Justin Suarez

2019 WALL\THERAPY Recap

2019 WALL\THERAPY Recap

While we didn’t do one of our traditional WALL\THERAPY festivals, we were still busy all year long! Check out this recap of our biggest projects. In addition to these, we also did a number of tours, talks, and outreach throughout the year.

We want to thank everyone for your support of the WALL\THERAPY project and mission and we look forward to bring our July festival back once again for 2020, featuring a roster of Women, Femme, and Non-Binary artists. We look forward to sharing more with you about this in early 2020!

January 2019 – Inspired by Nathan Lyons: Collaboration between WALL\THERAPY and the George Eastman Museum

WT At GEM

In January 2019, WALL\THERAPY partnered with the George Eastman Museum to curate some external elements tied to their Nathan Lyons retrospective. Former WALL\THERAPY 2017 muralist Todd Stahl created one of his stellar assemblage pieces paying tribute to Nathan Lyons that was positioned just outside the exhibition, while local artists Nova, Yews, Ax, and Dellarious collaborated on an installation paying tribute to the city streets and walls that feature prominently in Lyons’ later works.

Nathan Lyons: In Pursuit of Magic
George Eastman Museum main galleries, January 25–June 9, 2019
Curated by Lisa Hostetler, Curator-in-Charge, Department of Photography and Jamie M. Allen, Associate Curator 

For more about the exhibition:  https://www.eastman.org/nathan-lyons-pursuit-magic

 

 

May 2019 – Moms Demand Action /  Students Demand Action

Through Tragedy There is Hope

Moms Demand Action  reached out to WALL\THERAPY to create a mural for National Gun Violence Awareness Day/Month. Completed in May 2019, This mural created by Brittany Williams -— titled “Through Tragedy, There’s Hope” — features an non-descript everyman, is dedicated to all we’ve lost through gun violence.

The mural was dedicated on June 8, 2019 and is located at Rocky’s Pizza, 810 Genesee St. .

For more information about National Gun Violence Awareness Month:

https://wearorange.org/

https://momsdemandaction.org/

https://everytown.org/studentsdemand/

Photo and Video by Jason Wilder

 

 

May 2019 – Renaissance Academy Charter School of the Arts

Nate Hodge at Renaissance Academy
The folks at Renaissance Academy Charter School of the Arts invited 2015 WALL\THERAPY muralist Nate Hodge to work with the graduating 6th grade students during the last few weeks of their school year on a mural inside the school.

Kindergartners thru 2nd grade provided some sketches about “how creativity makes them feel” which were integrated into the final painting. 5-6th graders also helped Nate with the painting.

We look forward to this as a yearly collaboration, as local #walltherapy artists will work with students each Spring to add a new mural to the school walls.

July 2019 This is Triumphant Music

This is Triumphant Music

This is Triumphant Music –  Mural by Sarah C. Rutherford, Justin Suarez, and Brittany Williams for WALL\THERAPY and the City of Rochester. July 2019.

WALL\THERAPY worked with the City of Rochester to bring new life and color to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Park at Manhattan Square. The mural features portraits of three local, living musicians as painted by three local Rochester artists.

Moses Rockwell painted by Brittany Williams

Danielle Ponder painted by Sarah C. Rutherford

Mikaela Davis painted by Justin Suarez (aka Mr. Prvrt).

For more about the artists:

Sarah C Rutherford – https://hervoicecarries.blog

Justin Suarez – http://www.mrprvrt.com

Brittany Williams – https://www.instagram.com/bwilliamsart/

Moses Rockwell –  https://mosesrockwell.bandcamp.com/

Danielle Ponder –  https://daniellepondermusic.com/

Mikaela Davis – https://www.mikaeladavis.com/

This linked video was created by the folks at Captivate Media and shared with us to share with you!

 

 

August 2019 – Mural at the Skalny Childcare Center at the YMCA Schottland Family Branch

WT at YMCA

 

We worked with the YMCA of Greater Rochester to create a mural to inspire the children at the Skalny Childcare Center at the new YMCA Schottland Family Branch. WALL\THERAPY 2015 alum Matthew Roberts and longtime WT collaborator John Magnus Champlin worked together to create an exciting environment celebrating diversity, creativity, and the wonder of youth to inspire the next generation.

