The chaos has calmed the last few days at the KAC. After 3 weeks of preparation, the kids put on their final performance this Wednesday at the Pythian Theatre. It was an AMAZING show! There was everything from spoken word to acting, singing and drumming, Latin dance, African dance, and hip hop! It was exciting to see all of the kids displaying their talents and getting enthusiastic and nervous for the show.  I enjoyed being able to connect with local artistic masterminds, like Sister Yvetta, Malik A. Willoughby, Adrienne Bailey and Kaipai. I love seeing their artistic endeavors and how they contributed to the performance.

Hopefully in the next few weeks Kaipai and I will be able to do some collaborative work. I know earlier this week I mentioned that I was excited to start painting again after all of the inspiration that has come my way this summer. I started pulling together some of my inspirations and I decided to pick up performance painting.

My first encounter with performance painting was in 2008 when I found David Garbaldi’s art online. I was originally captivated by his fine art: I came across a piece called “Lounge Smoke” that was in the style I was trying to create, until I realized that I was only imitating! After I found that, I discovered that he is also a performance painter, and I would spend much of my time in art classes watching his videos with friends in high school.

http://www.avisca.com/Html/Avisca_2178.htm

Recently, I found out he will be in Toledo on August 7th to perform for a Gala Dinner, but tickets are over $200! I was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t make it but maybe I will see him perform some day!

As I was researching him recently I discovered that the original performance painter was Denny Dent! Some other big names in the performance painting world are Frenchy, Brian Olsen, Rock Demarco, Dan Dunn, Michael Potts, and VOKA, who refers to his paintings as “spontaneous realism”.

VOKA’s work:

http://weheartit.com/entry/25839282
I stumbled across my second inspiration in 2010, when I worked on an independent research project about immigration in Italy. I found recordings of the Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio, and was inspired not only by their art but by their mission. They work in the Esquilino district in Rome with the Apollo 11 Cultural Association “in order to enhance the intercultural characteristics of an area where Italians are the ethnic minority.”

Having been in Italy and having both seen and experienced the frustrations of immigration there, (including but not limited to harsh treatment, racism, unspoken segregation, unemployment and financial difficulties) I was overjoyed at the existence of an orchestra in which immigrants can freely express themselves and demonstrate their positive cultural contributions to the community.  I hope one day to be able to see them perform, or maybe even be a part of the orchestra!

The same issues that I encountered in Italy also happen here in Columbus as well. Throughout college I had an interest in improving the life quality of immigrants to Columbus, and now I have an opportunity to do this through my art! I am hoping to make it into the performance realm at some point in the future, but for now I will be collaborating with local immigrant musicians to create large-scale paintings to create a more tight-knit and community among Columbus natives, immigrants, and refugees.

Here is some of the Kids Gallery artwork from the past few weeks:

Painted Chair!

Also…if you remember the turtle table from a few weeks ago, here is the finished product:

-Jamie