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!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlyNB11Ik4w?version=3]
Valiant Flower
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?
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
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.
photos: Patricia “Aishah” Rusich
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.
video: Freddy Hahne
photos: Mark Hammon
photos: Mark Hammon
Ecstasy again
Click on the photo to see the comments about how much San Francisco loves Ecstasy and this multi-dimentional photo of her!
Raygun Rocketship
San Francisco is still loving the Raygun Gothic Rocketship. So do we!
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
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.
MARKET STREET BLOOMS: 20-Foot Flower Sculptures In Central Market
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
Spire of Fire Comes to Reno, NV
A few shots of the Fire of Spire Installation:
Spire of Fire, by local Reno artists Steve Atkins and Eric Smith,
is BRAF’s fourth installation at our public art venue in Reno,
Nevada, and will be on display June 20 – Nov. 15, 2011, on the
corner of Sierra Street and Island Avenue, on the bank of the
Truckee River in downtown Reno.
Join us to celebrate this ongoing collaboration with the Reno community!
Friday, June 24, 2011
The River Walk
Sierra St. at Island Ave
Reno, NV
5:00
pm – 10:00 pm
– Dj’s spinning form 5:00 – 10:00 pm
– Hula Hoop Jam with Velocity Movement from 5:00 – 8:00 pm
– Controlled Burn and Friends spin fire 8:30 – 10:00
– Artwork’s fire effects alight! 8:30 – 10:00
– Wine and Beer will be sold as a BRAF fundraiser, courtesy of Wild River Grill
– and be sure to catch all the activities on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings during Artown. Free fun for the family!
photos: Larry DeVincenzi