Escombros Vivos (Live Debris)
Taylor Cass Stevenson
Portland, OR and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
$5,000
Another of our 2009 Grants-to-Artists recipients, Escombros Vivos is a traveling series of events and installations dedicated to sharing and establishing new reuse traditions in Portland, Oregon and Rio de Janeiro. In exchanging practices that promote experimentation with reused materials, the project ultimately aims to dissolve stigmas both against garbage and the people who live and work in our garbage, presenting creative reuse as a means of also reintegrating excluded communities.
Escombros Vivos works in collaboration with local artists, reuse groups and homeless and low income communities in Portland and Rio to demonstrate international reuse techniques and practices through free workshops, materials exchange parties, trash-based public installations and exhibitions of collaborative art engaging all walks of life.
The exhibitions include works of reuse art and design that were started in the green city of Portland, Oregon and taken to Rio de Janeiro, where Brazilian artists are physically and philosophically modifying the works to express their more polemic and necessity-based attitudes towards humanity’s discards. The finished collaborative works will then return to Portland Oregon for a final event demonstrating innovative Brazilian reuse techniques to Portlanders.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Escombros Vivos (Live Debris)
Monday, May 25, 2009
East Hollywood Utility Box Art Project
East Hollywood Utility Box Art ProjectKaren Mack
Los Angeles, CA
$6,000
The Utility Box Art Project, is the next of our 2009 grant recipients and is a guided collaboration and mentorship program, pairing artists with youth to design and create murals on utility boxes. The team first conducts a neighborhood mapping process in which the artist and youth study neighborhood issues and gather input from residents. The youth interview a broad range of locals to further their understanding of the community and the theme. After an issue is selected, the youth and artist hold story-gathering workshops – including the new on-site component - in which community members contribute images, words and ideas to support the development of the final artwork.
Each project concludes with a community celebration that coincides with an important local event. The celebration provides the opportunity for the community to gather to support its success, to connect to each other and to acknowledge the work of the artists (youth and mentors) and community members who created the work. Audience members include visitors
from other Los Angeles neighborhoods, who come to experience the final artistic creations.
http://www.blogger.com/www.lacommons.org
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Detroit Dream Project - Progress Report
During clean up Doxie noticed Bud-e one of our resident poets secretly installed the name plate designed last summer during the Temple build. Thank you Bud-e!
After the arson attempt last fall the pillar was cleaned up and spare pieces affixed, not to cover the damage, but illustrate how the the Detroit Dream Project is a Phoenix from the ashes and is proof of our overall resiliency
SailorMan" Chris Ahart helps to clean up the area around the Temple during our Spring Clean Up
All but a few saplings made it through the rough Michigan winter and were budding - getting ready to burst into life
Just in from our woman in the street in Detroit, Danielle Kaltz (Doxie), reporting to us that one of the Detroit Burners, Jeremy Hockett says his friend, Phill from Seattle is a contributor to a new magazine Just Cause, and the Detroit Dream Project, which is part of our Civic Arts Program, and was designed by BRAF board member, David Best, is featured on Page 39 as part of a story on the Motor City Blight Busters.The photos above are from the Spring Clean-up Saturday March 28 10:00 AM. The clean up day coincided with the Detroit Project Day that brings over 1,000 University of Michigan students to Detroit to help in clean-up efforts throughout Northwest Detroit. As you can see, the participants did a first post-winter park clean-up to freshen up the site.
Thanks from us at the Black Rock Arts Foundation to all of you in Michigan who are carrying the torch for the Detroit Dream Project.
For Your Calendar:
Saturday June 20 — Sunday June 21: plans underway for our 1st Anniversary Celebration!
Saturday July 18 — The Temple (the Detroit Dream Project) is the host site for Burners Without Borders Detroit Chapter “Benefit without Borders” Volunteer Event
http://burnerswithoutborders.com/detroit-gets-busy/
http://burnerswithoutborders.com/event.2009-01-29.8033323464/
Contact for BWB Detroit: Danielle Kaltz (dkaltz@gmail.com 313.608.4580).
