Welling Court Mural Project#2 rocked! Lots more walls, lot’s more artists. Big ups to Alison, and Garrison (adhocart.org) for organizing another beautiful event. Sending love to Louie for opening his home, and heart to all the artists again this year. Thank you Welling Court community for supporting us, we hope you enjoy this amazing public art museum for years, and years to come. To my Project Girlz™ summer youth team you guys made me very proud yesterday. I hope you had a blast, get ready for more the summer has just begun! Shout out to all our friends and family who came thru to check out the event. See you at the BBQ’s brunches, picnics, beach trips and much more. Hello Summer!!!!

3-4 hours…

Zam, Toofly, Chorboogie

IN LOVE WE TRUST….

Our youngest little member, Princess Ani…

I live for those smiles:)

You guys ready to rock your first gate?

Shout out to Tanya for hooking my girlz up with extra paint:) Thanks girl!

After a few can control lessons they were ready for their first ever freestyle session…

Project Girlz™ Youth team 2011 baby!

Time for their photo opps…

Little pro, in love with paint…

Cern…lovely as ever…

Cycle, Lady Pink, Free 5….

Street artist process shots…

This lady’s work is amazing!

This too! DOPENESS….

STREET ART is the BEST! Feel right at home in this world…the artists are diverse, kind, and conscious….

Explore…

More gardens, more gardening, more green, more plants, more, earth, more peace, more flowers…

Nature, the true queen of art!

Summer blooms…

Grown with Love, Grow with bugs:) One step closer, we’re getting one step closer….THANK YOU.

For more infromation about the Welling Court Mural Project check out the press release below:

MEDIA ADVISORY – Friday, June 17, 2011

AD HOC ART CONTINUES MAJOR PUBLIC MURAL PROJECT COMPRISING 58+ INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS REPRESENTING OVER 50 YEARS OF STREET ART

– An Art Event Celebrating the Streets, Solidarity, Community, and Culture –

WHAT: The community of Welling Court in Queens, New York first asked Ad Hoc Art to help them spruce up their neighborhood in 2009.  Ad Hoc Art was honored to do so and rose to the occasion in May 2010 organizing a project fitting for the diverse, enthusiastic, and energetic inhabitants.  Now, a year later, Ad Hoc has assembled another spectacular crew of legendary and groundbreaking artists spanning more than 50 years of activity for the 2^nd Annual Welling Court Mural Project.  The project has received remarkable global acclaim since its launch and continues to garner support as more walls, artists, and enthusiasts augment that success.

This second round is not to be missed as we bring ever-more art and eyes to this Queens gem.  To celebrate, the community’s annual block party coincides with the project’s opening, featuring cuisine and music from the ethnically diverse and multi-talented hosts.  Whereas this tiny neighborhood is providing some major hospitality, it cannot provide for thousands of people, so please:

* think of it as a big social picnic potluck art fun action and bring some of your favorite tasty foods, beverages, or other contribution to share with your fellow revelers.

** if you would like to offer help or assistance to the artists, items always useful are: exterior bucket paint, paint rollers/brushes, spray paint, acrylic paint, exterior primer, etc.

The project transforms several city blocks into a 24/7 street-level gallery, bringing art from around the world directly to the heart of this community.  Renowned artists with deep roots in the street movement have created site-specific works for this project and many will showcase various creative sundries for your perusal.  This new array of visual experiences provides fresh contexts for how people working, visiting, and living in this diverse cultural gem of Queens think about and interact with their environment.

