It came down to the wire, but thanks to all of your amazing people, we hit our goal of $35,000 with 5 hours left on Saturday! Thank you to everyone who donated to the fundraiser and spread the word about our cause! We couldn’t have done it without you!
If you ordered a tshirt or sweatshirt, you can click on the link below to let us know what size you need! We’ll also be holding perk pick-up days very soon for those of you in town who want to pick up your perk in person!
Indiegogo has a new feature called InDemand that allows us to keep our fundraiser going if we meet our goal! We will let this run until certain perks run out! If you thought you missed something, there’s still a little time to pick it up!
Our first muralist of the year is one of our URBAN NATION-curated artists, Handiedan! Joining us from Amsterdam after her smashingly successful opening this past weekend at Jonathan Levine Gallery, she’ll be working at Meigs and S. Clinton on the soon-to-be opened The Playhouse // Swillburger. Above is a teaser of what she’ll be adding to our city! She’ll be starting on Tuesday and working through the weekend.
The wonderful folks at Ox and Stone are going to host a celebrity bartender fundraiser for our Indiegogo Campaign for WALLTHERAPY 2015 on Wednesday June 3, 2015 from 5:30pm-7:30pm
The wonderful folks at Ox and Stone are going to host a celebrity bartender fundraiser for our Indiegogo Campaign for WALLTHERAPY 2015 on Wednesday June 3, 2015 from 5:30pm-7:30pm
Join us for drink specials, light appetizers, and to get information about this year’s WALLTHERAPY event as well as learn about all we’ve done the last five years!
All tips go to towards making more awesome murals in our city!
For the event, we will be only taking CASH tips or online Indiegogo donation options (no credit card tips at the bar). We will also have a Square card reader for donations as well.
Lady Pink, LADY OF THE LEAF redux, WT 2013, with children from the El Camino neighborhood. Photo by Jason Wilder for WALLTHERAPY.
THE WALLTHERAPY 2015 FUNDRAISER IS LIVE!
We hope you have enjoyed and appreciated the work we have done the last few years, and we hope you can support our efforts in this, our fifth year, as we bring bring in the next group of local, national, and international artists to adorn our city with even more inspiring murals. We have just launched our annual Indiegogo Fundraiser, and it is filled with great perks from many of our previous muralists. We hope that you too can help us reach our goal!
You can see all the great perks we have this year by clicking the link below:
WALLTHERAPY is an art and community intervention project, using public murals as a means to transform the urban landscape, inspire, and build community.
2500 cans of spray paint and 300 gallons of paint later, over 60 of the most talented and recognized artists from the region, the nation, and the world have shared their talents to create over 100 murals throughout the city of Rochester since this “Visual Intervention” project began in 2011.
These murals have transformed walls, buildings, and neighborhoods. This transformation has sparked inspiration in individuals and communities alike.
The murals have become part of the local conversation, the local identity, and the fabric of the city. Local art classes and schools tour the murals as part of the curriculum. Local professionals change their route to the murals part of their drive home. Local artists, young and old, find inspiration in the works.
WALLTHERAPY mural project is now recognized worldwide. People from 2000+ cities in 104+ countries have visited the WALLTHERAPY site to learn more. New mural artists from around the world ask about painting Rochester, for the first time or for another time.
The project has gained steady media attention, and media coverage has included 100+ articles, blogs, and videos about the project from a variety of media outlets including NPR and Huffington Post.
Earlier in 2015, WALLTHERAPY was selected to partner with the Google Cultural Institute Street Art Project to insure that all murals would be assessable through capturing the imagery of the work and through interactive access via Google Maps.
What is happening this year?
WALLTHERAPY and URBAN NATION are excited to launch the International exchange program between Rochester and Berlin this year. Artists curated by the UN Director Yasha Young have been invited to participate and contribute to the program of WALLTHERAPY 2015 curated by Ian Wilson (founder, co-curator) and Erich Lehman (co-curator, lead organizer). WALLTHERAPY 2015 will kick off on July 17, 2015. Our theme for this year is surrealism and the fantastic.
