National Night Out Against Crime, LES

Reconstruct Art was proud to participate in the 27th annual National Night Out Against Crime, a community event designed to promote neighborhood spirit and community partnerships with the police. The event, held at a lover east side housing project, featured music, food, activities, and community leaders and council members speaking out on hate crimes, gang violence and community/police relations.
Because creative participation in structured recreational activities and healthy self-expression are known to decrease youth involvement in criminal behavior, reconstruct Art was invited to host a "free arts" station, where teens and children were invited to tag, write and paint on oversized canvases using paint and graffiti markers. Though some had never held a paintbrush before, the kids participated enthusiastically. The result was a beautiful, diverse, enormous artwork and a lot of messy fun.

Rutger's Family Day- saturday, July 10

In our tradition of reaching out to underserved communities, Reconstruct Art will be participating in an outdoor Family Day fair at a housing project at 200 Madison Street (street not avenue) on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Free activities include face painting, live arts and crafts, clowns and entertainers, food etc. Reconstruct Art's own RocOpera will be performing, free health screenings will be available, and the district atttorney's office will be sending a representative to speak on the ever-relevant issue of gang violence.

"AUDACUTY!" rasing $ for pulmonary hypertension

Reconstruct Art opened a new show last week, "Audacity!" at Chashama's gallery in Jamaica, Queens. Founded by Sister Betty, a local female artist of color suffering from pulmonary hypertension, the show aims to educate the public about this medical condition and to raise money for research and treatment.


The multimedia show includes visual art, music, panel talks, an ongoing silent auction for art and handmade items (like hand-bound books). Works by more than a dozen artists are present. The opening included a group discussion hosted by the director of Beth Israel Medical Center's Pulmonary Unit, Dr. Roxana Sulica.

Learn more at www.sweetpotato18.com

Graffiti party for teens and New Orleans

Graffiti has become a recognized part of the commercial and art worlds; it shows up in merchandise, design, galleries, even the iconic, official Obama "HOPE" poster. Reconstruct Art's participans include several writers and visual artists inspired by graffiti imagery. Since a lot of our teens have not had opportunities to participate enough in the formal arts, they identify strongly with the writers who have used the streets as their canvas and tagging to establish an identity and reputation.


Graffiti and classic hip hop were big draws at our latest event, the Graffiti-n'-Chicken Party. At Chashama's gallery in Jamaica, Queens, teens tagged up a giant canvas, while pro writer Ill Will knocked out a masterpiece with our name and logo on another oversized canvas. When the spray paint fumes became too much, there was dancing, hot wings and open blackbooks at our gallery space two doors down. Don't miss the next art party, or our event this Friday: Sweet Potato Jam!

Union Square Award

"Gon' take a walk down to Union Square/ Never know what you gonna find there"

-Lou Reed ("run, run, run")

In recognition of our work in the struggle for social justice, Reconstruct Art has been nominated for a Union Square Award!

The Union Square Awards were started in '98 when a mysterious, anonymous donor pledged funds to raise awareness of emerging, grassroots organizations that support the interests of the poor and disenfranchised and cultural activity/the arts. Reconstruct Art, of course, serves both interests. Learn more about the awards here.

Side Note:

Why "union square"? Think about all the agitating, protesting and cultural activities that go on there every day (somewhere between the dog park and the artist/vendors and the greenmarket and the skateboarders/breakdancers). "What you gon' find there" may now be Forever 21 and Starbucks, but the spirit of the place is still somehow intact.

Graffiti Party: chicken, beer and spray paint

Come out on Friday, May 14, for a hot art party presented by Cultural Collective and Reconstruct Art.

We're combining the weekly "Breaking Bread" meetup hosted by Cultural Collective with a New Orleans fundraiser and Reconstruct Art's housewarming party (new space= 90-30 161st Street @ Jamaica Ave.) for one giant art bash.

We're already offering art workshops to local kids and teens out of our new digs. This summer, we'll be taking it to the streets of New Orleans, with 2 months of graffiti murals and self-discovery art projects. The $ you drop at the party will make it all possible.

We'll have a DJ, live graffiti by local writers, arts n' crafts areas, spoken word and poetry performances, beer and unlimited hot wings. $10 cover benefits our work in New Orleans.

Can't make it? Drop a donation here

Baking for Good

Buy delicious cookies and brownies, benefit Reconstruct Art. Welcome to Baking for Good, a local mail order bakery that donates a percentage of its profits to a variety of nonprofits. During checkout, the buyer can choose the nonprofit their money will go to.