See a video about this project here:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=728668594227454

and read more about it here:

YMCA, WALLTHERAPY Collaboration Pays Homages to Past, Celebrates Future

 

 

October 2019 – Shannon Galpin

Shannon Galpin
Shannon Galpin
Shannon Galpin

We were fortunate to round out our year to facilitate a quick visit from Shannon Galpin. Shannon is a National Geographic Adventure of the Year and a Fellow with the Explorer’s Club who has spent the past decade working as a women’s rights activist in Afghanistan and a lifetime exploring the world as a solo adventurer. 

She installed two of her “Love Letters” murals – Notes from her stalker to expand the conversation of consent, love, harassment, and stalking in public places. They went up on State St at The Spirit Room and UUU Collective’s spaces. 

She also installed one other temporary installation, a climate justice Love Letter to Mother Earth, near High Falls

https://www.shannongalpin.com/#/stalked/

Upcoming Art Exhibit – JUST FOLKS – Ten Years of 1975 and WALL\THERAPY Curation

FEATURE_JustFolks

1975 Just Folks - March2019

WALL\THERAPY Co-Curator and RIT alumni Erich S. Lehman is curating a second ten year anniversary group show, this time at RIT’s new City Art Space located in downtown Rochester. This show will feature 10 artists from his 1975 Gallery project as well as 10 artists from WALL\THERAPY’s history so far. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of artwork will be donated to this year’s WALL\THERAPY project. We hope you will be able to attend!

A list of the artists in attendance will be shared closer to the opening.

JUST FOLKS
Ten Years of 1975 and WALL\THERAPY Curation

March 1-23, 2019
Opening Reception March 1, 6-9pm
Artist Talk to follow

Free and open to the public

A companion exhibition to DEARLY DEPARTED – Ten Years of 1975 in October 2018, JUST FOLKS is a more formal retrospective of the influence of 1975 Gallery on Rochester, NY’s art scene since its inception in 2008. Among the selected artists is a group who grew/came of age with the gallery and emerged as names in their own right in Rochester and beyond. Overlapping with this is a selection of artists who participated in the WALL\THERAPY mural project whose impact on Rochester is seen on a daily basis. The artists selected represent important elements of 1975 curation over the last ten years.

“Just Folks” is a phrase coined between the curators of WALL\THERAPY to describe the power of the average person to make an incredible difference in their community. We are living in a time when it is essential to realize the common vein between us all and the capacity for great change that we share.

A percentage of all artwork sales will be donated to the WALL\THERAPY project.

BONES – Sarah Blood – Carter Burwell – DAZE – Chloe Early – Faith XLVII – Conor Harrington – HOWNOSM – Ian Kuali’i – Mike Ming – St. Monci – Don Pendleton – Mark Penxa – Faring Purth – David Schnuckel – Justin Suarez aka Mr. Prvrt – Sarah C. Rutherford – David Walker – Brittany Williams – Addam Yekutieli aka Know Hope

Curated by Erich S. Lehman.

For more about the artists:

1975
Bones – www.instagram.com/bones_tribute
Sarah Blood – www.sarahblood.com
Carter Burwell – www.instagram.com/carterburwellart
St. Monci – www.st.monci.com
Don Pendleton – www.elephont.com
Mark Penxa – www.markpenxa.com
David Schnuckel – www.davidschnuckel.com
Justin Suarez (aka Mr. Prvrt) – www.mrprvrt.com
Sarah C. Rutherford – www.sarahcrutherford.com
Brittany Williams – www.instagram.com/bwilliamsart

WALL\THERAPY
Daze – www.dazeworld.com
Chloe Early – www.chloeearly.com
FaithXLVII – www.faith47.com
Conor Harrington – www.conorharrington.com
HOW and NOSM – www.howandnosm.com
Ian Kuali’i – www.instagram.com/iankualii
Mike Ming – www.instagram.com/surfnuts195
Faring Purth – www.instagram.com/faringpurth
David Walker – www.artofdavidwalker.com
Addam Yekutieli aka Know Hope – www.thisislimbo.com

RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/377435413067227/

RIT City Art Space
Sibley Tower Building
Entrance at Liberty Pole Plaza
280 East Main Street Rochester NY 14604
cityartspace.rit.edu

Regular Hours: Thursday – Sunday, 1-5pm

Parking:
Street Parking is free after 6pm and on Weekends.
Parking Garages available at Mortimer Street Garage or St. Joe’s Garage