gathering space. The city’s has allocated funding for a new streetscape plan includes new public sidewalks, planters, curbs, and landscaping. A portion of the streetscape plan allocated a portion of the budget for art.

To leverage the arts, culture, and creativity to help drive this change, growth, and transformation, the city was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Grant in 2016 to create an art master plan for the area. This planning process and the implementation of the plan relies heavily on community input using the creative placemaking model.”

The project is called: Together We See Sparks.

FIND US AT THESE SPARKS EVENTS:

6/23 – sierra Nevada Lavender & Honey Festival. @ Victorian Square
7/27 – Water Lantern Festival. @Sparks Marina
8/28 -8/30 – Best in the West Rib Cook-Off. @ Victorian Square

YOUR TASK.

INTERACT WITH THE BIKE-NEWSPAPER STAND!

Grab an index card and write a story, favorite memory, place of note, or words of Sparks wisdom. **Keep it short and sweet and it could be featured in the Special Edition “Seen” ‘zine!
Get a one-minute portrait done by artist, J.Charboneau
Look at an art book… get an art postcard

artists: J.Charboneau

contributors: City Of Sparks. Sparks Community

alley art facebook @alleyartproject alley art videos

alleyarteverywhere@gmail.com

February 10, 2017

SECRET MOVING MURAL

project: #11

location: The Streets of Reno.

date: 7/1 – 7/31. 2016

type: collaborative sharpie drawing. Scavenger Hunt.

THE SECRET IS OUT.

The biggest little city holds secrets and hidden treasures around every corner. Take a walk around the streets. Pay attention to the walls, the sidewalks, the signs, the people. Pay attention. You just might find something worth looking at.

THE HUNT.

It was the month of hot July. Art was on the minds of everyone. Sidewalks and parks became the hip scene. Melodies and wet paint heightened senses on every corner. As I watched the creativity unfold I realized an artist could blend in with this crowd. I did just that.

The people. The creators. Would not have to search far to collaborate… but they would have to search smart. I was here. I was there. ready for the urban art hunters to get their hands dirty.

THE TASK.

GRAB A SHARPIE AND MAP OUT HOW YOU GOT HERE. USE BASIC SYMBOLS AND LINES. YOU MAY CROSS OVER OTHER’S ROUTES.

LAYING DOWN TRACKS.

The project finished with 4+ Alley Art spottings and creatings. Sharpie’s ran dry and the board was a chaotic mess of direction. But under closer inspection I do believe you can begin to see tracks. Tracks telling stories. Tracks guiding. Tracks following. Look close. You will see the beginning of something.

What? Well, we will have to lay down some more tracks for that answer.

artists: J.Charboneau

contributors: Artown . 30+ Reno art hunters

where it should always begin… in an alley.

artists always find each other in a crowd.

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

April 1, 2016

AS SEEN HERE

project: #7

location: San Francisco @ Merchants of Reality.

date: 3/4 – 3/5. 2016

type: collaborative painting. Potentialist Road Show event.

A RENAISSANCE & A ROADSHOW:

It didn’t take long for Alley Art and it’s fearless creative ambassador to find the promised land on the big move out west. As history gave us gold and silver and rough wrangling cowboys, present day gives us an unorthodox artistic renaissance in the biggest little city, Reno.

After a quick settling in among the renaissance pioneers I was informed to load up and hit the road again. My westward trip would continue on to the edge of the earth. To the great big vast expanse of blue. To the big city. The one filled with golden gates and robot dreams. San Francisco.

So just like that Alley Art hit the road again. Heading toward the setting sun. Joining Reno Potentialists on a mission to spread a new sort of wealth to the people and pioneers of the west.

THE POTENTIALISTS:

A poem is read to the beat of paint on canvas. A group of musicians flow lyrics and thoughts in costumes of monsters and gold. A painting is completed not by a signature but by a final piano note. All these things happen at the Potentialist Workshop.

The Workshop is a studio-gallery-theatre dedicated to Potentialism. An idea which melds artistic boundaries. An idea where the artist embodies a true creative release. This is what the artists of The Workshop stand for. This is what The Roadshow is all about.

THE MERCHANTS:

It was only fitting for The Potentialists to join forces with The Merchants once in San Francisco. The exchange was not of goods, but of creative ideas. Two nights were set for showcasing and sharing. Trading secrets, passions, ideas, and creative vibes. The Merchant’s space was a time warp to the beginning of things. When rooms and storefronts were filled with that which mattered. Filled with well crafted things and stories behind them. The Potentialists and The Merchants found brotherhood in creative intention. A lasting exchange more valuable than the gold which was sought after so many years before.

THE SAME URBAN JUNGLE:

San Francisco. Streets of paved ~~gold~~ cement and bright flashing lights billboards. A new era has come for a city built on discovery and wealth. Yet it’s still the same.