Artists include: Alice Mizrachi, Ashley Jane Laird, Alison Buxton, Beau Stanton, Bunnie Reiss, Caleb Neelon, Chris Mendoza, Chris Stain, Celso, Cern, Chor Boogie, Cicelia Ross-Gotta, CR, Cycle, Dan Witz, Darkclouds, Dave Loewenstein, Don Leicht, El Kamino, Ellis Gallagher, Ezra Li Eismont, Free5, Fumero, Garrison Buxton, Greg Lamarche, Jesse Jones, JMR, Joe Iurato, John Ahearn, John Fekner, Jordan Seiler, Katie Yamasaki, Lady Pink, Leon Reid, Matt Siren, Mensen, M-City, Michael Alan, Michael De Feo, MIMEO, Mr. Kiji, OverUnder, Pablo Power, Peat Wollaeger, R. Nicholas Kuszyk, Remi Rough, Richard Nugent, ROA, Ron English, Royce Bannon, Sinned, Sofia Maldonado, Stormie Mills, Sweet Toof, TooFly, Tristan Eaton, Veng RWK, Zam, and more.

In addition to the murals and festivities, there are special events and artist’s projects happening throughout the day.

DJ’s A to the K & Painted blend especially sublime block party beats to tickle your eardrums and keep you moving all day long.  Bring your dancing shoes and prepare for shaking some body parts.

WHEN: Saturday, June 25^th, 2011 from noon until 9pm.

WHO: Ad Hoc Art + Artists + The Community of Welling Court, Queens + You

WHERE: 11-98 Welling Court {@ 30^th Ave & 12^th Street}, Astoria, Queens 11102

TO GET THERE:

* By Public Transit: Take the N or W train to 30th Ave and then walk or take the  Q18 west down 30th Ave to 12th St. You are there!

* By Car: Here is a link to the street locations on google maps: http://tinyurl.com/2e7whgo

YOUR ATTENDANCE AND COVERAGE IS ENCOURAGED & INVITED.

HAPPY SUMMER 2010!!!

Shout out to ADHOC.ORG for organizing this event, and bringing everyone together to paint, cook, and have some good ol fun in the sun!

I still very much like green…

Artist hands…

Finito! There’s nothing a little community love can’t handle;)

Shana Loves All. Ask her anything she’ll know…

CERN YMI – Beautiful!!!

Planning the next set of walls for the summer…

AM catching blackbook tagz and drawings with the kids…

Haze and Cycle chillin’ enjoying the community vibe…

Got beer? Let’s stroll and check out the walls of Wellingcourt…

DEFOE…

Royce, Matt Siren…

Probotz…

VENG

Swoon…

Lady Pink, Cycle, Free5

Tristan Eaton in process. Saw the flicks last night on twitter look sick! Waiting for a final flick to drop…

Ron English

Sofia Maldonado…

Damn right I’m SOMEBODY!

Let’s go!!! Show me the way…

ahhh yes. Community gardens ROCK!!! One day, one day…I’ll have my own…

Yummy. This little plant right here in some tea puts me right to sleep;)

So pretty. I love this stuff. Agriculture class here I come!!!

Peek a Boo! I love seeing kids playing outside. Video games – no bueno. Getting dirty, running, jumping, hiding, yes! Enjoy the world kiddies. We hope you’ll improve on the seeds we’re planting these days…

My mami linda in town for Pam’s graduation next week. The fea twinz…

Ready for the new roads ahead…

That was refreshing, and peaceful. Shout out to the garden lady who hooked us up with some fresh mint for us to chew on our way back…

Back to the block party and a quick group flick with Cey Adams. TRUE SCHOOL!

Just in time for the 5 grills BBQ, arroz con pollo, guacamole dip, mole, and some very spicey jalapeno stuff…Thank you mi gente!

Keep the spirit alive, because this is what it’s all about. THANK YOU WELLING COURT COMMUNITY!!!

Everyone brought some grub. Where’s that green rice? Shana’s not playing where’s it hiding…must find the green rice…

There’s something about watching people paint. It’s very relaxing…

Frankie Velez stopped by to support. Good peoples right here;)

Kids luv!

Shout out and much love to the ADHOC team who put this whole thing together. Alison and Garrison are two amazing people! Check out and support ADHOC.ORG. Next stop Summer stage live screenpriting. See ya’ll there!!! THANK YOUUUUUUUUUUU for everything;)

You too BOGART! Your so cuuuuute…fluffy muffy…

Byeeeee Cycle hahahahha alwasy making us laugh….

