BLACK ROCK ARTS FOUNDATION

Friday, September 30, 2011

Reno - Save the Date: More Spire of Fire on the Way

Spire of Fire will be lit up again Friday, Oct. 7 and Tuesday Oct. 11 and then on Sat. Oct. 29 for a HALLOWEEN EVENT by the Riverside Merchants Association! Dj's and Fire Spinners.

Not to be missed, these great FREE downtown events!

photo: Mark Hammon

Monday, September 26, 2011

Get Ready for the ARTumnal Gathering

Immerse youself in a realm rich in imagination, expression and inspiration! Be the art!

Saturday, November 19 at 6:00pm - November 20 at 2:30am

Location

The Bently Reserve

400 Sansome Street

San Francisco, CA

BRAF presents our fifth annual: Artumnal Gathering

Feast of Imagination Dinner 6:30 pm
... Artumnal Celebration 9:30 pm

Join us at the magnificent Bently Reserve and enjoy fine fare, tempting libations, special treats, surprises, the best of company in their finest attire, original artwork by our favorite artists, auctions featuring one of a kind experiences and items, and abundant creativity!

Celebrate the creative spirit of our community! Enjoy captivating live performances and dance the night away in three elegant rooms of music and DJ's.

Join our community's artists, supporters, entertainers and other visionaries in celebration of a banner year for the Black Rock Arts Foundation. We'd love to see you!

Artumnal Ticket Packages:

Sponsor an Artist
$55 Main Event Sponsorship
$250 Dinner Sponsorship

Can't attend this year's event? Make this a truly inclusive event, and honor an artist by sponsoring their attendance. Purchase a 'Sponsor an Artist' ticket and we will donate it to an artist in need of a ticket.

SPONSOR AN ARTIST

The Artumnal Celebration
9:30 pm - Late

$35 online presale 1st tier, SOLD OUT.
$45 limited number 2nd tier. Buy now!
$55 3rd tier and at the door

Includes an evening of featured and roaming performances, DJs, dancing, raffle, silent auction, photography sale and surprises.

Feast of Imagination Dinner
6:00 pm - Late
$250 advance purchase only

Includes an individual seat (unreserved seating) for a sumptuous dinner, auction, performances, signature drinks, wine, dessert and entry to the Artumnal Celebration.

Table of Plenty: A Table for 8 at Feast of Imagination
6:00 - Late
$3000 advance purchase only

Includes a reserved table for eight guests for the Feast of Imagination dinner.

Table of Abundance: A Table for 8 at Feast of Imagination, with premium placement
6:00 pm - Late
$5000 advance purchase only

Includes a reserved table for eight guests for the Feast of Imagination, with premium seating placement in the banquet hall, premium wine selection and treats.

Table of Jubilation: A Table for 8 at Feast of Imagination, with premium placement
6:00 pm - Late

$10,000 advance purchase only

Includes a reserved table for eight guests for the Feast of Imagination, with premium seating placement in the banquet hall, premium wine selection and treats.

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW

Thank you for supporting BRAF's mission to inspire art, community and civic participation worldwide!

Thanks to our sponsors:

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Bliss Dance

Bliss Dance, a photo by JDenault on Flickr.

Bliss Dance dances toward you on this beautiful evening on Treasure Island.

Thanks JDenault

Going Places

Going Places, a photo by Brisan on Flickr.

A beautiful day in San Francisco to share the Raygun Gothic Rocketship.

Thanks to Brisan for the panorama shot!

Valiant Flowers

Valiant Flowers, a photo by tapbirds on Flickr.

Facinating view of Valiant Flowers by Karen Cusolito. This piece was part of Market Street Blooms.

Thanks tapbirds for the great photo!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Party at Everywhere!

BRAF throws quite a party on the Playa! Hope you got to stop by and say Hi!