Check it out here and forward the link to your pals: http://bakingforgood.com/causes/nonprofit/reconstruct-art-inc

Saturday Sessions- open house!

Professional, Affordable Creative Art Workshops

for kids and teens

Creative kids and teens can learn art skills and creative expression at Reconstruct Art’s exciting, powerful creative arts classes. No experience necessary!

• painting
• sketching
• collage
• cartooning

Where: 90-32 161 St. (at Jamaica Ave.)

When: Saturdays: 10-11:30 am, students 6-10 years
12:30-2 pm, students 11+ years

How Much: $80 ($10 per class + $20 materials fee)

OPEN HOUSE saturday, april 10, noon-3 pm

photos from Dean Richards' opening

Check out these photos from Dean Richard's newest show. Dean is an artist with Reconstruct Art who has as much street cred as artistic chops. With music, food and a great crowd, the opening was a great success. It will be up through May 2nd at Chashama's gallery at 161st street and Jamaica Ave.

multicultural arts at Bessie and Nora's Place

Reconstruct Art has begun providing multicultural art classes for the preschool students at Bessie and Nora's Place in Jamaica, Queens.

Even though they are very young, the kids are incredibly focused, patient and creative, and have been making exotic art projects like djembe drums (West Africa) and paper fans (Japan).

After making art using collage, painting, stamping etc., the students listen to traditional music from the culture we're featuring, and then drum, dance or sing along. Stay tuned for more photos!

Photos

Check out photos from Reconstruct Art's studio here. The studio is located upstairs from Chashama Gallery in Jamaica, Queens, at 90-26 161st Street (@ jamiaca ave). The gallery also has affordable studio space available to local artists (contact samglewis@gmail.com if you're interested in renting).

google calendar

Reconstruct Art's staff, volunteers and extended family can now track our goings-on on a new Google calendar here

Dean Richards: Hip Hop Surreal

Be sure to swing by Chashama's Jamaica Gallery (90-26 161 st. @ Jamaica Ave.) to check out "Off the Beaten Path", a collection of new works by Dean Richards.

Dean creates fantastic paintings that, through clever and confident use of line weight, are full of movement and mass. His creative process is also very interesting; he brings the street into the gallery by actually scraping off pieces of paste-up posters and bills (with a knife or ice scraper!), pasting them into thick layers on his canvas, and then painting over this surface. This painstaking process gives his paintings a texture, soul and authenticity that are seldom seen in the superficial posturing of mainstream contemporary gallery work.

The opening, March 19 from 7-10 pm, will feature music, food and drinks, and a chance to meet the artist and socialize in a fun, open atmosphere.

Event details here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=325373368804

More of Dean Richards' work here: http://www.rhythminlines.com/

Media: Jamaica Times

We made the front page of the Jamaica Times! Check out pics from the amazing Mardi Gras fundraiser here

new Mardi Gras raffle prizes

Feeling lucky? You can now win tickets to see Sugartone Brass Band and Jambalaya Brass Band on Fat Tuesday (2/16) in our raffle. Also available: food baskets, gift certificates to local Cajun eateries, original art and authentic King Cake.

Q: What is a King Cake?

A: It's a traditional Mardi Gras pastry that's sort of a fried danish, shaped like a giant doughnut and topped with purple, green and yellow frosting, which tends to pool in the center of the cake ring, where the frosting colors get mixed together and turn a complementary-colors swamp color. If you really have no shame, you can get it filled with cream cheese or jelly.

King cakes usually have a little plastic baby stuck inside. With the number of drinks usually downed while eating King Cake, this seems like a terrible choking hazard, but there you go. Whoever gets the baby in their slice gets good luck. SO, if you win the King Cake in a raffle AND get the baby in your slice, you will be double lucky all year!

plug in Time Out New York

Our event got a plug in TONY!
Check it out here

Gearing up for Mardi Gras

We're well under way with preparations for the Mardi Gras fundraiser at Wonderland in Astoria. We are happy to be partnered with a cool artists' collective that exemplifies community, idealism and resourceful living/working. Check them out at www.wonderlandny.com

Monday night found us hot gluing, glittering gessoing, and mutilating vintage garments to prepare for the fashion portion of the party ("think Parlaiment Funkadelic, carnivale, and Rocky Horror"), whilst enjoying wine, pizza and football-shaped cookies.

Pictured:

Danielle Williams, Wiliam Mwazi and Judy Warren (left)

Babatunde Ajiboye (right)