Have a safe trip to Munich AM! Good times summer 2010 here we come…

Read the rest of the interview here >>> THESOURCE.COM
Shout out to Royce Bannon and Amy Aimstar for hooking it up:) You Rock. THANK YOU!!!

Big ups to my hommie Jay Maldonado for hooking up the full color flick taken at Afro Punk Festival last year for the interview! DOPE.

What do beer cans, car tires and water bottles have in common? Not much unless you’re renegade architect Michael Reynolds, in which case they are tools of choice for producing thermal mass and energy-independent housing. For 30 years New Mexico-based Reynolds and his green disciples have devoted their time to advancing the art of “Earthship Biotecture” by building self-sufficient, off-the-grid communities where design and function converge in eco-harmony. However, these experimental structures that defy state standards create conflict between Reynolds and the authorities, who are backed by big business. Frustrated by antiquated legislation, Reynolds lobbies for the right to create a sustainable living test site. While politicians hum and ha, Mother Nature strikes, leaving communities devastated by tsunamis and hurricanes. Reynolds and his crew seize the opportunity to lend their pioneering skills to those who need it most. Shot over three years and in four countries, Garbage Warrior is a timely portrait of a determined visionary, a hero of the 21st century.

Earthship n. 1. passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials 2. thermal mass construction for temperature stabilization. 3. renewable energy & integrated water systems make the Earthship an off-grid home with little to no utility bills.

Biotecture n. 1. the profession of designing buildings and environments with consideration for their sustainability. 2. A combination of biology and architecture.

Toofly pocket size sketchbooks. 32 pages of high quality, eco-friendly 100% recycled paper with one of her favorite girl mark illustrations. Printed with black soy ink on chipboard, this 3.5″ W X 5″ H sketchbook has saddle-stitch binding, and rounded corners. Easy to slip in and out of your pocket when you feel the urge to sketch, write, or catch a tag! Limited Edition of 50. Signed and numbered by Toofly

$12.00 available exclusively at: www.tooflynyc.com/shop

Toofly’s Freestyle Eco-Block ring designs are inspired by her favorite tunes, and graphic ethnic shapes found in her native land. Handcrafted in Ecuador, and hand painted with her younger sister Joanne Marie. These colorful rings are that funky dash of color your looking to rock on them five’s. The line is an addition to her TRINITY collection made up of 2 finger wood rings in collaboration with GOOD WOOD NYC. Staying true, and original to a community of artists and designers who make handmade goods, and eco-friendly works of art!

Joanne Marie after a long day at TOOFLY’s studio painting rings…

Left to Right; Freestyle, Electronica, Classic…GET YOURS >>> available only at the TOOFLY SHOP

SAVE THE DATE OCT 3rd, 2009. PRESS RELEASE BELOW>>>

PRESS CONTACT:
Shana Louallen: 
shanalovespr@gmail.com
P: 646.359.8448
www.theyounity.com
BLOG: www.theyounity.wordpress.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/younityarts
MySpace: www.myspace.com/younityspace

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

YOUNITY PRESENTS: FRESHER! AN ECO-ART EXHIBITION
- Third Annual Exhibit Features 40 Female Avant-Garde Artists Who Recycle & Create Art for the Earth -

Queens, NY (September 3, 2009)— Back for its third annual show, YOUNITY presents an eco-art exhibition entitled 
FRESHER!, opening October 3, 2009 at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural & Educational Center in the Lower East Side section of New York City. Running until October 23, 2009, the exhibit is not the average “white-wall” art show; the all-female collective will transform the art space into an eco-funhouse of raw materials and street art. Elements such as graffiti, photography, design and construction are used to connect ideas about consumerism, environmentalism, health, and renewable energy. The private press hour from 6pm-7pm will grant access to notable, oft-unseen artists right before the public unveiling of work at 8pm. FRESHER! features main-stay YOUNITY artists such as Lady Pink, Martha Cooper, and AIKO while introducing emerging artists such as China Morbosa and Amanda Lopez. YOUNITY Co-Founders and artists, Alice Mizrachi and TOOFLY, continue to push the collective to new levels of creativity.

