C Drew - Street Artist Adventures

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New York City - View to the Future of Chicago Artists’ Struggle

Pulling a print - Nami prints a Lee Groban design to support artists' speech rights in Chicago.

Read Mr. Lederman’s analysis of the state of affairs in New York for artists selling on the street.  This is a primer in what to expect in Chicago as we build our movement.  What they are going through today with the BIDs (Business Improvement Districts – corporate dominated civic organizations pressing anti-independent-peddler laws) is what we will have to go through once we are strong enough to gain our rights. Educate yourself and learn more about your rights and how to fight for them by studying A.R.T.I.S.T., Artists’ Response To Illegal State Tactics, at the Yahoo group below.  Stay tuned to this blog to follow the movement locally and nationally.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYCStreetArtists

Read Robert’s rap below.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYCStreetArtists/message/1502

Dan, Lindsey, Jon and Pete stretch screens for patch-art designs supporting free-speech for artists.

Screen Print Workshop Report

I arrived a little before 3:00pm. Daniel and Lindsey came first. They were first timers. I explained our Free Speech Artists’ Movement mission, to free artists to sell their speech/expressions in public in Chicago. I had a screen to burn (expose images on a photo-sensitive screen) two Carlos Cortez designs and suggested we do that immediately as a demo of that process.

After that, we jumped right in preparing to print patches. Jon and Pete arrived. We took a moment to kick around possible tasks for the class today. We had frames stretched with fabric that needed to be washed before coating. Jon and Pete took on that job. We envisioned coating the screens – later as a hands-on project. Then, Nami and her friend – Lesley walked in.

Lesley prints a Jeneba Koroma design to support Free-speech for artists in Chicago

After a bit of creative task talk, Nami and Lesley agreed to print. They selected the art they wanted to print. Daniel and Lindsey decided to draw a design to apply to screens. Once they were done, I had only to show them the computers and invite them to scan and size their art then add our text and theirs to make up a patch screen.

Design by Jeneba Koroma in support of freedom

Sarah and June came in and made a patch screen between our activities. I was very busy during that time and missed photographing them for my blog. Next time!

Screen-printing art-patches for freedom

Jon and Pete led Daniel and Lindsey through stretching a screen. I spent time with June exposing her screen and with Nami and Lesley printing.

Screen-printing art-patches for freedom

Time flew by. Nami and Lesley surprised me when they brought to my attention it was clean-up time, 5:45. Nami is very helpful in organizing our pick-up on time. Thank you Nami. Pete and Jon helped teach and maintain order and they deserve thanks, also.

Patch-art by Lee Groban - Tomorrow is our Big Day

The weather was so cold and windy with snow. Ha-ha-ha…. Some who swore up and down they would come out – did not.  We had a great day, anyway. It is better to grow slow then fast. We didn’t print the patch designs on t-shirts like I had announced in my letter to our Screen Print Artists List. We did not discuss our plans for the future. We are filling our first box with printed patches. We are training our trainers at this time. Later, to have many printing without ink flying everywhere or chaos with volunteers standing around we need to have many people with print experience who can help others contribute by printing patches. Each one teach one. The best way to learn is to teach.

Patch-art by Lee Groban - Pick a Winnah

Today Nami printed a new Lee Groban patch and Lesley printed a design by Jeneba Koroma. Soon the weather will break. We will have 12-20 designs printed by that time. I would like to see us have two boxes and 30-40 designs printed. The more people printing on Sundays the better. You do not have to be an artist to volunteer to help print. Come one come all who want to help.

FaceBook Editor Needed: We need a volunteer to manage a Facebook page for the Free Speech Artists’ Movement. Just reply with “Facebook Volunteer” in the subject line.