illustration by Ryan Seslow
Updated 4/15/12
The History & Emergence of Street Art & Graffiti will be taught in NY this summer of 2012 in 2 locations.
1. Summer session 1 will be taught at CUNY York College from June 4th – June 26th. Course number FA 478. 3 Credits. Mon-Thurs 2pm-4:50pm. Students can register through the office of Fine and Performing Arts in room 1A12 or contact the college directly through the registrars office.
York College :: 94 – 20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd, Jamaica, NY 11451
2. Summer Session 2 will be taught at Long Island University, Post campus, Brookville, NY from July 9th-13th. M-F 9am-6pm. Course number, ART597, 3 Credits Students can register through the department of Fine Arts located in the sculpture building or contact the university directly through the registrars office.
LIU Post, 720 Northern Blvd Brookville, NY 11548
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The History & Emergence of Street Art & Graffiti, Summer Course Re-cap. 8/8 -8/12 2011
Re-cap posted on:: 12/4/2011
I developed and taught a new course at LIU’s CW Post campus in Brookville NY this past summer. I titled the course “The History & Emergence of Street Art & Graffiti”. I knew in advance that the class would fill to maximum student capacity, and indeed it did shortly after the course became available. I am grateful that the art department saw the value in the content of this course, and how it would inspire and impact the students. I wanted to thank all of the students, guest lecturers, friends and supporters who helped make this possible. I continue to get great feedback and positive support about the course. I am happy to announce that the course will run again this July 2012 at LIU’s CW Post campus, in Brookville NY, as well as during the month of June at CUNY York College in Jamaica, NY. I will soon be making announcements about set dates, as well as how and where you can register. Thanks to extensive documentation provided by the students, I will continue to add more photos and content as the course continues its development.
I am happy to share some of our process and collaboration photos here :: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmsmovement/sets/72157628277177895/
Student collaboration with Sebs
THE HISTORY AND EMERGENCE OF STREET ART & GRAFFITI
Long Island University / CW Post campus – Brookville NY, ART 597-004 (1737) *NEW / 3 Credits, M, T, W, Th, F, August 8-12 - 2011
9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Professor Ryan Seslow
ryan.seslow@liu.edu
Course Description:: This course explores the emergence of street art and graffiti as a contemporary art movement. The course traces the history through its past and present artistic developments on a technical, stylistic, and cultural level. Students will draw from its New York roots and examine its growth in popularity, both nationally and internationally, from the streets to the gallery and museum walls. The course pays particular attention to the artists and writers from New York City. Students will use their written and oral communication skills to demonstrate what they have learned in various formats. The course includes a guided NYC walking tour and guest lectures.
Guest Artists & Speakers::
H.Veng Smith – 8/9/11
Born on Staten Island in 1981, I began studying painting as a young kid at a local art league. Since then, painting has remained an integral part of my life. With my work, I look to capture the feel of something made long ago, be it characters with old-fashioned appearances or objects with Old World designs. I depict ideas in my paintings in a representational and faithful manner, yet convey them visually with a whimsical touch. Borrowing from techniques of the Northern Renaissance, I like to mix my own pigments with oil and paint by building up multiple layers. My thought process for painting, however, is less traditional and very much informed by my background in street art. I aim to make surreal impressions, with characters whose square heads are on the one hand very unreal, yet whose facial features are eerily familiar. I enjoy depicting scenes showing the viewer fictitious landscapes of an Old World interspersed with contemporary qualities. Nature also plays an important role in my work. I show animals in a more traditional manner, painting them with realistic colors and textures. Often I’ll couple animals with imaginary devices that they control. Whether on a panel in the studio or on a wall in a city, through my work I try to convey a playful world of mixed inspirations.
http://www.vengpaintings.com
Veng lectures and demos on technique and style
Katherine Lorimer aka Luna Park- 8/9/11
Luna Park is a Brooklyn-based street art and graffiti enthusiast, photographer and curator. She is co-founder of and regular contributor to The Street Spot blog. Since 2005, she has spent her free time exploring NYC’s decaying, post-industrial fringes in search of beauty in unexpected locations. She is passionate about urban art and supportive of all creative endeavors to redefine public space. Her photographs have been exhibited in New York and Los Angeles and have been featured in leading urban art books, including several artists’ monographs and the upcoming Graffiti 365. Together with Billi Kid, she co-curated Eames Inspiration in 2010 and The Great Outdoors in 2009. In 2011, she presented her observations on street art at the New York Public Library.
http://www.thestreetspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lunapark
John Fekner- 8/9/11
In the 70s, John Fekner was ‘anonymously known’ for over three hundred environmental/conceptual works consisting of dates, words, and symbols spray painted throughout the five boroughs of New York. The “Warning Signs” project focused on pointing out hazardous conditions that dominated New York City and its environs in the 1970s. In the spring of 1977, Fekner created word-signs using hand cut cardboard stencils and spray paint. He began a relentless crusade concerned with social and environmental issues. Starting in the industrial streets of Queens and the East River bridges, and later on to the South Bronx in 1980, his messages were seen in areas that were desperately in need of construction, demolition or reconstruction. By labeling structures and emphasizing problems, the objective was to call attention to the accumulated squalor by urging city officials, agencies and local communities to be more responsible and take action.