Exhibiting works will mask the bi-level art space with a range of colorful hand-styles, creative graphics on natural textures such as wood and abstract riffs. Some of the artworks will focus on messages about greening and preserving the earth, including recycling, pollution and even ideas about social issues. A video montage will display the collective’s latest effort to Refresh the Streets –a collaborative effort to beautify a 60ft outdoor mural in Williamsburg Brooklyn with colorful, green-themed street art by selected members of the YOUNITY.  Exhibiting artists at FRESHER! include SHIRO, Diana McClure, Kerri O’Connell, LICHIBAN, Krista Franklin, Kelly Denato, Niz, Paulina Quintana Jornet, and Cece Carpio, to name a few. Only 40 out of 300 female artists were selected to participate in this special exhibit.

“We wanted to provide a working network of opportunity for female artists,” says YOUNITY Co-founder Alice Mizrachi, “and we, as women, need a space to create art exhibitions, murals, books and a much needed archive of women’s urban contemporary art.” YOUNITY Co-founder TOOFLY adds, “Look at recent events that are affecting us and the next generation: the economy, global warming and healthcare, this is the perfect time to put on a show like FRESHER! and express our creative desire to promote green living and the improvement of our community.”

With the success of their premiere exhibit, The C R O S S O V E R, and the second annual Heart and Soul show, YOUNITY has become one of the most sought after all-female collectives to date. With that, they are devoted to passing the torch on to younger female artists through the YOUNITY Youth team. As of now, YOUNITY is in need of continued support to foster its self-publishing endeavors and independent growth. Limited edition YOUNITY t-shirts will be available for sale on opening night and online at www.theyounity.com. We will also have a very limited amount of Heart and Soul books available as well. The limited edition shirts and books will both retail for $20. Any other donations to the collective can be directed to: contribute@theyounity.com via PayPal.

About YOUNITY: YOUNITY was founded in New York City in 2007 by artists Alice Mizrachi and TOOFLY.  After spending many years involved in the art world, it became evident that urban contemporary women artists did not have a properly organized forum through which to disseminate ideas and showcase work to their contemporaries and the public at large.  The confines of galleries were too rigid and staid and the ‘white cube’ did not lend much room for personal expression and individual style.  So, Alice and TOOFLY decided to: 1) create a place where females could tell their stories in more universal, down-to-earth voices; 2) build a stable community in which they could teach the next generation of women the process of curating exhibitions and successfully spreading artistic ideas; and, 3) allow members to explore their own flavor while retaining their identity within the context of a collective body. YOUNITY is also committed to the documentation and archiving of itself as a community of unique, autonomous participants through exhibitions, new media and publishing.

YOUNITY Presents FRESHER!
PRESS HOUR: 6pm-7pm
Opening Reception: 7pm – 10pm
October 3, 2009 – October 24, 2009
Clemente Soto Velez Cultural & Educational Center
107 Suffolk Street
New York, NY 10002

Damn this place is It’s BEAUTIFUL!!! Wish MOM & Jenny came, but they had to work;( Working sucks!

BLUE SPRINGS STATE PARK. The largest spring on the St. Johns River, Blue Spring is a designated Manatee Refuge and the winter home (mid-November through March) to a growing population of West Indian Manatees. For centuries, the spring area was home for Native Americans. In 1766 it was visited by Colonial American botanist John Bartram, but it wasn´t until 1856 that it was settled by Louis Thursby and his family. The Thursby house, built in 1872, remains standing. The spring´s crystal clear, 73 degree water can be enjoyed by swimmers, snorkelers, and certified scuba divers with a partner. Swimming or diving with the manatees is not permitted; this rule is strictly enforced. The river is popular for fishing, canoeing, and boating. The park has plenty of picnic areas and a hiking trail. For overnight stays, air-conditioned cabins, a full-facility campground, and primitive campsites are available.

paradise one trip at a time…

Took me a while to convince the rest of the fam to jump off this tree trunk, but they did it!

no, si, bueno…little cuz, she’s so cute!