Rachel Carpenter and Nick Morgan from our Board of Directors

Nick Morgan and Joe Olivier, Joe is the Treasurer of the Board

Elba, Dolores Huerta and Brooke Oliver, BRAF attorney, enjoying the party

Maria Partridge and Affinity

The Partiers

More Partiers

JennyBird and Miss Kelly

Maia Anthea Marinelli, one of our 2011 grant recipients in front of a model of her Wind Playground

Crimson Rose, Board of Directors and Affinity

Tomas, our Executive Director, Rae Richman, BRAF Advisory Board Member and Syn enjoying themselves

Rod, Chris Brick and Josie having a little fun

Freddy Hahne, President of our Board of Directors

Eli Peterson works for BRAF and he looked extra special for the occasion

Moze, Barbarino and Joe, having a drink I suspect

Our ever generous supporters the Bentlys, Chris in on the Board of Directors

Monday, August 22, 2011

Come Visit Everywhere at Burning Man

Our 2010 Presence at Burning Man

For many of us in the BRAF community, Burning Man is more than an event. It's our organization's birthplace. It continues to be our source of inspiration -- an example of a society where art serves an intrinsic connective function for the community. We eagerly look forward to our stay on the playa as an opportunity to connect with our supporters, to inspire others to instigate interactive artworks in their hometown, and to educate about our mission and our projects.

If you'll be on the playa this year, please stop by and introduce yourself, and join us at one of our events! Once again, we've teamed up with the other Burning Man Affiliate Groups (Burners Without Borders, Black Rock Solar, The Regional Network and the new Burning Man Project) to create a unified presence on the playa that we call "Everywhere!"

Everywhere is housed under one large pavilion. Together, we'll host activities, art projects, events and gatherings (listed in the What Where When guide) all geared toward kindling ideas and generating momentum for off-playa, after-Burning Man outreach efforts.

The interior space of Everywhere resembles a large world map, with continents cut out of wood, set up at table height. With the assistance of our World Domination Team, guests will create miniature sculptural representations or flags to represent their off-playa projects and endeavors.
Visit us at Everywhere, at 6:30 and Esplanade, at the 2011 Burning Man event in Nevada!

And don't forget to stop by our Annual BRAF Playa Cocktail Party!Thursday, September 1, 2011
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

We'd love to see you!

photo: James aka extramatic

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Mobule Needs You!

In the spirit of the revolutionary interactive art of Burning Man and BRAF, we invite YOU to come out to celebrate and pARTicipate in the Mobule experience! Get involved with this great BRAF grantee project and help make it happen! New York, Black Rock City, San Francisco and Los Angeles. You know you want to , so make it happen!

Mobule is a kinetic, multi-media, mobile, interactive street art performance that connects people from different cities.

Check out theses videos about Mobule on the project's website: http://www.mobule.org/

The artist, Ludale, needs 3 partners for each performance. It's really easy to help! All you do is:

- Invite people to participate in an interactive game (invite them to try on the 'space helmet' and control the Mobule. Who doesn't want to wear a space helmet?!?)
- Interview people
- Help video the interviews
- Help pack up the Mobule after the show

Here are the dates the Mobule needs help. All performances are 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm:

Monday, August 15th
Tuesday August 16th
Brooklyn Bridge park - New York.

Friday, August 19th
Pier 14, Near the Raygun Gothic Rocketship, by the Ferry building - San Francisco.

Saturday 20th, August 20th
Mission Delores Park - San Francisco.

August, 29th - September 4th
Center Camp - Black Rock City.

Friday, September 9th and Saturday 10th
Santa Monica Pier - Los Angeles.

Artist Ludale and the Mobule also need places to stay during their travels, and need a ride to and from Burning Man any day between 8/23 and 8/28!

Can you help? Email ludo@ludale.fr if you can!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Loving the Raygun Gothic Rocketship!

The talented creators of the Raygun Gothic Rocketship, which is part of the Black Rock Arts Foundation Civic Arts Program, received this drawing the other day. The artist had been to San Francisco and fallen in love with the Rocketship and wanted to creator to have a copy, so we are sharing this graphite rendering with you. This is what the artist had to say!

Dear Raygun Gothic Rocket Creators,

I was unaware that this magnificent sculpture existed until I went to San Francisco last November. The Raygun is a fantasy come to life. My only regret is that it’s not a bit closer to where I live so I could visit it again and again. While there, I took several photos for my own enjoyment, but decided I had to draw a study in graphite (If I can’t have the real thing, then at least I can have a picture on my wall) which I wanted to share with you.

I am a printer by profession, but create works on paper in pencil and occasionaly sell a piece here and there.

Thank you for making a SF geek’s dream come to life. Please enjoy the drawing.

artist: Christiane Raymond

Monday, July 18, 2011

Fashion in Russia!

One of our 2009 Grantees, Cardboardia, in Moscow, put on a Haute Couture Fashion Show recently and it is delightful. It put a big smile on my face!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Valiant Flower

Picture 057, a photo by arts.commission on Flickr.