Remember, the Detroit Dream Project belongs to all of us.
Together we
will shape how this new artistic pavillion
Previous Detroit Dream Project posts
Friday, May 15, 2009
Raising Environmental Awareness for Water Through Textile Art
This just in from artist and environmental water activist, Linda Gass:Dear Friends,
I'll be giving a presentation entitled "Raising
Environmental Awareness for Water through Textile Art"Sunday, May 17th,
from 2-4 PMas part of a special program at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles.
Also presenting is Adam Parris, from the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, speaking on "The Rising Tide - Climate Change and San Francisco Bay Wetlands."
This special program is in conjunction with the new exhibit entitled "Reservoir," featuring extraordinary contemporary quilts from the private collection of John Walsh III. Walsh is the owner of a water purification business and his recent focus is on commissioning quilts dealing with the subject of water. I had a chance to see the exhibit last Sunday and there are many magnificent large artworks (not all on water).
The event admission is $20 ($15 for museum members) and your dollars will help support this unique textile museum and includes admission to see the exhibit.408-971-0323 x14.
The museum is located at 520 S. First Street in San Jose.
http://www.lindagass.com/
Discarded
Another of BRAF's 2009 Grant Recipients:Discarded
Benjamin Jones
Brooklyn, NY
$1,000
Discarded is a wooden creature crafted entirely from furniture discarded on the streets of Brooklyn. The creature stands roughly 30’ long x 7’ wide x 8’ tall at its highest point. Much of the furniture used is kept, as much as possible, in its original (discarded) form, allowing participants to speculate on the origins of each element and the methodology that went into creating the piece.
While the sidewalks of New York City on trash night are a rich resource of useful items and cultural artifacts, most New Yorkers hold pre-conceived fears of tapping into this resource: practical fears of dirt and vermin, and emotional fears based on the societal perception of welcoming discarded items into our homes. The resulting obsession with new purchases saps the world of natural resources, and the ease of shopping versus crafting creates a psychic distance from our belongings that enables us to acquire and discard at will. By refocusing our communities on the process of foraging and creation, we can help transform our society into one that values originality and sustainability rather than purposeless consumption.
Through community gatherings and workshops, the piece will be a collaborative effort, culminating in exhibition at this year's Figment festival. FIGMENT 2009, held in partnership with the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC), is a 3-day participatory arts event on Governors Island in New York Harbor (www.figmentnyc.org). FIGMENT is a project of Action Arts League, and is produced by a coalition of volunteers in partnership with the Pure Project.
Cardboardia
Cardboardia (Cardboard Town Free!)
Sergej Korsakov
MOSCOW
$7,500
Cardboardia 'towns' are temporary, collaboratively built and inhabited towns manifesting in Moscow, Russian, Finland and Germany in the summer of 2009. Carboardia is, in essence, a role playing community, where guests can create a new identity while contributing to the growth of the town, using cardboard as their expressive and artistic medium. Every town created under the Cardboardia title is a place where people can reinvent themselves - where, for a short time, everyone can leave behind their daily worries through new ways of self-expression.