I must say, I’m glad I did it but damit my arms hurt that night from rowing! No more canoe shit for me, maybe I’ll kayak next time?

Spending time with family is priceless. Even though it was short it was hella sweet.

I MISS YOU FAMILY!!! Have a safe trip back to Ecuador PAPITO! Nos vemos en el winter;)

Rocking productions with 10+ artists is not always easy. Having a sketch helps. Not everything can go according to plan, but if you leave enough room to improvise you get pretty close…

THE SECRET GARDEN. J train to Gates ave. Corner of Linden and Broadway, Bushwick Brooklyn.

Great spot to chill, paint, play dominos, BBQ, and grow your own vegetables & fruits! There’s a farmers market every Wednesday if you want to check it out. Shout out to the folks who run this place and JOSEPH for keeping it beautiful for the community.

Big hug to Erotica for hooking us up with the ill grill meals! & for bringing by the whole fam. What else can be more fun than running around, playing hide and go seek, dancing, laughing, jumping, and climbing stuff?  WHAT FUN! they will remember for a long long time.

Day 1. Pieces were sketched in and set. On the hunt of colors necessary for Day-2 & 3 possibly 4..GREEN, GREEN, AND MORE GREEN!!!

THE COLOR GREEN. The color of nature, fertility, life. Grass green is the most restful color. Green symbolizes self-respect and well being. Green is the color of balance. It also means learning, growth and harmony.

GREEN ENERGY contains the powerful energies of nature, growth, desire to expand or increase. Balance and a sense of order are found in the color green. Change and transformation is necessary for growth, and so this ability to sustain changes is also a part of the energy of green.

In between the week I managed to squeeze in a Female Sneaker Fiend PHOTOSHOOT with Lori Lobenstein, and Amanda Lopez who flew in from San Francisco for the NYC June festivities. Now the IMAGES will live on FOREVER, and EVER, no matter what!

DAY 4.( I missed Day 2, and 3 ) I was crazed and unable to meet the team to help;( BUT I def made up for it on day 4.WHEW! I still feel I need another 2 days to be satisfied with it, that’s just my virgo talking. Still gonna go back and rock it some more, cuz I can go on for days…PLUS! Shiro is in town gotta get her on this wall…

Collabo between Lady K Fever and Toofly. Feeling RE-FRESHED yet? Flow like water and you’ll see what I mean.

Water unceasingly changes shapes and transforms itself. It is thus a model out of which everything can be born. It is also a source of purification. Purification for the individual beings but also for the whole of mankind. The Flood is a founding episode in numerous civilisations. Among Australia’s Aborigenes, a giant frog is said to have swallowed the Earth’s water to release it only when the other animals, dying with thirst, made it burst out laughing. The Flood in a re-creation of the world. One emerges from water in order to be reborn.

DIVA sweetest person ever!

MADGE def incorporated “THE SECRET” up in here! The key to our hearts “LOVE” and nothing else…

JES. Watch out for TOUGH LOVE NYC! Love these VENUS FLY TRAPS great color…

EROTICA. Yeo this WOMAN right here has got to be the ill#1 graffiti mom. She hella looked out for all of us and kept our bellies full. What a MOM! Got the whole fam in her piece too that’s LOVE. Blessing to you hommie and your beautiful family!

AM, K-STAR collabo. Damn AM wen’t mad high on this one what’s that 15feet? 20? word. K-STAR repping hard! Thanks for the beers ladies they were nice and cold kept us on a nice buzz while we worked;) Ya know how to party!

TADA!!! BIG CITY WALLS hooking us ladies up with wall permissions, paint donations/budgets, and urban arts workshops for youth in the community near you! We had a blast painting, BBQ’n, laughing, and taking maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad flicks. Thank you lady for bring’n us all together!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOD TIMES you can’t touch no matter how hard you try HA!