A crowd gathers around Karen Cusolito's Valiant Flower on Market Street. It is part of Market Street Blooms. The Black Rock Arts Foundation collaborated with the San Francisco Arts Commission.

Kind of looks like a tour group. What do you think?

Thursday, July 07, 2011

Happy 4th of July from Bliss Dance

Bliss danced with her friends, and photographer Sidney Erthel on the 4th of July and we hope your holiday was just as beautiful. Sidney Erthal’s 2010 Burning Man photos

A treat showed up in our email box last week from Roy Two Thousand, who I met at the Bliss Dance Opening Ceremony on Treasure Island. He sent a time lapse video with his original music, of the Opening.

To read more about the Bliss Dance Opening Ceremony – Click Here

Monday, July 04, 2011

BRAF Represents at Desert Arts Preview

The Desert Arts Preview is Burning Man's very popular annual artist lecture series, where you are given a sneak preview of some of the many notable art projects in progress right now for Burning Man 2011. You hear directly from artists who are creating spectacular works of art, often in highly collaborative ways. Some have been doing work on the playa many years and will be sharing humorous war stories associated with creating art under extreme conditions.

Once again the Black Rock Arts Foundation was invited to speak. Tomas McCabe, our Executive Director spoke about both our Civic Arts Program and ScrapEden Program and Josie Schmike, our Program and Development Assistant, spoke about the Grants to Artists Program. I loved it and hope you did too.

Desert Arts Preview Webcast

photos: Patricia "Aishah" Rusich

Saturday, July 02, 2011

Spire of Fire Lights Up Downtown Reno

Fire and music create a gathering for hundreds of participants each Tuesday and Wednesday night in July as part of Artown. Over 1,000 people gathered at the corner of Sierra Street and Island Ave for the opening of the temporary interactive art installation and performance venue. Hundreds of adults and children have enjoyed the unique experience of controlling a pulsing tower of flame effects while DJ’s spin dance music for the performers and pubic alike.

Brought to Reno by the Black Rock Arts Foundation and exhibited at Burning Man in 2010, Spire of Fire, by artists Steve Atkins and Eric Smith, towers over 48 feet above the Riverwalk. The tower of pulsing flame effects will be the site of continued fire dance performances by Controlled Burn each Tuesday night at 8:30pm, with “Get Hooped” taking over Wednesdays with Velocity Movement and BoHo Hoops. All of the performances are free to the public with Tuesdays featuring a beer and wine garden provided by Wild River Grille.

“We believe the ongoing exhibition of Spire of Fire during Artown will ignite the community’s passions in many ways,” said Crimson Rose, Member Board of Directors, BRAF and Art Director for Burning Man. “By enhancing civic space through the temporary transformation of an empty lot into an inviting art space and establishing a creative gathering spot for Reno citizens, BRAF continues to bring the culture of Burning Man to downtown Reno for those who have never experienced the event in the desert.”

During Artown, fire dancers and spinners from Controlled Burn will entertain Tuesday evenings 8:30pm – 10:00pm.

Hula Hoopers from Velocity Movement and BoHo Hoops present “GET HOOPED” at Hoop Jams on Wednesday evenings from 7:00pm-8:30pm. All levels and ages are welcome.

Mark Hammon’s photos of the Spire of Fire Opening

Spire of Fire photos

Jim Freeman’s from “Downtown Reno” Photos

video: Freddy Hahne
photos: Mark Hammon

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Ecstasy again

Ecstasy again, a photo by K Jurgens on Flickr.

Click on the photo to see the comments about how much San Francisco loves Ecstasy and this multi-dimentional photo of her!

Raygun Rocketship

Raygun Rocketship, a photo by littlewonderpics on Flickr.

San Francisco is still loving the Raygun Gothic Rocketship. So do we!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

The Bike Bridge

A program participant of the Bike Bridge welds her bike in the welding course, hosted by The Crucible.

A program participant of the Bike Bridge paints her bike in the Art-Bike course, hosted by The Crucible

The Black Rock Arts Foundation is thrilled to announce the award of $10,000 granted from the National Endowment for the Arts for our newest project, The Bike Bridge. This new project, which launched in April of 2011, is the next evolution of our community-focused public art projects. This educational and creative program is designed specifically to engage youth living on Oakland, California.