Cardboardia brings together all people of all ages and backgrounds in a conflict free environment. All the participants have the equal significance and room for self expression.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Figment Fundraiser in New York this Friday
May 15, drop anchor and walk the plank at OVERBOARD, an all-night dance party to benefit FIGMENT. For one night only, we will transform a haggard ferry dock into a merry port of call, featuring the siren songs of the city's finest bands, DJs and performers. Maritime, mermaid, sailor, pirate, deep sea creature or other nautical attire is encouraged. Scuba dive with sonic schools of fish from...DJ D_JUICE
Set yourself adrift to the melodious island stylings of...XYLOPHOLKS (myspace.com/xylopholks)
See http://www.figmentnyc.org/overboard/ for tickets and flyer
Friday, May 15, 2009 at 9:00pm - 4:00am
Battery Maritime Building ferry slip
Street: 10 South St, Slip #7
New York, NY 100041 to South Ferry,
R/W to Whitehall and 4/5 to Bowling Green.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Linda Gass Open Studio May 2 & 3, 2009
Linda Gass, one of the Black Rock Arts Foundation Advisory Board Members and a fabulous artist (her work is exquisite) sent me a note about the Open Studios she is going to participate in this weekend. Stop by and tell her hello, I am sure she would love to see you!Saturday and Sunday, May 2 & 3, 11 am - 5 pm: I'm participating in the Silicon Valley Open Studios at my studio in the Cubberley Community Center. I'll be unveiling my newest work exploring land use issues around San Francisco Bay. Here's the teaser: the subject of this work is personal and dirty - come see for yourself what that means! 20 of the artists at Cubberley will have their studios open so there's lots to see (sculpture, painting, photography, printmaking, mixed media, installation art and more) and some of us will be demonstrating our artmaking processes.
Here's a map to the location and the artist studios are in wings E, F and U (my studio is F-2); parking is plentiful in the large parking lots. http://www.lindagass.com/Cubberley.html
If you'd like to familiarize yourself with the other artists at Cubberley, you can view the Cubberley Studios website. http://www.cubberleystudios.com/
I'll have a few map guides available at my studio for all of the other open studios in Silicon Valley.
Open Studios can be a fun way to spend some time with family and friends. And if you need some sustenance, there's good food and the best ice cream right next to Cubberley: have lunch at the tasty Burmese/Chinese Restaurant, Green Elephant Gourmet or Mountain Mike's Pizza. Bring the kids and be a kid yourself and have ice cream at Rick's Rather Rich Ice Cream? Really...there's something for everyone ;-).Linda Gass
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Aeolian Ride
photo by: Jill Nussbaum Capetown South Africa 2005
photo by: Carine Zaayman
photo: Megan Anton
photo: Jessica Findley (Across the beloved Brooklyn Bridge, that's her Dad bringing up the rear)
photo: Jessica Findley THE RIDE BEGINS!@ 84th + Riverside 50 suited bikers hit the Greenway.
photo: Jessica FindleyAEOLIAN: Relating to or caused by wind + RIDE: To be carried or conveyed or travel over a surface.
Jessica Findley's Aeolian Ride is a Public Happening of kinetic art involving 50 costumed bicycle riders. This Happening is intentionally silly, intended to inspire laughter from both participants and onlookers alike.
The Aeolian Ride gets its inspiration, quite literally, from the greek god of the wind. Each participant wears a suit that puffs up when they ride looking like creatures from children's fairy tales, the softness of clouds, or the ethereal quality of a sail catching wind. The ride also fosters interaction between the individual and his or her environment, supporting the animated experience of riding a bicycle in an urban area in a way that invites union of the excitement and playful energy of both riders and spectators.
The Aeolian Ride packs down into 50 easily transported suits which made their debut in New York and then were invited to make their international debut in Capetown, South Africa in November of 2005. The suits are made of rip-stop nylon, designed to be safe and to allow riders to wear their helmets. Patterns for three suits are available online!
THE FIRST AEOLIAN RIDE NEW YORK from sonicribbon on Vimeo.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
BRAF's Volunteer Coordinators
So I have been thinking that y'all need to get to know us a little better over here at the Black Rock Arts Foundation, or as we like to call it, "BRAF". I understand that a lot of the information that I am going to tell you is in fact on the BRAF website but I am hoping it will be fun and easy to learn new things about us in our new blog series "Moment of BRAF."So pull up a chair and here we go...Moment of BRAF.
So just in case you have been thinking you might want to volunteer for BRAF Isabel and Kai are at the ready to respond to your email about the kind of volunteers that BRAF is looking for, and to read more about our volunteer needs, check them our right here:
Friday, April 10, 2009
Support Interactive Art!!