Same hills lined with narrow homes and alleys. Same blues music charming the midnight fog. Same city slickers out for a quick buck. It’s still as chaotic as before. Creatures of night prey, sweet birds of day sing. The rain still falls heavy. And the last tokes off the cherry still burn as red as the brick. San Francisco is a city. A jungle. An evolving system where the unique, creative, and collaborative survive.

BUILDING BLOCKS:

The community controls the elements of a city. They are the building blocks of creation. Through all the differences. The chaos. The growth. The change… It is the collaborative community that creates a dynamic place to live.

ELEMENTS:

And so began a two night, rain ~~or shine~~ art event. The stages and rooms were set for collaboration and community involvement. Alley Art rolled out canvas and asked for elements to be built. Color. Line. Shape. Text. Build from the basics. Build together. Control the elements of creation.

AS SEEN HERE:

The rain still fell. The streets still said something. It was all there for the taking. Just stop. Look. Listen. and be inspired. The streets of San Francisco hold all the creative life one needs. Subjects and words of inspiration poured out… joining the elements. Art was in the making.

A FINAL DAWN:

Just as dawn’s sun finally peeked it’s head through skyscrapers and glass windows Alley Art and The Roadshow packed up and headed home. A weekend of creation and collaboration gave a fresh glisten to the eyes of the San Fran “building blocks.” Waking with paint still on their hands the dream seemed all too real.

The potential is there. Create it.

artists: J.Charboneau

contributors: The Potentialist Workshop . The Merchants of Reality . The San Francisco community

Street art of San Fran keeping eyes busy.

Street art of San Fran. Somewhere in the jungle.

Collaboration at it's best. — Collaboration at it’s best.

Pan the art fortune teller. Have a seat... — Pan the art fortune teller. Have a seat…

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

August 1, 2015

EMBRACING CHANGE

project: #3

location: Fremantle, aka Freo @ The Fremantle Fibonacci Centre (the fib)

date: 30th March, 2014

type: collaborative painting / music / live art making

THE END OF THE BLUE LINE.

Embracing Change took place a short train ride south of Perth in the eclectic harbour town known as Freo. The ocean scented streets guide travelers drifters and locals to the soul of it all. To mouth-watering fish & chips. To Little Creatures taps ever flowing with hops and barley. To an old daunting prison howling out stories and mysteries. To bustling markets. To street musicians. Artists. Poets. Dwellers. Cafe connoisseurs. Sailors. To endless boats. boxes. and beaches. To seagulls. To sea smells. The soul of this little town is all there, at the end of the blue line. Ride it to the end. To Fremantle Station.

ART FOUND HERE.

It’s here that John Butler went from busking on street corners to finding his Trio. It’s here that small rooms filled with music lovers saw the likes of Bon Iver and Courtney Barnett before the rest of the world did. And here that street artists and performers outnumber suits & ties. Art is found here. I know because I found it. The first hot sweaty day I wandered the streets lost and bewildered I found art here.

EMBRACING CHANGE.

As the old harbour town and my drifting self have changed over the years I thought it no better way to introduce Alley Art to the community than to focus on embracing those changes. A short month of chaotic prep and promo lay out the project’s tracks. Then just like that, we were in motion. A one day art event would fill our senses. And “change” would fill our minds.

THE PULSE OF CREATION.

A 2 x 1 meter canvas was stretched and stapled to an old wooden panel. The blank white space lay there. Inviting hands and time to create it’s painted completion. Scattered around the room were tables filled with ambitious local artists. Brushes got dirty. Art was created, discovered, and sold. Musicians set the pulse of the room with buzzing harmonies and bass beats. mmmm. Tat. mmmm. Tat. People filed in and out. In and out. It was a flowing pulse of creation.

HOURS & NUMBERS.

After over 10 hours of art, music, food, coffee, beers, and conversations a hand full of us remained. We were weary. Exhausted. And maybe a bit delusional. There was not an ounce of creativity left. We had exerted it all. Before the night’s end the last of us sprawled out around the completed community piece to capture still moments of silliness and happiness. Over 60 people had contributed to the painting over those hours. It’s finality showed layers, colors, shapes, words, and patterns. It showed change. and that is all we could have hoped for.

Get Creative, Get Involved, Art IS Everywhere.

artists: Asterical designs . J. Charboneau . Junko Kitamura . John Gronos . Sugar Sweet . maxokoto . Rach Verheggen Art . Kelly Flemming . Jane Patterson . Nas Gadiri

musicians: Melissa North . John Ralph . David Pensa . Michael D. Lane

contributors: Fremantle Fibonacci Centre . Blinco Street Cafe & Gallery . Nude Fude . 60+ community members