"Re-Imagining The City" at the Worcester PopUp Gallery

Holland Tunnel

Worcester PopUp will open again this week with a brand new show "Re-Imagining The City", the second show of its season. Friday, November 6th from 6:30-8:00pm located at 20 Franklin St, Worcester MA. This show will dive right into the mind of an artist's imagination to explore the many different perspectives of how a City can be viewed. From cityscapes to drone aerial photography, the exhibition will convey an assortment of mixed media pieces including but not limited to photographs, videos and sculptures representing our ever changing city landscapes.

I'm very excited to be taking part in this show along such talented artists like Chris Markman, Victor Pacheco, and Kate Murphy.

The Worcester PopUp is a gallery located at 20 Franklin Street, Worcester, where creative artists and entrepreneurs bring creativity to life through rotating art exhibitions, performances, music, good food, arts and inspiring hands-on activity. The Worcester PopUp is brought to the City of Worcester by the Worcester Cultural Coalition in partnership with the Business Development Corporation, funded in part by the Greater Worcester Community Foundation.

For more information please visit: www.Facebook.com/worcesterpopup

Exchange Street

"Exchange Street" is a dance performance written and choreographed by Jill Rucci of 8&1 Dance Company in Dallas, TX.  I had the pleasure of lending some multimedia direction and production to the performance.

This video was displayed on screen as an opening sequence used to establish setting and mood and in unity with the narrative of the overall performance.





This video was displayed on screen at the end of the performance as a dedication.




I also produced this short interlude, which was played on screen, to show time passing and to segue between scenes.  




 "Exchange Street" is a full length dance drama that tells the story of a professional boxer and the sacrifices he makes along the way to his dream.

What would you exchange for your dreams and aspirations?

Jazzed Up CD Jacket

Modified Brain got you down?  

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jazzedup

The Power of Negative Thinking

Are you a miserable, confused, useless person? This master class by supreme enlightened spiritual master, Yogi Keenonhang is guaranteed to transform you from a state of total misery to a state of sublime ecstasy.

Blue Note Meets Metal

I've always been a huge fan of the Blue Note-era style album covers and concert posters.  The typography and artwork brought another dimension of jazz to he recording.  When I came across this collection of images from Brazilian artist Rafa Melandi, my mind was blown.  Melandi took a few badass metal albums (like Master of Puppets, Reign In Blood, Among The Living, etc) and gives them a coat of paint that both Saul Bass and Freddie Hubbard would be proud of.


http://www.kotaku.com.au/2015/01/classic-metal-albums-redesigned/

Happy Birthday Scott LaFaro

Scott LaFaro is one of my musical idols. His work with Bill Evans on the Village Vanguard recordings of 1961 moves mountains in my soul.  His tasteful interplay with Bill Evans in their trio was mutually stimulating and influential.  At 25, his death in a car accident was a major shock to the jazz world.  One can only imagine what he would have went on to compose.

I have a deep appreciation for LaFaro's graceful lines and his colorful use of space.  The way he interacted and conversated with the piano made for a dark/light contrast that was subtle, like pulling light from a shadow. 

In homage to Mr. LaFaro's work, I created the following pieces based on a photograph I found in a jazz archive site.  The photo credit is unknown. 
 

"Scott's Portrait in Jazz"
16x20 Silkscreen and Acyrlic

"Scott's Portrait in Jazz"
16x20 Silkscreen on Board

I made a few shirts as well:

F Scott Hess

I've been spending sometime studying the work of F. Scott Hess. I love his compositions and the narratives he builds. Check out some of his work: http://www.koplindelrio.com/content/f-scott-hess

Black President

I recently finished reading "Fela: This Bitch of a Life by Carlos Moore" and felt inspired to create some Fela pieces. Being President's Day and all, I figured I'd share a work in progress.

"Black President"
6x6 linocut

By My Valentine

For anyone out there who forgot to pick up a card - here's a printable one from yours truly.  Use with care!