The Bike Bridge is a collaboration with the youth of Oakland, artist Michael Christian, and with partner organization The Crucible. The 12 enrolled participants, all young women, begin the project with classes in welding and art-bicycle creation, generously hosted by The Crucible. The program culminates in the collaborative creation of a large-scale sculpture made entirely of reclaimed bicycle parts, led by Christian.

In the second phase of the project, artist Christian will work with The Crucible’s instructors and the youth participants to design a “skeleton” structure that can later be embellished by the youths. These embellishments will be made of reclaimed bicycle parts, connecting with “green,” urban bike culture and tapping into the exciting, creative buzz around “art” bikes.

The Bike Bridge sculpture is designed to be the centerpiece of the City of Oakland’s new Uptown Merritt Art Park, to be located adjacent to the Fox Theater in the city’s newly revitalized Uptown district. The City of Oakland was also awarded an N.E.A. grant, in the amount of $200,000, a portion of which will fund the development of the new park. Plans pending, The Bike Bridge sculpture will act as a gateway to the park, which will also feature temporary exhibitions of large-scale works of art.

N.E.A.’s grant of $10,000 sets this ambitious project in motion. Fundraising efforts are underway to meet the project’s overall budget of $60,000. Help us reach our goal!

DONATE NOW

Read more about the project and about the grant from the National Endowment for the Arts press release

See more photos of works in progress on our flickr page

A shout out in Leah Garchick’s Column for the Bike Bridge

The Bike Bridge project is funded in part by a grant from The National Endowment for the Arts. The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government that has awarded more than $4 billion on projects of artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the National Endowment for the Arts at arts.gov.

photos courtesy of the Crucible

Monday, June 20, 2011

Ghana ThinkTank - 2011 Grantee

The Ghana ThinkTank is developing the First World. Ghana Thinktank is a worldwide network of think tanks creating strategies to resolve local problems in the "developed" world. The network is composed of people from all walks of life and levels of expertise and began with groups in Ghana, Cuba and El Salvador. It has since expanded to include Serbia, Mexico, Ethiopia, Iran, and a group of incarcerated girls in the U.S. prison system.

These think tanks analyze First World problems and propose solutions, which are enacted in the community where the problems originated – whether those solutions seem impractical or brilliant. The success or failure of the solutions is documented and sent back to the think tanks, initiating another round of dialogue and action. For exhibitions, The Ghana Thinktank manifests as elaborate installations that document the entire process and involve audience participants in each step.

The Ghana ThinkTank in Corona involves a custom-built teardrop trailer designed to journey into different locales in the “First” world, collecting community and personal issues, and sending them to think tanks in Ghana, Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico, Serbia, Iran, Afghanistan, and others…

Once we receive the solutions, our trailer rolls back into the communities, this time as a mobile workstation, so that we can work with community members to apply the solutions we have received from our global network of think tanks.

The Ghana Think Tank operates in Corona May 21 – Aug 14.

El Ghana ThinkTank en Corona utiliza un remolque hecho a la medida para viajar entre los diferentes niveles del “Primer mundo.” El remolque sirve de punto de recogida para problemas de la comunidad y asuntos personales. Despues de la fase de collección las problemas serán eviadas a nuestra red de gabinetes estrategicos en Ghana, Cuba, El Salvador, México, Serbia, Irán, y Afganistán para ser resueltas.

Una vez que recibamos las soluciones, nuestro remolque volverá a las comunidades de Corona, esta vez como una estación de trabajo móvil para aplicar las soluciones que hemos recibido.

El Ghana ThinkTank opera en Corona desde mayo 21 hasta agosto 14.

The Ghana ThinkTank in Corona is supported by the Queens Museum of Art, Creative Time, the Black Rock Arts Foundation, Puffin Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Lily Auchincloss Foundation, and The Greenwall Foundation. Additional funding provided by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

MARKET STREET BLOOMS: 20-Foot Flower Sculptures In Central Market

MARKET STREET BLOOMS: 20-Foot Flower Sculptures In Central Market, a photo by mcgrayjr on Flickr.

I love this shot of Karen Cusolito's Dandelion. I do not think I have seen this level of detail before. Thanks mcgrayjr

Bliss Dance - Flying Her Colors

Bliss Dance was flying her colors for a few days last week. Thought you might like to see it.

photo: Jeff Steinmetz