UN Exchange artists 2015 include:
Andreas Englund
Onur and Wes21
NEVERCREW
Vexta
Li Hill
Handiedan (joining us in Late June)
WT artists 2015 include:
Daze
Jeff Soto
Maxx242
Eder Muniz
Nate Hodge
Brittany Williams
Matthew Roberts and Joe Guy Allard
Brooklyn Street Art founders Jaime Rojo and Steve Harrington will be contributing with a very exciting special talk on Thursday of WALLTHERAPY week.
To start things off right this year, we will be holding our first proper art exhibition kickoff titled IMPACT! This exhibition will take place at 1975 Gallery (89 Charlotte St.) and will showcase artwork from all the 2015 participating WALLTHERAPY artists in support of IMPACT! – IMProving Access to Care by Teleradiology – www.impactrad.org. IMPACT seeks to provide easier access to better care in underdeveloped and underserved regions through cloud-based x-ray services and a network of volunteer radiologists supporting IMPACT sites. Both WALLTHERAPY and IMPACT! are projects of The Synthesis Collaborative.
Why does WALLTHERAPY need your help?
Making all of this happen year after year takes a lot. With a core team of 13 members, our 50+ expanded team that makes this project happen are all volunteer, but the materials, equipment, and artists to make it all happen require financial support. You donations go towards the paint for many large-scale walls, renting construction lifts to safely access and paint those same large-scale walls, and the travel expenses, hospitality and a very modest honorarium for the 15 professional artists that will share their talent with the project this Summer.
WALLTHERAPY was created thanks entirely to financial and volunteer donations from its many supporters. We are asking again for assistance to continuing this forward momentum, to continue to bring unique artists to our city to help inspire and to heal.
Your continued support will allow us to support the local and international artists as they produce visually compelling murals in the Rochester cityscape, in turn improving and strengthening our thriving community.
For every $15 you donate, we can provide an artist with about 3 cans of spray paint.
For every $25 you donate the money goes for 4-5 cans of spray paint or a gallon bucket of primer
For every $50 that means we can purchase paint brushes, rollers, buckets and cover other supply expenses.
Donations of $150 or more helps the team supply the artist with food and water as they paint their murals.
Donations of $500 or more helps us rent a mechanical lift for the week, and our artists don’t have to stand precariously on a ladder to paint their work.
Should you donate $1000, that money goes directly to plane tickets and any sort of car rental needed for the artists
If you donate $5000, you are not just solidifying WALLTHERAPY this year and becoming a producer of this event, but you will be instrumental in helping us start focusing on the humanitarian endeavor and sister initiative known as IMPACT!
This year, we have been so fortunate to have many of our previous participants offer artwork and prints from their own private stock to help us reach out goal. We’ve got a few more on the way (we can only load 20 at a time), but don’t delay, as we only have as few as one of some of these perks!
For photos of the perks, please visit our indiegogo site!
Rochester Sticker Pack – $25
Each pack includes a minimum of 1 sticker from the following Rochester Graffiti writers and Street Artists curated by The Lobby (@Lobbyist): THIEVIN’ STEPHEN (2012 and 2013 muralist), CHANGEROUS 63 (2013 muralist), RANGE FUA (2013 muralist), BONES FUA (2014 muralist), Spaceman, Ax, Yews HFK, Frank Bacon, Shootyerface, Downer, Nova FUA, FUA Krew, and others!
Plus free admission to this year’s FLOOR/THERAPY- the third annual dance party for the visiting W/T artists on Thursday July 23.
(10 packs available)
WALLTHERAPY “TOOLS OF THE TRADE” Market Bag – $25
Since the beginning, WALLTHERAPY has been rooted in/near Rochester’s Public Market. So we’re bringing you this sturdy tote to carry around paint supplies, fresh vegetables, or whatever else you can fit!
(Design being finalized – Image coming soon)
(Made to order)
WALLTHERAPY “TOOLS OF THE TRADE” shirt – $30
New for this year, we bring two-sided “Tools of the Trade” design on a white premium cotton tshirt with a two-sided, two-color print (black and blue) with the WALLTHERAPY logo on the front and a graphic listing of the tools of our craft on the back.