2008 Grants-to-Artists Recipients - Primal Source and Language of the BirdsPlease consider donating $10 or more now, and yes, it is tax deductible.
Our "Grants to Artists" Committee has been working non-stop, pouring through the applications, and will make their final selection by May 15th!
More money, more art in the world!
USPS Issues "Simpsons" stamps
Kudos to Black Rock Arts Foundation Advisory Board Member, David Silverman!!The US Postal Service issues Simpsons Postal Stamps
Friday, April 03, 2009
Open House
Come on by to see us!
Been thinking about volunteering with BRAF, just like to slide by and meet us, well it is open house at the Black Rock Arts Foundation tomorrow and we would love to see you!
Burning Man’s Annual Open House & Potluck Bbq
WHEN: SATURDAY APRIL 4th, 2009
Time: 11am to 3:30 pm
WHERE: BMHQ, 1900 Third Street, SF, CA
www.burningman.com/office.directions
Conveniently located along SF Muni's T-line
Bring something for the grill and something to share and stop by our offices on the first floor, near the front door!
Monday, March 30, 2009
CELTIC FOREST: BOOK OF THE RAVEN
Celtic Forest at BRAF's 2008 gala: ARTumnal Gathering photo: Camera Girl
Celtic Forest as seen at Burning Man 2008
RENO, NV – Previously exhibited at Burning Man in 2008, “Celtic Forest: Book of the Raven” will soon transform an empty lot into a dramatic interactive art installation, performance venue and community gathering spot. Its presentation is unique, not only in its materials of metal and fire, but also in its scale and artistic vision. Celtic Forest was conceptualized by Laura Kimpton and created by artists Jeff Schomberg, Antonio Ruperto, and Bob Hofmann.
This temporary installation by the river features a 16-foot tall, steel and copper book entitled “The Book of the Raven”, three 10-foor tall sculptures, and three 20-foot tall flaming metal trees called “Treelabra’s”. Fire Special Effects will light up the night sky while fire dancers and spinners from Controlled Burn will surround the Forest creating an evening spectacle never before presented in downtown Reno.
This outdoor exhibit will run July 1 through December 1, 2009
Celtic Forest is an environment where the elements of nature, earth, wind, water, and fire, literally and figuratively represented, are balanced with the human senses. Each of the Gods/Goddesses are surrounded by moats representing an element – and all moats will represent fire. The sculptures created by Antonio Ruperto are: the Goddess of Air, Belissima; the Goddess of Water, the Mermaid Boann; and the God of Earth, the Centaur. The moats house metal books, each with a title. Artist Laura Kimpton states, “We hope to create a Celtic place where you can break free from the voice of words, so that other voices, the voice of sight, the voices of intuition, smell, and nature – can be heard and celebrated. The sculptures are half-human and half-animal, bird or fish, symbolizing that we need to tune into the animal side of our nature…”
While embracing many “new age” systems of our era, Laura Kimpton became especially interested in the largest social art experiment of our time, Burning Man. In 2007 and 2008, Laura Kimpton, Jeff Schomberg, and Bob Hofmann received Burning Man Honoree Grants to help build “Celtic Forest”.
Various parts of Celtic Forest have since been exhibited in Museums, Art Galleries, and Benefits, including: “Close to the Flame” Museum of Art & History, Santa Cruz, CA; “Burning Words” Exhibition, Laura Kimpton & Jeff Schomberg, NY Studio Gallery, New York; “Bringing Back the Fire”, Santa Rosa Junior College Art Gallery, Santa Rosa, CA; “Treelabra” Site Installation, Forest Ethics Benefit, supperclub, San Francisco; and “In Flight” Site Installation, Project One Gallery, San Francisco.
“This is the second Burning Man art installation to come to Reno through the collaboration of the Civic Art Program of the Black Rock Arts Foundation, the non-profit art organization of Burning Man, and The City of Reno Arts and Culture Commission’s grant program. “Celtic Forest: Book of the Raven” supports the mission of the Reno Arts program to involve its citizens in the community's cultural life and encourage artistic excellence,” said Maria Partridge, Reno project liaison for BRAF.
