ahhh yes it’s officially summer in NYC! It was an excellent holiday weekend. From maracuya batidos with my querida family before their trip back to Florida, to a delicious Ecuadorian BBQ with my BFF’s in Staten Island. There was plenty of delicious grilled etraña, hammock sessions and mosquito smacks to go around. Let’s not forget “a party isn’t a party until you dance!” Dragged my brotha from anotha to LIBATION in the LES { official troopers } and “rocked the house yo!” lol, good times, good times. Got it all in and still managed to chillax with my love love at one of our favorite places in Queens, Long Island City Pier. I guess all that was missing was my iphone which got washed away that morning on the permanent cycle. Woops! probably best anyway…haha!

HAPPY SUMMER 2010!!!

it’s all about the outdoors this year. I have a feeling we’ll be painting quite a lot. Street art has been flourishing all over the world, and I think folks are finally ready to support the positive effects it has on community building. Not only does it beautify the neighborhood, it brings people together “FREE OF CHARGE”.  It’s for you, its for your kids, its for the simple fact that we gotta get back what we lost when we became consumers and stopped living. Get outside this year, enjoy the sun, ride your bike, visit a garden, grow a plant, make some art, take your kids to the park, gather your friends for picnics, & BBQ’s. The recession was a blessing. The real value  these days lies in how you spend your time in a more positive authentic way. Get Free…

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…

Got a dope interview in the green issue of the Source Magazine for April 2010 check it…

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.

Just finished watching the Garbage Warrior documentary and I’m so inspired!!! Michael Reynolds is my HERO. This finally makes all these radical ideas, and feelings I’ve had all these years make sense…

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.

They’re here!!! My very own pocket sketchbooks;) I love stationary, lately I’ve been geekn’ it out on paper goods. The feel of printer matter especially when it’s small is hard to resist. This year I decided to get to the heart of my work, and make something that means a lot, but does not cost a lot. With so much of the day distracted from our  thoughts and feelings it’s important to get back to basics and pour it all out on a blank page. Sketch, write, or catch a tag for someone you love. It’s a lot more special when you “personalize” it + it’s 100% eco-friendly baby! just in time for the holidays. ENJOY!!!

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

My new FREESTYLE Eco-Block rings are ready! Sorry it took me so long to get these up on the shop. Figured I better post them soon so ya’ll have something new and colorful to give that special sistah for the holidays. I was going to wait until spring 2010 to release them but I get too excited when they’re laying around my studio. Shout out to my sister Joanne for helping me paint them while listening to our favorite tunes. Handcrafted in Ecuador baby! Keeping it in the fam…

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

Younity’s FRESHER flyer is finally COMPLETE!!!

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

Took a short visit to Florida this weekend to visit my Familia before shit get’s hectic this fall. Happy my aunt Mimi, and Hector took us to this new spot called BLUE SPRINGS STATE PARK . It’s the shit!!! Their website does them no justice. If your ever in Orlando I recommend you check it out. You can BBQ, Snorkel, Canoe, Kayak, Camp, and swim in paradise.

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;)

The Secret Garden. A YOUNITY + BIG CITY WALLS collaboration with female aerosol artists from NYC. Coming together to “RE-FRESH” the streets…

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!

Rain of shine we made it! This year’s Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival was NOT a wash out. Mad people came through. As long as you had an umbrella, rain boots, rain jacket, or even a garbage bag over you head you were good. Damn missed that flick that was funny. I’m happy we got an opportunity to build with Allison she’s so DOPE!!! One of the organizers for the F.O.K.U.S team. Girl is no joke LOVE HER! Thanks for everything hommie, we had a blast. We’re def looking forward to more YOUNITY ARTS + F.O.K.U.S projects with you!

10:30am call time. Younity is here bring ya’ll the sunshine!

1 Main Street. Dumbo Brooklyn…Great SPACE.

FAMILY DAY 12-4PM

The ILLLLLLLLLest! Organizer I’ve met so far miss Allison Maritza Lasky! Repping F.O.K.U.S

Setting up YOUNITY, TOOFLY NYC, and AM FILES…

Shout out to our Younity team Shana Louallen, and Yvette Devito for helping us hold it down! LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

Our hommie Black Rob, and booth neighbor for the The Hip Hop Association. FACILIATING, FOSTERING, & PRESERVING HIP-HOP CULTURE! Don’t miss JUNE 25th event next week!!! Get Your Tickets!

JUNKPRINTS! Hommie is def part of  Younity’s collective this year love her stuff! RECYCLE, RECYCLE, RECYCLE!

Show your support for your fellow independent artists making HANDMADE, and with LOVE.

AM preparing the FRESHER STENCIL for the Younity kids workshop.

Gotta spread the word!!! www.myspace.com/younityspace Call for entries have been extended to JULY 1st!

Had to make an irrigation system first to keep the rain out. MAD FUNNY!

Gotta give kids an opportunity to rock out too!

LADIES LOVE NYC Mommy dropped by with her little one!

A little rain never hurt nobody. GET your ass out the crib, one day we may not be able to. Mother Nature is not playing!

Booth is all packed up, time for Performance FUN! PHOTO BY: ★TECHIENYC★

Yeo Time for LIVE MUSIC! We out, Smif n’ Wesson, Dead Prez, Brand Nubian, and suprise guest BUCKSHOT!!!

SEE YA NEXT YEAR!!! BROOKLYN we go hard, we go hard….BROOKLYN we go hard, we go hard….