(Made to order)
Icy & Sot FLOWER POWER tshirt – $35
We have teamed up with Icy and Sot to produce an open edition of dark gray t-shirts featuring the FLOWER POWER artwork they painted at 50 Anderson Ave during October of 2013. The artwork will be on the front with a WALLTHERAPY logo on the back of the neck. Sizes from Women’s Small to Men’s XXXL. These will only be available to order through this year’s fundraiser.
(Made to order, only available through this fundraiser)
WALLTHERAPY Brass bracelet – $40
A custom made, solid brass bracelet with WALL THERAPY and ROC punched into each side to show your Rochester pride. Custom made by Rochester’s own Interstellar Love Craft at her home base in The Yards, our own home base during WALLTHERAPY week.
( 10 available)
Icy & Sot FLOWER POWER Hoodie – $55
We have teamed up with artist brother duo Icy and Sot to produce a limited run of 30 black hooded pullover Sweatshirts featuring the FLOWER POWER artwork they painted at 50 Anderson Ave during October of 2013 on the back and a WALLTHERAPY logo on the front left chest.
Sizes from Women’s Small to Men’s XXL are available on a first come, first serve basis to the first 30 supporters and will be printed according to your size.
(Only 30 available through this fundraiser)
Above FUNNY FARM print – $100
ABOVE joined us in August 2014 to adorn a wall with his DIAMONDS mural just on the edge of the Rochester Public Market off Railroad St. 5 of these prints were donated by the artist himself from his sold out 1xRun edition. Giclee on 310gsm Fine Art Paper, Signed & Numbered. (Shown framed, but comes unframed)
(5 Available)
Omen “There Was a Time” Etching – $100
Our Northern neighbor OMEN donated 10 of his etchings entitled “There Was A Time.” stamped and embossed on heavyweight stock. Signed/Numbered by the artist, 9.5 x 4.125”
In Omen’s own words: “Classy, Subtle, Zombies.”
(10 available)
Sam Rodriguez “Hybrid Vision” Print – $125
“Hybrid Vision” Print – Donated by ourJuly 2014 artist Sam Rodriguez, this print comes from a limited edition of 25 fine art giclee prints on 100% archival velvet fine art paper. Includes embossed Certificate of Authenticity. It is the first in his series of “TYPE FACES” prints.
(2 Available)
Icy and Sot “Rebellion” screenprint – $150
Icy and Sot generously donated one of their REBELLION 7-color screen print on 300 gsm Somerset paper, signed and numbered by the artists. From an edition of 115. 60×60 cm (23.6″ x 23.6″) – $150
(1 available)
Shawnee Hill Artwork – $150
Donated by one of our Rochester Locals from WT July 2014, ‘White out #3” is an original work by Shawnee Hill – 11.25″x15” gouache wash and white ink on paper and comes in simple black frame (frame not pictured)
(1 Available)
RANGE “Anonymous” Artwork – $300
A true Rochester Legend, RANGE FUA has donated an original artwork – acrylic and Airbrush on a NYC MTA map. Will ship folded. 23.75 x 32.25”unfolded size. Range painted with us during July 2013 and his mural can be found on the El Camino Trail.
(1 Available)
Addison Karl: AT PEACE artwork – $400
Original Artwork by Addison Karl entitled “At Peace”, 2015, Pen & Ink on white 190g/m2 11.7″ x 8.27″ size matt paper. Addision’s July 2014 mural can be seen gracing the Eastern side of the Fedder Industrial Complex, towering 4 stories as our largest mural to date!
(1 Available)
LNY Original Artwork – $400
LNY’s “Bolivia 1967″ – Original artwork, acrylic on double sided matte Dura-Lar film, Signed and Dated, 2015. Donated by the artist. 14″ x 17”
LNY joined us in July of 2013 and left a striking mural on the corner of Avenue D and Joseph Ave, entitled “I AM, YO SOY,” depicting a young boy who lives in the building, Trayvon Martin, and both young and older versions of Frederick Douglass to remind us of the potential we have inside us all.