To make a DONATION to this project.
PRIOR POSTS
Saturday, March 28, 2009
His & Her: Line in the Middle
His & Her: Line in the Middle photo: Jaz Fabryvideo: Jeff Schomberg
Laura Kimpton photo: Toohip Tobesquare
Laura Kimpton photo: Jaz Fabry
Laura Kimpton photo: Jaz Fabry 
Laura Kimpton photo: Jaz Fabry
Jeff Schomberg photo: Jaz Fabry
Jeff Schomberg photo: Giamma 
Jeff Schomberg photo: affinity Friday, March 27, 2009
Detroit Dream Project Speaks at the Regional Summit
The wedding at the dedication of the TempleIn June 2008 the Detroit Dream Project was built, and is one of BRAF’s Civic Arts Program recipients. In 2007 BRAF granted them $15,000 and the Detroit Burners were charged to raise the matching $15,000 that was needed to build a temple on an empty lot in Detroit where a crack house once stood. But the process began long before that grant. You have read a lot about the Detroit Dream Project in our blog.
At the Burning Man Regional Leadership Summit, Cynthia “Cooky” Jones and Willie from Chicago talked about that process and here is the project's written summary:
The Michagan Burning Man group represented by their community non-profit (SPARC) in conjunction with the Black Rock Arts Foundation (providing critical grant funding and support), David Best (temple artist), and the Motor City Blight Busters (local non-profit partner, land owner) built a Temple to the American Dream in June 2008 in northwest Detroit, Michigan.
This project began as a dream inspired by Burning Man art projects and our desire to build locally on February 10, 2005. The project encountered numerous issues along the way including materials, design, and a very difficult economy. Despite delays and road blocks the project team perservered, BRAF maintained their commitment and the land owners and community maintained their support and belief that the Temple would eventually be built. After years of dreaming, two years of planning and fundraising, a major design change, and a great deal of sweat, the Temple of the Amercian Dream was completed June 20, 2008.
SPARC and the Michigan Burning Man Community's project commitment is on-going. The Temple's current physical incarnation is hoped to last until summer 2013 (5 years) minimum; its life ccle will be weather dependant and this design is previously untested in a mid-western winter. Future art, gardens and upkeep for this site will be developed collaboratively with the local community, the local kids are project "PAWZ", and the local Burners. We have formed friendships and partners in the long days of a very difficult project.
Like the ripples of a rock tossed in a pond, the results of this project go far beyond the Temple. We hope that most of the ripples are positive like the wedding that occurred on the Temple dedication day, the coat drive for the homeless held on site on a frigid dark December Day, and the many smiles, hugs and tears that have been shared there, and the growth and lessons that we learned along the way.
Community was created around this project in several different ways. At the beginning of the project it became clear that a local non-profit was needed so they created SPARC, The Society to promote Art and Recreation in the Community.
The fundraising aspect of the project was long and arduous. Cooky tells us that at many junctures it seemed hopeless, that the locals would never accept influences from California, that there was no local money to be raised and raising the money in dribbles and dabs was painful, but she knew the day a homeless man gave her $20 for the Temple that there was no going back and that a temple must be built.
In addition, the Burning Man community in Detroit and the other Temple supporters became connected with Detroit Blight Busters, and the dedication of the Temple is timed to coincide with Blight Busters 20th anniversary.
The community continues to support the Temple.
March 28, 2009
Spring Clean-up
Saturday March 28
10:00 AM
coinciding with the Detroit Project Day that brings over 1,000 University of Michigan students to Detroit to help in clean-up efforts throughout Northwest Detroit. Please wear “gardening” clothes including gloves & dress for the weather. We’ll do our first post-winter park clean-up to freshen up the site. Trash bags will be provided. Feel free to bring beverages or snacks to share.