Just print, cut, fold an deliver......oh, and go like Mauro DePasquale Multimedia Solutions and message me there if you want the high res file.

Yours Truly, Mauro xoxoxo

A Mingus Among Us

"Contour of Charles Mingus"
Silkscreen and Airbrush
18x24

Bill Evans on the Creative Process and Self-Teaching

In 1966, legendary jazz pianist Bill Evans (August 16, 1929–September 15, 1980) sat down with his composer brother, Harry Evans, for an intense and deeply insightful conversation later released as Universal Mind of Bill Evans: The Creative Process and Self-Teaching. From filmmaker William Meier comes this gorgeous cinematic adaptation of Evans’s thoughts on the autodidactic quality of creativity and the value of working at the intersection of clarity, complexity, and spontaneity.







Here is a longer excerpt from the documentary, where Evans discusses the step-by-step process of creative problem-solving:

Upcoming Event: Student and Goliath

As part of a global week of events to encourage Divestment from the fossil fuels industries, there will be a showing of Student and Goliath (Ashbourne Films) at Worcester State University.

The showing is completely free.

When: Wednesday, February 11th Time: 7pm
Where: Worcester State University, 486 Chandler Street, Worcester, MA, Eager Auditorium



Based in Amherst, Massachusetts, Students & Goliath follows the divestment campaigns of five schools: Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mt. Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts. Eight students lockdown and are arrested inside an energy company’s office to protest a devastating pipeline proposal. 40,000 gather in Washington DC to demand action.

Mondrian - Composition with Yellow, Blue and Red

This work is a combination between art and music; the famous Mondrian piece "Composition with Yellow, Blue and Red" moves to the sounds of a song by Eviatar Banai. The movements of each color are coordinated with a different instrument- yellow for the cello, red for the violin and blue for the bass. Harmony, balance, and rhythm all lend themselves to the meditative experience.



animated mondrian from Oren Rubin on Vimeo.

Social Marketing

Many people complain about advertisements as an obnoxious way for companies to invade our everyday lives and cram their products down our throats, but that’s not all that advertisements are good for. The advertisements on this list are excellent examples of effective advertising strategies for social issue campaigns that let their voices be heard.

Here's a link to some creative advertisements  that evoke some provocative emotional responses.  These are the types of advertising that I am most interested in embarking on. 

In the future, the purpose of business will have to be about so much more than maximizing share holder value.  This is what I aim to focus on social marketing over product marketing.

http://worldtruth.tv/most-powerful-social-issue-ads-thatll-make-you-stop-and-think/

What is Secret City Interactive?

This short video presentation demonstrates the concept behind Secret City Interactive.


First, Download the free layar app here.

Then, when you find our logo on stickers placed in historically and culturally significant locations throughout the city of Worcester you know you're on the threshold of opening one of the city's many secrets. Launch the app and watch the city come alive before your very eyes.

Incubator Teams to Unveil Transportation Solutions for Worcester

By Samantha Allen TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER — After months of study, teams of volunteers will reveal their ideas next week for improving transportation in Worcester.

Nearly 50 Worcester Incubator for Innovation "fellows" have been brainstorming ways to improve the city's traffic. The group's ideas, to be revealed Jan. 22, will include such things as a database to improve access to health care facilities, a high school competition focused on traffic engineering and a system called "Tasks for Transit" in which people earn bus passes based on their hours volunteering.

The Worcester Incubator for Innovation has National Science Foundation funding and is hosted by the EcoTarium and Clark University.

From 5 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22 at Union Station, the Worcester fellows — slightly fewer than 50, down from 100 at the start — will host an "innovation launch" to share their ideas. The teams will give short presentations on the seven solutions they have in mind for Worcester.

Director Joyce Kressler said the teams have had since March to meet and discuss ideas, with many of the teams working on their own "in the field" before returning to collaborate with their peers. Participants in the program range in age — from 16 to 72, she said — and come from different institutions, organizations and backgrounds.

