Relevant.Phx: A Billboard I wouldn’t hate

A lot of times billboards are sloppy, ill-conceived printed versions of brands shouting at us, conditioning us to believe that society says we need to spend our money on their product.  The worst are when I see a billboard so low that it blocks part of a building from view, thereby adding to the crowded sense of the city and removing most options for great street art.

However, today I stumbled across a blog post by none other than Shepard Fairey, one of my three favorite street artists ever, discussing a social movement very dear to us citizens of Phoenix: SB-1070 (or as I like to call it The “hey, want another reason to hate AZ” Bill)

(For previous blog about Street Art and SB-1070, see here)

Whatever your stance on 1070, anyone who disagrees with the basic Americana of political discourse is a liar or a dullard.  It speaks to our roots as a nation that we want to be represented, we want our voices to be heard, we want government “of the people”.

It is impossible to be more American than to form an opinion and express it loudly, clearly, and concisely.

So you should see why I really liked the idea presented below.

We can’t stop now. We must keep fighting this unjust law that will effectively institutionalize discrimination against the Latino community.  Proceeds from the “We Are Human” print go to immigration reform organizations such as the one below!  Please take a second and support.

Brave New Foundation’s Cuéntame asks:
If you can help us raise $10,000 by Monday, July 26, Cuéntame will purchase a billboard on a populated street in Phoenix showing the law for what it really is. The powerful line for the billboard has already been chosen on Facebook by the members of Cuéntame. Now all we need is your support.  Please help us in our next step to send a giant message to the Arizona government.

Brave New Foundation’s Cuéntame, has made major headlines this week for its video interview with Arizona Police Officer Paul Dobsonspeaking out about draconian Arizona anti-immigration bill, SB1070. Officer Dobson is now under investigation for exercising his first amendment right to speak freely about the real effects of the law:

“I know people will not call the police in case of a real emergency. This law is purely racist and solely focused on Latinos. In my opinion, SB 1070 violates equal protection under the law.” Paul Dobson, Patrol Officer, Arizona

We are making a difference and our voices are being heard by hundreds of thousands of people across the country. Cuéntame’s work with Officer Dobson has been featured in USA Today, Arizona Republic, New York Daily News, FoxNews and more!

I really like this.

I’m always a fan of both street art and social experiment.  This combines both.  Enjoy.

Monday Morning Affirmation

Seen on the street of Dublin (via Wooster Collective)

Amazing stuff from Berlin

Very Cool Project

Came across this gem while reading Wooster Collective.

Great Street Art project by Mister12Gage in Portland:

I’ve always thought it was strange to see large images of celebrities, models and news anchors on walls, billboards, and buses. I’ve wondered why these people are adorning our walls and public spaces instead of the individuals that make up our community. This project serves as a physical representation of the city of Portland through drawings of it’s inhabitants.

Everyone pictured is completely unknowing and chosen at random. Whether your reaction is positive or negative, please let me know by  emailing me at pasteyourfaceproject@gmail.com. I’d like to hear your initial reaction, as well as what you think now that you know what this is all about.

I’m sorry or you’re welcome, depending on how you feel about this.

Phoenix Recognized for our worst possible contribution.

I’ve written multiple times about my love for Street Art and how much I dig Wooster Collective.

Not too long ago Phoenix artists Mac & Kofie was featured on Wooster for this piece, as documented by Light Rail Blogger.

So imagine my surprise, when, as I was writing last week piece “Something else we need in Phoenix“, I noticed that Wooster had featured the horrible PBR mural that was put up on Roosevelt, only a few feet from the Mac & Kofie piece.

My Objections are this:

1. 25-cent beer should sell itself
2. The owner the building this is painted on also ripped all the street art and posters off the front of the building, while allowing this billboard to go up
3. Roosevelt Row is clearly the “Arts District”, so placing this faux-mural here has only one purpose, to mis-appropriate the slowly growing reputation that so many legitimate artists have toiled to build here over the last two decades.
4. It took weeks to do and looks like crap.

I agree completely with the tagger.

Also, to point out a quote from LRB:

“..tagging work by respected artists is a no-no in the world of vandalism.”

Guess what, hack; that checklist means nobody respects your billboard.

One Solution to the BP #oilspill

via Wooster Collective, art by Priest:

Something else we need in Phoenix….

Larger, fully-developed Street Art.

On a nice day last week, I took my own walking tour of the Roosevelt neighborhood, and liked the amount of stickers and back-of-building murals I saw (pictures coming as soon as I find something better than Flickr for mass uploads).

What I did not like, however, was how the average image size to average square footage available is still a horribly improper faction.

Stickers, simple tags, small flyers.  Where’s the bigger wheat pastes?  Where’s the adventurous art that forces common bypassers to raise important questions about society?

Let’s stop trying to throw up our stamp and start trying to make our mark.

Of course, I’ve been a fan of street art since I read about Swoon being shown in MOMA years ago, and promptly stumbled upon Wooster Collective to expand my viewing horizons.

So, yes, what I’d really like to see is more work in Phoenix that is on scale with what gets done in NYC, London, or even this piece in LA from JR:

Yerena/Fairey anti-Arpaio poster FTW

I’ve been seeing the “We are all human” poster around town quite a bit lately, and then tonight I found another one from the same series by Ernesto Yerena.

(Of course, anything inspired by Shepard Fairey gets my vote)

Can’t believe I just now came across this image, but I guess that’s what I get for not reading the newspaper on a regular basis.

Yerena, speaking by phone from his Los Angeles-area home, said the photo of an emotional Orlando Arenas made for a signature image.

“I wanted someone to truly represent the spirit of the activist in Arizona currently,” Yerena said. “He’s kind of fierce. He’s got his fist in the air. You can tell he’s angry.”

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/2010/01/14/20100114arpaioart0114.html#ixzz0prYGpUPh

cool new Banksy