ARTIST OF THE WEEK - LESTER GREEN

Lester and his friends have been a strong contributor to Indigo Art Magazine. His photography is the glue that helps tie the magazine together. He picked up a camera a few years ago and since then, he has made magic behind the lens and has also mastered photo manipulation. Les also freelances as a fashion photography and designer. stay tuned to future issues of IAM for more of Les work because weather he knows it or not, his work will be a staple in issues to come.

FUN & GAMES

on our last stop this past Friday, my sidekick and i visited Winter Street to see featured artist Raul Gonzalez and the Montrose Art Society exhibit "Fun and Games".


needless to say, i have yet to be disappointed by any of their shows. most of the time there is the a new theme and brand new work. and they play up to their themes...in the middle of the gallery was a table were people could play cards, connect 4, and checkers. there is was even a set up for Tag using name tags. im a big fan of audience interaction, and these shows tend to bring it.



we got to the show as soon as it opened, so we did not get the chance to catch the crowds. but MAS usually packs the house. im glad we were able to check it out.

montroseartsociety.com

HOUSTON PUBLIC ART CAMP

The Museum of Cultural Arts Houston to Host Public Art Camp for Middle and High School Students Slated for June

MPAC Campers Will Work to Produce a Site Specific Public Art Project During the Summer

Beginning June 6th through July 1st, a mixture of 20 middle school and high school students will work alongside MOCAH’s professional artists to design and produce a public art project within a specified community in Houston.

“The 4-week intensive art camp (known as MPAC) allows students to hone their art skills and creativity with the use of their own hands, give back to the community through the arts, and work with highly skilled art professionals,” said Reginald, Founder of MOCAH.

Additionally, students will be given a guided tour which offers an exploration of some of Houston’s most historic communities, while also viewing MOCAH’s collection of community based art projects. Together, students will share artistic ideas, perspectives, and values working to develop and enhance their own creativity.

Criteria for participation in MPAC:

• Must be currently enrolled in Middle School or High School (Ages 14-19)

• Minimum Grade Point Average of 2.5

• Completed application

• Completed medical release form

• 1 Letter of Recommendation from a Teacher/Principal or Community Leader

• $50 non-refundable deposit per child (to reserve space)

• Cost: $800.00 (for 4 week session)

If interested in registering your child for MOCAH Public Art Camp, please mail all required documents to The Museum of Cultural Arts Houston, P.O. BOX 202059, Houston, TX 77220 or email to: info@mocah.org with subject line MPAC 2011 by May 31st.

MPAC will be held Monday-Friday, from 9am-5pm at the Museum of Cultural Arts Houston.

For interest in sponsoring a child for MPAC, call 713-224-2787 or more information about MOCAH visit www.mocah.org.

MOCAH Creates Eco-Art with Recycled Fashion from Charming Charlie

Charming Charlie and MOCAH Partner to create Artwork that Blings

At the start of this year, The Museum of Cultural Arts Houston (MOCAH) formed a partnership with Charming Charlie that involves reusing slightly damaged jewelry, clothing and accessories from local Charming Charlie stores to create unique, embellished pieces of artwork at MOCAH. The eco-art partnership has been a huge success, inspiring a fresh take on traditional art while promoting environmental awareness.

Patty Foahdouli, Marketing Director at Charming Charlie said, “We thought what better way to recycle our Charming Charlie bling, than to transform it into works of art and MOCAH is a great partner to help us achieve that goal.”

Artwork that blings, is exactly the end result of the jewelry-infused artwork. From adorned lamps to sculptured masks and bedazzled, encrusted corporate logos, the opportunities are endless and many of the lasting masterpieces are created monthly at the MOCAH Face 2 Face 3D Workshop.

“I couldn’t think of a more ideal partner for our workshops,” said Reginald Adams, founder of MOCAH, “We’re able to show people of all ages that beautiful and creative art can be produced from broken and discarded jewelry. Opposed to it going in the trash to landfills - we have created art programming that families, individuals and groups can experience.”

The Face 2 Face Workshops take place monthly and offers artist and non-artist alike the chance to learn exciting and cool mixed media sculpture techniques in a fun and non-threatening environment. Guests are guided in creating a personal mold of their face and creating a custom mask enhanced with paint and embellished with jewelry.

In April, MOCAH hosted a workshop on behalf of Big Brothers and Big Sisters Houston to create sculptured masks to be auctioned off at the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Annual Big Black Tie Gala. This event not only offered the adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”) an opportunity to bond in a creative environment, but also helped raise funds for this paramount organization. The 3D masks were auctioned off at the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Annual Big Black Tie Ball on April 29th with proceeds benefiting the organization.

To learn more about MOCAH and Charming Charlies eco-art collaboration, sign up for the workshops or to schedule interviews, please contact Ashley Small at 281.827.3419 or ashley@medley-inc.com.

About MOCAH

MOCAH is Houston’s leading developer of community based public art and cultural programming. As a nonprofit art organization we are dedicated to the mission of using art and creativity as tools for social awareness and community development. We are committed to engaging the public in the design, development, production and celebration of site-specific public art projects and programs. We believe that public art can transform civic spaces into cultural and artistic destinations. Public art is at its best when the artwork reflects the culture and heritage of the people, communities or spaces that it serves. MOCAH is putting the public back into public art. To learn more about MOCAH, visit www.mocah.org.

FRIDA FESTIVAL 2011 "Viva La Vida"

at East End Gallery this past weekend, there was Frida Festival 2011. a fun event where artist pay homage to the most famous unibrow in history...Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. not only in art and imagery of the artist, but many of the people in attendance dressed up like Kahlo and paid tribute to her and her many influences on art.



while at the show i ran into artist Julie Zarate. i had not met her before, but i remembered her work from a show i went to last August. She had a lot of work for sale, but i had no cash. I am determined to buy some of her work.


i also met artist Magda Bowen selling art at her booth.



this was stop 2 on our cross city gallery tour. it was a lively atmosphere with music playing and fresh food being cooked. too bad we could not stay long. This Thursday evening East End Gallery is hosting "Exploring Frida Kahlo" which will be an continuation and follow-up to this opening exhibit.

ARTIST OF THE WEEK - RAUL GONZALEZ

im going with a new format and focus on local artist. so every Tuesday i will feature a different local artist as the "artist of the week". This weeks AOTW is Raul Gonzalez.

Rauls' motto is "work harder". those words fit him because he is honestly one of the hardest working artist i have met. if i had the work ethic Raul had, Indigo would probably be an international publication by now. Since the beginning of the year, i have been to at least 5 of Raul shows. He has already been in about a dozen this year and already has quite a few more lined up.

see more of his work here

RECENT WORKS BY "GIVE UP"

i finally got a chance to see "give up" work in person. i got their a little late and they had already started to take done some of the work, but the stuff i did get to see was all worth it.
see more of work here

ARTIST OF THE DAY - ROBBIE ROWLANDS

Australian born artist who is best known for cutting and peeling away forms that we see everyday and transforming them into something new.

see more of his work here

STREET ARTIST - EDGAR MULLER

{The Crevasse, a 3D image by Edgar Müller, in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland. The 250-square metre image, which took five days to paint, appears to show a fault in the earth's crust}

{Müller at work on The Crevasse. It took the artist and five assistants five days to create the effect}

{A shark bursts from the pavement in this street painting created for the Illusion of Art festival in Hong Kong}

see more art here

DISNEY PRINCESSES - 7 DEADLY SINS