(1 available)
Conor Harrington – Samson’s Nostalgia Trap – $600
Samson’s Nostalgia Trap, AP edition print by Conor Harrington, donated by the artist. From his NYC 2014 Popup show EAT AND DELETE, , Sized at 39.37″ X 29.134″, Archival pigment print with gloss varnish on Somerset Satin 330gsm paper, Edition of 200 signed and numbered by the artist. Conor was one of our July 2013 muralists with murals along the El Camino Trail and the South Wedge.
(1 available)
For companies or benefactors interested in playing a larger role in the success of WALLTHERAPY:
SPONSOR – $1000
Donors at the SPONSOR level will have their name/company logo added to the WALLTHERAPY website, receive a copy of each of the WALLTHERAPY, die-cut logo stickers, a WALLTHEARPY t-shirt featuring the logo, and tickets for two to join us at our wrap-up dinner in July.
(10 Available)
Producer – $4000
Donors at the PRODUCER level will receive a copy of receive a copy of each of the WALLTHERAPY books available, a t-shirt, tickets for two to our wrapup dinner in July, and their name listed on the website in our sponsors and donors section. We will also be putting together an assortment of other available perks as a thank you. A logo for their company (or their name) will be added in of our website and a Producer credit will be given in the 2015 book.
(3 Available)
SPONSOR A WALL – $5000
New this year, we are offering the opportunity to support the creation of one of the murals directly. We will place a signpost at the wall stating your sponsorship, you will receive acknowledgements on our site and you will be listed as patron in the mural’s forthcoming entry into our Google Cultural Institute site. You will receive a framed 11×17″ photo print of the finished mural, and a small original by the artist courtesy of WALLTHERAPY. We will make sure you are adorned with a complement of WALLTHERAPY gear.
(2 available)
___________________________________________________ SOLD OUT PERKS!
These great perks have already sold out, don’t miss your opportunity to get great art and gear while supporting a far-reaching community project!
Faring Purth Print – $75
Frequent muralist Faring Purth, who has brought two murals, Etty and Anabel, to Rochester, has donated “Ella II,” one of her Eleanora series of prints. Hand-pulled by the artist here in Rochester, 2013, Screenprint, Black ink on white paper, 14x20in. These prints were her first print edition, and has a special tie to Rochester!(1 Available, unframed, rocks and artist’s feet not included)
35 years of Shoe print – $175
Our 2014 WRITES OF SPRING muralist Niels “Shoe” Meulman has donated one of his “35 Years of Shoe” prints to the cause! From late 2014, silver and black silkscreen print, signed and numbered by the artist. Just over 19″ x 27″, it is being personalized by Shoe just for the campaign.(1 Available)
We know that times get tight and you may not be able to help out financially. But you can ALWAYS help us by spreading the word in person or through your social media networks! The more people we get this out to, the more likely we are to keep building on our continued success!
Whether it’s a financial donation or just telling a friend, we can’t do this without you!
WALLTHERAPY and URBAN NATION are excited to launch the International exchange program between Rochester and Berlin. Artists curated by the UN Director Yasha Young have been invited to participate and contribute to the program of WALLTHERAPY 2015 curated by Ian Wilson (founder, co-curator) and Erich Lehman (co-curator, lead organizer). WALLTHERAPY 2015 will kick off on July 17, 2015, and our theme for this year is surrealism and the fantastic.
Brooklyn Street Art founders Jaime Rojo and Steve Harrington will be contributing with a very exciting special talk during the week.
To start things off right, we will be holding our first proper exhibition kickoff titled IMPACT! This exhibition will take place at 1975 Gallery (89 Charlotte St.) and will showcase artwork from all the 2015 participating WALLTHERAPY artists in support of IMPACT! – IMProving Access to Care by Teleradiology – www.impactrad.org. IMPACT seeks to provide easier access to better care in underdeveloped and underserved regions through cloud-based x-ray services and a network of volunteer radiologists supporting IMPACT sites. Both WALLTHERAPY and IMPACT! are projects of The Synthesis Collaborative.
