Street Art Sessions Take Over NoHo’s Secret Rose Theatre
We are lucky to have a ton of visual artists of all kinds in the growing NoHo Arts District. But this summer, Sunday nights in NoHo are reserved for artists to create art, street art that is. Off the Wall Graffiti is doing a nine-week residency at The Secret Rose Theater on Sundays from 7-11PM in June and July. Come on out and get ready to paint and create. Spend the summer doing what you love and enjoying the neighborhood. Spread the word and get involved. Our NoHo neighborhood is only as fun as it’s people.
So what happens on Sunday nights at the Secret Rose?
For the artists we will be providing a space to paint on walls, on canvas, on bodies in a way that is safe, legal, exciting and playful.
For the performers we will have a stage for them to practice, test, throw an idea at an audience and try things they haven’t done before. We encourage poetry, improv, song, dance, mime 🙂
For the foodies we hope to provide local young chefs a space to invent, share, sample and work out their crowd pleasing ideas – in a low key way – nothing full scale, nothing so big that it will require a health permit, think a high-brow bake sale.
We hold a high bar for creativity and behavior.
Why did you pick NoHo?
NOHO picked us. We had been looking for a facility and had worked with Rick at the Secret Rose before and he was game to make the arts district full of art. He was a yes to our “could we”. We see NOHO as a microcosm of cool, a Melrose that Melrose never became, a Silver Lake without the beards.
WHEN: Sundays 7-11PM
WHERE: Secret Rose Theatre 11246 Magnolia Blvd.
CONTACT: 310-733-7679 | offthewallgraffiti@gmail.com
http://www.offthewallgraffiti.com/ | www.facebook.com/pages/Off-The-Wall-Graffiti
Tell us a bit more about how Off The Wall Graffiti got started?
We exist to grab these marginalized creative youth, listen to their story, shift their understanding about themselves, get them in action creatively, harnessing their zeal for community, enticing their desires to be seen and challenging their beliefs about education until they are carrying their own flag for their futures. We are un-funded. We are 501c3 pending status. We are fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas in NYC. We need your help, your supplies, your cheers and your friends. We’ve been informally working with underserved artists in the Valley since 2010. We started small with PAINT OFFS – recognizing the competitive nature of these kids. This year we dedicated full time effort to the idea that these kids need to stay in action and we took that message around the U.S. on tour with two artists raising awareness, creating live and shooting a documentary called THIS OR THAT – what happens when I do and do not make art?
We have created a curriculum which we have used at John R. Wooden High School in Reseda which culminated in the first GRAFF-X-Games. We have applications in for multiple murals in Van Nuys as well as permanent wall structures throughout the U.S.
We have a home in Sherman Oaks where artists come to make silk screen shirts to sell of their art, other merchandise opportunities, teaching them the commerce end of their brand creations. We mentor them through high school into higher education as well, focusing on arts education.
What is unique about what you do?
We strive to create a unified body of artists, globally who are educated, creative change makers through their problem solving skills from the streets.
We see what they do in the streets and work inside the conversation of what it means to be a vandal, where the desires to do this came from and when, we look at the payout, the long term game and we hold them to account for doing one thing and saying another – not with punishment but with a raised bar. For some reason, they listen, come back and keep creating.
Success stories about artists that have been helped along the way…
We have been a stand for one graduation from college – completed.
We have seen two enter college.
We have reentered four back into an LAUSD high school diploma curriculum.
We have five actively seeking extra hours at the Sherman Oaks home for credit.
We have housed three students whose home life didn’t support their educational pursuits.
We have had a six month artist in residence from NYC who traveled and mentored with us.
We have memorialized two youth through creativity.
We have young students in Oregon, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Texas awaiting more programming from us.
ABOUT Off The Wall Graffiti
A charity that is makin’ art & changin’ lives
Off The Wall Graffiti sees that talent is over looked when the creation of it destructs public and personal property. We see destructive graffiti as a cry for self-expression, acknowledgement and acceptance. We believe we will change our artists lives by giving them an opportunity to create in their given expression, typically street art, have their community support them with competitions and cause others to relate to them as contributing participants in art. We strive to reach all levels of student – those who are afflicted by conflict, violence, social barriers and poverty as well as those whose talent is nurtured because we know that talent rises when urged along with a little healthy competition.
We believe that acknowledging them, mentoring them and providing a community for them will ultimately open their lives to a new future, one that they did not see for themselves prior. Our three pronged approach to competition; mentoring and scholarship will elevate the student experience much like sports have. These students will feel confident to leave their mark on society, not on private property, when they engage fully with Off The Wall Graffiti.
By affecting this community, we believe a positive change will occur for these artists, as well as foster a perception change about the youth currently caught in the loop of destructive self-expression, who could be seen as important contributors to society.
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