In early 2013, the Art of Science Learning group selected Worcester, Chicago and San Diego to host incubators through a $2.6 million NSF grant. The Worcester incubator has focused on transportation, while the Chicago and San Diego teams have focused on other matters.

After the presentations Jan. 22, fellows will have the opportunity to join an "accelerator" program and develop their ideas further for about three to six more months. The event at Union Station, Ms. Kressler said, is an opportunity for teams to share and possibly connect with experts and potential backers.

"It's really pitching it to the public and business community for interest from investors, additional partners, to bring each of these ideas to fruition," she added.

Registration is requested for the Jan. 22 event. Afterward, there will be refreshments and a cash bar.

Contact Samantha Allen at samantha.allen@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @SAllen_89

Alone in a World That's So Cold

Secret City Interactive

Secret City Interactive (SCI) is working to enhance the quality of life for Worcester residents through augmented reality experiences by connecting Worcester's historic and cultural neighborhoods with its diverse and vibrant communities.

Through the National Science Foundation, The Art of Science Learning sought new transportation solutions to  improve the quality of life for its residents and visitors.

Secret City Interactive was born out of this effort. SCI aims to bring an innovative, interactive, "augmented" experience to anyone traversing the city streets. Worcester is the city of seven hills – each one containing a thousand hidden jewels. How many will you uncover? 

Each SCI hotspot provides the user with a unique, living experience. The content experienced is provided by other local residents and visitors just like you!

In addition to learning a plethora of culturally rich information about any of the neighborhoods in which SCI dwells, the user is encouraged to participate in sharing their own unique “secrets” relevant to the area.

Whether you contribute your unique neighborhood stories or simply want to share your favorite hidden gems in the area, Secret City Interactive is a social media channel that encourages users to interact in their neighborhoods in a very unique way.

Come share your experiences, stories, and city secrets with our Secret City Interactive community. We want to hear from you. Tell us your city's secrets!

Lifeline

I found myself in need of a creative exercise to help shake off some of the more mundane and tedious tasks I've been immersed in lately.  Rather than debating where to get started and what to do, I decided to look through an old sketchbook to see if that sparked any ideas.  I dug way back, from a time before I knew anything about digital art and came across some this old sketch I did called "Lifeline."  It was part of a series of self portraits I was working on.

I decided to revisit the sketch and to turn it into vector art. 

Arts Rock! 2014 Summer Music and Circus Extravaganza

In response to the loss of Music and Arts in the schools, a group of parents, community members, teachers and students have formed the West Boylston Arts Foundation (WBAF) to keep the arts an important part of our community.

The goal of the WBAF is to sustain the West Boylston Public Schools Arts Education program. The second goal is to invigorate the districts arts programs by providing children with field trips to museums and music and drama performances.

Through the generosity and support of the local community, and their support of programs, such as Arts Rock, the WBAF is on it's way to seeking out other funding opportunities through corporations, grants, fundraising and foundations.  

This year's ARTS ROCK! Music & CircusExtravaganza was an extraordinary show, featuring a full hour with the Boston Circus Guild’s fire dancing team and expert jugglers, and live music by awarding-winning performers Erin Ollis, A Ton of Blues, and The Delta Generators. Other performers included more music with Little Sugar & TheBig Spoonful, Crocodile River Music, and the Diane Kelley Dancers. In addition, a charity auto smash for the American Diabetes Association was  held by the Phillips family of West Boylston to fight diabetes. The Mill Restaurant of West Boylston served up pulled pork, chicken wings, and other BBQ-style specialties.

Proceeds raised were used to help fund art and music education in our schools.

It was an honor and a privledge to be asked to participate in marketing Arts Rock.   Aside from simply consulting, I had an opportunity to run the socialmedia effort, design print materials, write press releases and produce and direct several video promos as well.  Assisting the West Boylston Arts Foundation and Arts Rock was a rewarding project in that the efforts really drove attendance and I was able to do my part in directly helping the town of West Boylston raise money for their art and music programs.  My kind of gig!