Can’t come to Rochester? We are coming to you! We worked with the Google Art Project to let you experience our murals from everywhere in the world! Find us: walltherapyny.culturalspot.org or explore all the collections at g.co/streetart
By bringing together a wide variety of global partners, the Cultural Institute’s goal is that anyone, anywhere can enjoy these artworks long after the paint has faded from the walls.
WALLTHERAPY is one of 50 global partners who have curated exhibitions and together provided more than 10,000 high resolution images, enabling street art fans to dive into the hidden details of paintings at the click of a mouse.
The Street Art collection first launched in June of 2014 with 30 global partners and has since doubled the number of images captured and art preserved through the digital platform. The collection consists of high resolution images of street art from around the world as well as Street View panoramas of select murals.
About The Google Art Project: The Google Art Project is dedicated to creating technology that helps the cultural community to bring their art, archives, heritage sites and other material online. The aim is to increase the range and volume of material from the cultural world that is available for people to explore online and in doing so, democratize access to it and preserve it for future generations.
How can a blog capture all that has happened in the past 2 weeks?
If a picture is worth a thousand words, than what is the exchange rate of a mural 4 stories tall?
With the July 2014 WALLTHERAPY event finally wrapped, the cans of paint empty, and the artists already on to their next projects, the crew are left with a deafening quietness after the past week of excitement and creativity. But more importantly we are also left with over 15 unique and awe-inspiring murals placed all around the city of Rochester.
Seeing only half the artists as last year, this year’s July event was a much more intimate experience for all involved. A chance for all the crew to get to know the artists, and the artists more of a chance to learn about the city they are helping to heal.
The curatorial focus on this event was portraiture, and each artist brought their own unique style to the walls they were healing.
Click on any of the images to open a larger version in a new window.
The first to finish his mural was Sam Rodriguez, an artist who joined us from San Jose, CA. His brightly colored image of a female face and lettering was added right next to the Greenleaf Ave murals created during our event earlier this year, Writes of Spring. www.samrodriguezart.com
40 Greenleaf St. – https://goo.gl/maps/VnCWv Photo by Tomas Flint
Next to the Rodriguez piece is a large and beautiful image of a woman, brought to you by artist Omen from Montreal, Canada. – www.omen514.com
40 Greenleaf St. – https://goo.gl/maps/VnCWv Photo by Mark Deff
Jarus, coming down from Toronto, Canada, to paint not one but two stunning murals,finished his first south of the city at 390 Seward St. in the PLEX neighborhood, where the focus was of a woman and her feline companion, resting upon a couch shrouded in mist. – www.instagram.com/youngjarus
390 Seward st. – https://goo.gl/maps/vyDJe
Photo by Tomas Flint
The Susan B. Anthony area of Rochester is now home to the brightly stylized visage of Jimi Hendrix, offered by Baltimore’s ERNEST SHAW, JR. www.instagram.com/eshaw_art
53-59 King St. – https://goo.gl/maps/MEmKX Photo by Lisa Barker
Local artist Caitlin Yarsky offered her amazing talent by creating a mural on Boulder Coffee on Alexander St. featuring one of Rochester familiar faces, Andy and his accordion. – www.caitlinyarsky.com
Boulder Coffee – 100 Alexander St. – https://goo.gl/maps/Om5k8 Photo by Helio Sun Photography
If you want to look at a mural and realize that best years of playful fun are ahead of us, then you’ll want to check out Elicser Elliot’s mural on Canal St off W. Main St. Elicser joined us last minute for a visit with Steve from Well and Good up in Toronto and cracked this gem out in about a day. – www.elicser.com Photo by Mark Deff
Once you get a paint gun in the hands of OMEN, he will make short work of creating another stunning beauty. This massive mural can be seen out front of the Fedder Industrial Park on E. Main St. Photo by Helio Sun Photography
From Reno, NV, OVERUNDER used the shapes of the natural world, and human form to create this masterpiece at Lake Ave and Latta Rd. www.erikburke.com
78 Latta Rd. – https://goo.gl/maps/R9L7l Photo by Mark Deff