http://www.johnfekner.com
John Fekner’s – “Tawkin’ New Yawk City Walls” exhibition::
http://www.streetartmuseum.com/
Nicky Sebs – 8/8/11
Was born and raised in Bushwick, Brooklyn in the early 1990′s. Sebs got into graffiti at the age of 12 through exposure from other neighborhood kids. He got into trouble and quickly moved out of Brooklyn with his family. The circumstances then lead him to pursue art as a career. He learned how to airbrush, watercolor, oil paint and tattoo. Sebs currently holds a NY State K-12 art education license. He continues to passionately produce graffiti art and exhibit in group shows. Sebs is currently creating a variety of works that capture his interest, and overall production enjoyment. Sebs is also a working tattoo artist. Sebs rocked an aerosol demo for the course after his presentation.
Lindsay Tabas from Fatcap.com – 8/8/11
As a dual degree software designer and engineer, Lindsay found herself managing FatCap (.com) English by following her passion for art, creativity and travel. While she was backpacking through 13 countries in 2010, she noticed that graffiti and street art had a way of portraying the unique personality of each city while reflecting deeper struggles in the social fabric. FatCap, the site, and its founders became a crucial resource, and their friendship eventually evolved into a professional relationship as the founders, based in France, were looking for someone to really drive the growth of the site in the US. Over the past year, she had the luck of interviewing artists from all over the world, building real relationships that are reflected through the site’s content and active community. Lindsay actively posts under @FatCapLT and @FatCap on Twitter, and has been responsible for over 75% of the content on http://www.FatCap.com since October 2010. You can find her professional portfolio at http://www.LindsayTabas.com
Ryan Seslow – is an artist living and working in NY. Seslow is a professor of Fine Art teaching various studio art courses simultaneously between 4 colleges in NY. Seslow has been involved in graffiti and street art for over 15 years.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmsmovement/rmsmovement
http://theongoingrms.wordpress.com
Ryan Seslow stencil demo
Gabe Schoenberg :: As a class we took a guided NYC walking tour of the Street Art & Graffiti location hotspots in Soho:: Gabe from NYC Graff Tours lead the tour. http://grafftours.com
Gabe from NYC Graff Tours
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Selected Course Content, Video Resources, Web References and Bibliography::
http://www.graffiti.org/blackbooks
A great resource for viewing black books in their entirety.
Lee Quinones Interview-
Dondi White Interview -
Lady Pink- Sandra Fabara -
Interview with Futura 2000-
Patti Astor / Fun Gallery video-
Henry Chalfant -
http://henrychalfant.com/about-2/
Interview with Chalfant-
Interview with Martha Cooper
Wild Style the film / Official site ::
http://www.wildstylethemovie.com/
5 Pointz Official Site- http://5ptz.com/graff/about/
John Fekner’s – “Tawkin’ New Yawk City Walls” exhibition::
http://www.streetartmuseum.com/
ART21 / Program#1 “PLACE” / Barry McGee & Margaret Kilgallen
Revs Interview from BOMB IT–
Exit through the gift shop – Official site:
http://www.banksyfilm.com
Banksy in the Museums
Miss Van on process:
BLU- stop motion animation::
Film, Video & Books ::
1. Exit through the gift shop
by Banksy., D’Cruz, Jaimie., Cushing, Holly, Baring, Zam., Gay-Rees, James, Ifans, Rhys, 1968-, Fuzzface, 1971-, Size, Roni., Mister Brainwash., Fairey, Shepard, Paranoid Pictures Film Company Limited., Oscilloscope Laboratories (Firm) [New York] : Oscilloscope Laboratories, 2010.
2. Next: a primer on urban painting
by Aravena, Pablo., Arts Alliance America (Firm), Arthouse Films., Curiously Bright Entertainment (Firm), New Video Group. [United States] : Arthouse Films ; [New York] : Marketed and distributed in the U.S. by New Video, c2010.
3. Style wars
by Silver, Tony., Chalfant, Henry., Schacht, Sam., Wartes, Burleigh, 1932-1991., Pollard, Sam., Alfieri, Mary., Kanefsky, Victor., Public Art Films, Inc. Los Angeles, CA : Public Art Films, c2004.
4. Tats cru: the mural kings
by Lia, Jonathan., Kotlinski, Mark., Anthem NYC (Firm) [New York] : Anthem NYC, c2006.
5. Wild style
by Ahearn, Charlie., Quinones, Lee George., Fab 5 Freddy, 1959-, Grandmaster Flash., Busy Bee., Fabara, Sandra, 1964-, Davidson, Clive., Foster, John R., Stein, Chris., Cold Crush Brothers., Rock Steady Crew., Wild Style Productions., Rhino Home Video (Firm) [New York, N.Y.] : Wild Style Productions ; Los Angeles, CA : Rhino Home Video [distributor], c2002.