Previous posts: http://blackrockarts.blogspot.com/search/label/Detroit%20Dream%20Project
photo: Fuzzytek Photography LLC - All Rights Reserved
Saturday, March 21, 2009
BRAF Goes to the Burning Man Regional Leadership Summit
Josie, Black Rock Arts Foundation
affinity and Tomas in between sessions at the Regional SummitSeveral weeks ago, Tomas McCabe, BRAF's Executive Director, BRAF's Josie Schimke, Program and Development Assistant and I, affinity, BRAF's Social Network Coordinator, (and registrar for the Summit) had the privilege of attending the Burning Man Regional Leadership Conference here in San Francisco. It was exciting to be with people from across the globe who were looking forward to being here to learn and share information about being a Regional Leader. We were thrilled to meet many people that we had corresponded with but never met.
There were brainstorming sessions, social networking, public relations, conflict resolution, event production, building community and a host of other lectures and workshops, all with the goal of creating a stronger regional network. Tomas, Josie and I learned a lot during the weekend, but our favorite part was when 2 separate regional groups, that were BRAF grant recipients in 2008, got up to tell the stories of how they brought public, interactive art to their regions. I am going to tell you more about those stories in a different post but first I am going to tell you what the Jack Rabbit Speaks had to say about the Regional Leadership Summit:
We recently finished up our 3rd annual Regional Network Leadership Summit ...Nearly 100 attendees (including Regional Contacts and other leaders from local communities who were welcomed as invited guests) from across the country and the globe joined us at Burning Man Headquarters for a weekend full (and we do mean FULL) of discussion, brainstorming, collaboration, presentations, creativity, and socializing -- all about how to take their experiences with Burning Man and share them with the rest of the world all year long. The place was downright packed, and the vibe positively electric with ideas arcing across the room, and people connecting to collaborate on projects larger than the sum of their parts. Imagine a really boring conference...only you're all talking about REALLY COOL STUFF, and everyone around you is incredibly interesting, it's actually NOT BORING. Through workshops, roundtable discussions, and a whole lot of socializing in the halls, the themes of leadership and connecting our participatory culture were explored, expounded upon, and examined. If you're curious to hear more, ask your local Regional Contact, if you have one in your area, whether or not he/she went. It was great to have a nice jolt of inspiration right at the Burnal Equinox, when the apex of our annual cycle's orbit takes us the "farthest" from the playa.
photos thanks to: http://curiousjosh.com/ and http://theblight.net/
Monday, March 16, 2009
"His & Her" Line in the Middle
His & Her Line in the Middle
Laura Kimpton and Jeff Schomberg
Opening Reception:
March 18th, 6pm
Project One Gallery
251 Rhode Island, San Francisco
March 18-April 18, 2009
“His & Her: Line in the Middle” represents the first time Laura Kimpton and Jeff Schomberg are exhibiting their own unique art, side by side, and not as a collaboration. Figuratively and metaphorically, they are drawing a line between their individual artistic styles. There is a strong contrast of visual style present in their artwork -- Kimpton’s conceptual-based encaustic panels on one side, and Schomberg’s metallic steel sculptures on the other. The strength and power of the exhibition is the coming together two diverse artistic worlds in a separate context. The exhibition presents visually a logical evolution of their individual artistic style, talent, and philosophy. Artistically, they have grown together in creative collaboration, and now in this breakout exhibition, all that separates their art is a thin “Line in the Middle”.
Laura Kimpton has been widely exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area. The two artists have collaborated on several major art installations over the past five years. Kimpton/Schomberg collaborative sculptures have been featured in exhibitions for galleries, museums, benefits, and public spaces. Together they have received three prestigious Art Grants for site installations at Burning Man in Nevada. Their collaborative work is varied and includes welded steel and found object creations conceptualized by Kimpton and built by Schomberg. Their large sculptures were often part of colossal installations and included dramatic elements of fire and water. Many of these acclaimed sculptures are now in private collections.
Exhibit Curated by Brooke Waterhouse, Project One
Press Release Written by Jaz Fabry, Art Advisor