None of this year’s muralists managed to capture the true spirit of Rochester more than hometown hero John Perry. He created the iconic image of Armand from the great House of Guitars to greet those walking into the Rochester Public Market. www.pennylessandinsane.blogspot.com Photo by Jason Wilder
Addison Karl made his way to Rochester all the way from Germany, leaving us with one of the largest murals of the entire project so far. 4 stories tall and brightly colored, the solemn and thought provoking look of this man from Brussels is one you will no doubt spent time admiring as you stand in the parking lot of the Fedder Industrial Park building. – www.idrawalot.com
Fedder Building – 1237 Main St E https://goo.gl/maps/dE3XC Photo by Helio Sun Photography
NY City artist Alice Mizrachi created one of the longest murals of the year, with the help of over a dozen 5th-7th graders from Rochester Prep. Each child lent a hand to paint a part of the mural and its message that ‘Together We Stand in Peace’. – www.alicemizrachi.com
53-59 King St. – https://goo.gl/maps/MEmKX Photo by Lisa Barker
For a captivating mural that offers a true sense of atmosphere, then you’ll have to look across the street from the Village Gate to see the eyes created by David Walker from the United Kingdom – www.artofdavidwalker.com
277 N. Goodman St. – https://goo.gl/maps/2oetM Photo by Mark Deff
The next time you are questing for a coffee, make your way to Fuego Coffee, and check out the mural from local artist Shawnee Hill. The hauntingly beautiful woman shrouded in a galaxy will help you enjoy that delicious coffee that much more. – www.coroflot.com/shawneehill
167 Liberty Pole Way – https://goo.gl/maps/7dDqi Photo by Helio Sun Photography
What might be one of the best pairings of building and artist, Alice Pasquini from Italy created a lovely portrait on the wall of Small World Books, owned by Rocco, also from Italy. – www.alicepasquini.com
Small World Books – 425 North St. – https://goo.gl/maps/xNr9Y Photo by Mark Deff
And the final mural is a second one from Canadian artist Jarus. One of the old silos of the Beech Nut Factory has been emblazoned with a strikingly beautiful painting of a young brunette local. The detail in the fabric and expression has left everyone who’s seen it feeling quite impressed.
Fedder Building – Main St. Photo by Tomas Flint
The WALLTHERAPY team would like to offer our sincere and heartfelt thank yous to those that helped make this a reality. Starting with the community, without your support we wouldn’t have gotten off the ground. It was your help that allowed us to raise over $35,000 on our Indiegogo campaign. And it’s the donation of your time and sharing of our links and photos to help raise awareness that has made this such a success.
To the artists, we are truly honored for what you have created here in our city. We hope that each mural will have a ripple effects of positive change throughout the city.
A thank you to the volunteers that came in early mornings, and stayed late into the evenings. To people that delivered the much needed cans of Montana spray paint and equally needed cups of coffee.
A thank you to the photographers and videographers who documented not just the images but the community responses and enjoyment. It’s these special moments that show the work we are doing is important.
A big thank you to our partners and sponsors Montana Cans, Graffmap, and Podio. They helped us pull off another successful event and help show the world where are our murals are!
And finally a special thank you to the business owners that donated their walls for our artists to create their work upon. For putting your trust in us and for allowing our team to help make this city better.
As the July 2014 WALLTHERAPY comes to a close we will leave you with this:
“WALLTHERAPY is like a big adoptive family full of love and creativity that makes me sad to leave. I loved the experience and love you guys! Until we meet again. #bittersweet”
These are the words from mural artist Omen that he shared with his Instagram followers upon leaving. We are so honored to know that our passion for healing a city with art can resonate with such talented and compassionate people as the artists that joined us for 2014.
Please continue to share the links and images of this years event! And look forward to coming events this August and Fall!
To learn more and to see photo albums from all of our events, please check out our Facebook Page : http://www.facebook.com/walltherapyny