6. Bomb It
7. Beat Street
Books:
1. Scrawl : dirty graphics & strange characters
by Blackshaw, Ric., Farrelly, Liz. London : Booth-Clibborn Editions, 1999.
2. Street art : by Schwartzman, Allan. Garden City, N.Y. : Dial Press, 1985.
3. Subway art : 25th anniversary edition
by Cooper, Martha., Chalfant, Henry. San Francisco, CA : Chronicle Books, 2009.
4. Trespass : a history of uncommissioned urban art ,
by McCormick, Carlo., Seno, Ethel., Schiller, Marc., Schiller, Sara., Banksy., Pasternak, Anne, 1964-, Serra, J. Tony. Köln : Taschen, c2010.
5. Getting up : subway graffiti in New York ,
by Castleman, Craig, Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, c1982.
6. The History of American Graffiti,
by Gastman, Roger , Neelon Caleb, Harper Design , April 5, 2011
WEB Resources::
http://www.woostercollective.com
Wooster Collective -Street Art & Graffiti Blog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsrGx3ZXFeU
Wooster Collective YouTube Channel
Official Site of :: SEEN ::
Streetsy – Street Art & Graffiti Blog
Stencil Archive.org
Graffiti- Art – Hip Hop News
Dutch graffiti at its best.
ARTCRIMES, Worldwide Graffiti Site and Resources
http://german-street-art.blogspot.com
German Street Art Blog
The Street Art BLog
Graffiti zone- Street art and Graffiti videos
Graffiti news
http://www.puregraffiti.com/graffiti-art.html
Graffiti and Hip Hop Culture
http://www.stencilrevolution.com
Stencil & Street Art BLog
Artist & blogger : Street art / Graffiti info, news & resources
http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theBlog
Brooklyn Street Art BLog
http://web.modarteurope.com/news
Mod-Art Europe- Street Art Blog
UK Street art
Stencils and Street ART
Great Street Art site
GRAFFITI -& -STREET ART : INDEX from Europe
Fat Cap – Street Art & Graf- Worldwide Street art & Graffiti
Museum of Intnl Street Art: Street Artist Site Directory
Street Art: Irish Street Art
Barcelona Street Art Site
Check out the street art of Gaia
UNURTH Street art / Great site updated daily
Hooked Blog / UK Street Art
Mr. Brainwash, the official site
Space Invader
Graffiti legend :: Zephyr
Banksy / official site
Vandalog – Street Art blog
Lady Pink official site
SABER- Official site / Blog
Michael De Feo – the Flower guy
http://www.markbode.com/site/graffiti.html
Vaugh & Mark Bode
5 Pointz in LIC, NY– Virtual Tour Video –
http://www.youtube.comwatchv=3vDOt0wL5fg&feature=related
Students collaborate with VENG
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I took this class in the Summer of 2011 and I can not say enough about how wonderful this course and experience was for me. I have taken a lot of art history courses but no one has ever introduced the topic of street art and graffiti! I instantly gravitated to the opportunity to learn about a form of art that is so very foreign to me.
This was one of the most exciting and enjoyable experiences for me as both an artist and past art history student. First of all, I must say that all credit must go to Ryan Seslow, whose genuine enthusiasm and love for this topic filled me with interest, even at nine in the morning on a summer day. It was more than evident how much Ryan loves the art world and the artists within the world of street art and graffiti.But not only that, he wants his students to take part in the same enjoyable discovery! All of his words and lectures were exuded with such pure joy that I found myself excited just by hearing him. In addition, Ryan loves to exchange in a dialog with his students, to hear what they have to say, their thoughts and opinions (at times on controversial issues regarding public graffiti art), and always responds in a manner that is respectful of differing opinions, never making the student feel intimidated by disagreeing.
I personally adored when he brought in actual graffiti and street artists for us to speak with. It made me feel like I was stepping into another world, if just for a few hours. Nicky Sebs was by far my favorite. He is such a kind and genuine guy who just likes to share his art and honestly answer any questions that may be given to him.
Another wonderful part of this course was when Ryan allowed us to participate in the art making process! He very patiently gave us a stencil demo one afternoon, taking his time, working with each of us. Not only were we able to see demos by visiting artists such as Sebs and Veng (who were SO kind and gracious) we were able to participate in an artistic collaboration with them!
The entire week was a fantastic experience. I loved reading through the texts that were given to us by Ryan, hearing him share with us about the graffiti and street artist world, the demos that we participated in — it was probably one of the best summer courses that I have taken.
And I have taken quite a few.
Please, everyone, trust me when I say that you must take this course, even if you do not like graffiti (I did not!). You will certainly be happy that you did so.
Rebecca, you are too kind! Thank you so much for your energy and participation! ( not to mention your fantastic writing work in the class! ).