All posts tagged: Jessie Unterhalter (Baltimore)

Living Walls Atlanta 2012 Begins, 26 Artists Converge!

 It’s Time for the Women to Represent as LW ATL Breaks New Ground Again

Sarah Emerson at work (photo © Dustin Chambers)

For the last two years at Living Walls Atlanta it’s been like graffiti summer camp; bodies and pillows and aerosol cans intermingled and stacked indiscriminately across the living room floors of friends apartments.  Sketchbooks. Pizza boxes. Condoms. Campfire songs.

The third installment of the conference for Living Walls, The City Speaks, starting today and running through the 19th, will build on the comaraderie established since then and on the lessons learned by those organizers who dared to mount this huge Street Art event on a shoe string budget and a dream. The number one change this year is that there is a bit of funding. Thanks to diligent fundraising and the donations of generous people like BSA readers who clicked a banner and gave, the Street Artists and other participants this year are actually staying in hotel rooms and everyone has a bed.

“All of the out of town artists are here, Hyuro just got in last night,” excitedly reports Living Walls organizer and BSA contributor Alexandra Parrish. So everybody is rested and ready to go.

The second important change this year is that it is all about the women.

In a completely unheard of and shocking move, the organizers/curators have invited only female Street Artists to participate this time, making this the World’s First All Female Paint Fest!  It’s a remarkable achievement in a scene that has been dominated by the male of the species, almost by definition, since the graffiti scene began in US cities about a half century ago. In most people’s opinion, it’s about time too. Speculation abounds about how the atmosphere and the output will be affected. For one thing, there will probably be fewer toilet seats thoughtlessly left up.  Also, better hair care products (no offense Gaia).

Sheryo at work (photo © Dustin Chambers)

“Over the past two years, 50 artists have participated – only two were female, and neither of them had a chance to paint a wall,” remarks Parrish as she illustrates the imbalance.

Of course there are already new pieces up to greet the participants that were done since March leading up to today’s opening that were not done expressly by females. Readers of BSA have seen an array of international artists from all over the world that came to paint big murals every month since including Gaia, Nanook, La Pandilla, Trek Matthews, Interesni Kazki, Evereman and Neuzz.

BSA has brought you full detail coverage of all those walls going up and now we’re gonna shout it from the roof tops as all this female power is loosed on the streets of Atlanta. And what an amazing lineup it is! The list includes: Indigo (Canada), Fefe (Brazil), TIKA (Switzerland), EME (Spain), Hyuro (Argentina), Martina Merlini (Italy), Miso (Australia), Cake (New York), Swoon (New York), Martha Cooper (New York), Sheryo (New York), White Cocoa (New York), Jessie Unterhalter and Katie Truhn (Baltimore), Molly Rose Freeman (Memphis), Teen Witch (San Francisco), olive47 (Atlanta), Paper Twins (Atlanta), Sarah Emerson (Atlanta), Sheila Pree Bright (Atlanta), Marcy Starz (Atlanta), Sten and Lex (Italy), Karen Tauches (Atlanta), Knitterati (Atlanta), Plastic Aztecs (Atlanta), Nikita Gale (Atlanta), Patricia Lacrete (Atlanta), Mon Ellis (Atlanta), and Andrzej Blazej Urbanski (Poland).

Here’s a Teaser for DAY 1

 

For a full list of events, schedules maps and other details click here:

TONIGHT:

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15TH
Vandalog Movie Night
Wren’s Nest in West End
9:00pm-11:00pm
RJ Rushmore from Vandalog will present a series of street art and graffiti short movies.

See the BSA posts this year for all of the installations leading up to this day:

“The Sunrise of Edgewood”, GAIA & Nanook open Living Walls Atlanta 2012

La Pandilla and Trek Matthews in Cabbagetown for Living Walls Atlanta

Interesni Kazki at Living Walls Atlanta

Priceless Culture: Mexican Artist Neuzz in Atlanta For Living Walls 2012

 

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Living Walls Presents: Living Walls Conference The City Speaks 2012 (Atlanta, USA)

Living Walls Conference Atlanta 2012

In one week, 27 artists will visually activate our urban landscape in the world’s first all-female street art conference. This year’s Living Walls Conference will change the game for street art and Atlanta.

The five-day conference is scheduled to capacity with film screenings, lectures, block parties, gallery exhibits and bike tours. All events are free and open to the public.


ARTISTS
Sten and Lex (Italy) | Indigo (Canada) | Fefe (Brazil) | TIKA  (Switzerland) | EME (Spain) | Hyuro (Argentina) | Martina Merlini (Italy) | Miso (Australia) | Cake (New York) | Swoon (New York) | Martha Cooper (New York) | Sheryo (New York) | White Cocoa (New York) | Jessie Unterhalter and Katie Truhn (Baltimore) | Molly Rose Freeman (Memphis) | Teen Witch (San Francisco) | olive47 (Atlanta) | Paper Twins (Atlanta) | Sarah Emerson (Atlanta) | Sheila Pree Bright (Atlanta) | Marcy Starz (Atlanta) | Karen Tauches (Atlanta) | Knitterati (Atlanta) | Plastic Aztecs (Atlanta) | Nikita Gale (Atlanta) | Patricia Lacrete (Atlanta) | Mon Ellis (Atlanta) | Andrzej Blazej Urbanski

SPEAKERS
Gaia | LNY | RJ Rushmore | Ian Wilson | Erin Yoshi | Naomi Herrson | Amanda Mills | Karen Shacham | Paul Boshears | Courtney Hammond | Lisa Tuttle | Lauri Stallings | Karen Tauches | Mike Lydon | Ellen Dunham Jones | Gyun Hur | Gene Kansas

VIDEO & AUDIO ARTISTS
Pablo Gnecco | Robert Sepanski


LIVING WALLS CONFERENCE 2012
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15TH
Vandalog Movie Night
Wren’s Nest in West End
9:00pm-11:00pm
RJ Rushmore from Vandalog will present a series of street art and graffiti short videos.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 16TH
Art House Opening
Cabbagetown
5:00pm-8:00pm
Abandoned art house will be open to the public throughout the conference 5-8pm

Map Release and Block Party
Edgewood Ave
8:00pm-2:00am
Complete map of walls will be released.
Restaurants, bars and music venues will come together in support of the conference.
Martha Cooper and Teen Witch will show their work in an abandoned building.
Block party includes an outdoor movie theatre, street benches, a traveling drag show, bands and a dance party.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17TH
Day 1 of Lectures
MODA
5:00pm-9:00pm
1st half of Lectures with panels discussing gender, identity and artistic community intervention.

Toast the Artist
Opening Party at the W Midtown
9:00pm-2:00am
Interactive projections by Pablo Gnecco and a physical installation by gloATL

SATURDAY, AUGUST 18TH
Day 2 of Lectures
The Plaza Theatre
12:00pm-4:00pm
2nd half of Lectures with panels discussing urbanism and public art in Atlanta.

Main Event and Gallery Exhibit
West End Warehouse, 1254 Murphy Ave
8:00pm-2:00am
Gallery exhibit featuring work of this year’s participating artists, Pecha Kucha style lectures, projections by Pablo Gnecco, DJ’s and bands.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19TH
Bike Tour of Walls
Locations TBA
3:00pm-5:00pm

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