So I just made my photographic debut in Denver this last Friday with the opening of the BIG PICTURE show in celebration of the Month of Photography. It's a cool idea really - where photography meets street art on a global scale, with a clever use of geotagging so all can attend - all conceptualized by the directors of ILLITERATE Media Gallery.
Though I'm clearly not in Denver to see my work up (I do have spies on the look out tho - heehee) - I was excited to get Jamaica on the BIG PICTURE google map by posting work by Colorado artist Brenda Biondo - sent on from the gallery. 
It was also a great opportunity to get Studio 174 involved! It's a great community art space located @ 174 Harbour Street in downtown Kingston, and founded by Rozi Chung, where the creative potential of inner-city kids is unearthed, nurtured, and fully expressed in Saturday morning art workshops.Rozi and I have been in conversation about creating outdoor projects specifically aligned with global outreach programs for kids, most specifically with CITYarts in New York (more on that in another post). Anyway this came along and Rozi was the best person to run to! Luckily volunteer clinical psychologist, Dr. Tammy Haynes was on site as well; both women were so excited and accommodating in letting me treck my zerox prints and yucky wheat paste down there for the kids to put up our work outside on the studio walls.
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| Rozi Chung - founder of Studio 174 |
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| Rozi and Jason, also a one of the DIGICEL Mural Artists (see YardEdge) |
Crude as the finish appears, I think it's cool, and it was a really a fun and fulfilling Saturday morning with those kids. With just two moderately sized 16x20 prints and everyone getting their hands in on fitting the pieces and sticking - a smooth finish was not the point - at least not in the end - ha! Participating in the exchange and showing the work was, and ohhhh yes, I'll have more please! Can't wait to see it up on the map. Stay tuned!
*Workshop fotos by Me and Dr. Tammy Haynes
**Studio 174's Rozi Chung, Dr. Tammy Haynes, and photographer Max Earle have cofounded INSCAPE. It is a non-profit organisation which evolved from an earlier collaborative endeavor known as the Tivoli Resolution Project), which helped traumatized young victims of the Tivoli incident last May (2010), through visual and performing art therapies. The mission of INSCAPE is to provide the space and resources to continue such work in the inner-city communities in Jamaica - free of charge to those in need. Please follow the links to learn more about them and how you can help.
Big Picture Works on Live View in Kingston on Harbour Street:
Big Picture Works on Live View in Kingston on Harbour Street:
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| Plant With Roots © Brenda Biondo |
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| Behind The Hidden Gate © SeBiArt |
 Big Picture Works on Live View in Denver: |
Fantastic! Both the idea and the execution. And the video.
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B, I just gave this a drive-by read but it was enough to glean just how important this work is. You know my stance on work with youth. Rozi Chung sounds like an inspiration in action. I am forwarding the link to ya'die ex-pats. Kudos to you both. Vernice
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