September 18, 2015

Internationally Renowned Artists Create Murals for OUTSIDEIN: The Ascendance of Street Art in Visual Culture Exhibition Organized by ArtCenter College of Design

Olivia Bevilacqua, David Flores, CHASE, Robbie Conal, Cryptik, Jeanne Detallante; Shepard Fairey, James Jean, Geoff McFetridge, RISK, Kenny Scharf and Jeff Soto

October 9, 2015 through January 10, 2016

(Pasadena, Calif.) September 18, 2015 – “Street art has exploded as an anti-authoritarian form of art making and an important global movement happening in the visual arts today,” said curator and author G. James Daichendt in a recent TEDx speech, “The Streets As Canvas.” “Even if you’ve never stepped foot into a museum or gallery, you’ve been impacted by street art since it lives in the corners of our communities.”

In recognition of this phenomenon, ArtCenter College of Design has organized OUTSIDEIN: The Ascendance of Street Art in Visual Culture, an expansive indoor and outdoor exhibition opening October 9, 2015, and continuing through January 10, 2016, at multiple venues in Pasadena. Initiated by ArtCenter’s Illustration Department Chair Ann Field, the exhibition’s curatorial team also includes Daichendt and Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery Director Stephen Nowlin.

“Like many artistic insurgencies, street art has had to navigate around the pitfalls of its own commercial success to remain possessed of raw and vital meanings,” said Nowlin. “That tension, along with the breadth of street art’s current influence in contemporary design and visual culture, is what we set out to explore inOUTSIDEIN.”

Featured in the show are artists Olivia Bevilacqua, David Flores, CHASE, Robbie Conal, Cryptik, Jeanne Detallante, Shepard Fairey, James Jean, Geoff McFetridge, RISK, Kenny Scharf and Jeff Soto, who is an ArtCenter alumnus.

Materials and paints for OUTSIDEIN: The Ascendance of Street Art in Visual Culture have generously been made available to the artists by Sherwin-Williams.

“OUTSIDEIN explores how a range of artists in and outside the street art genre are utilizing public space as a canvas and professionalizing something that was once considered taboo,” Daichendt said. “Originating from graffiti, its accessibility and emergence in pop culture has drastically shifted the way we engage the arts.”

OUTSIDEIN murals are being installed in four locations at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena; the Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery, 1700 Lida Street (91103); the Hutto-Patterson Exhibition Hall, 870 South Raymond Avenue (91105); as well as the north wall and a rooftop elevator cube of the Wind Tunnel, 950 South Raymond Avenue (91105).

Who is painting where?

• CHASE will create work in the Hutto-Patterson Exhibition Hall (1,260 square feet) in the Fine Art and Illustration building at 870 South Raymond Avenue near downtown Pasadena.
• Seen by both southbound Metro Gold Line train passengers and drivers along South Raymond Avenue, RISK’s mural explodes with color on an expansive, rectangular, north wall of the Wind Tunnel at 950 South Raymond Avenue.
• Kenny Scharf painted a cube-shaped elevator shaft on the rooftop of the Wind Tunnel building at 950 South Raymond Avenue.
• All 12 artists will be represented by paintings, objects or site-specific murals in ArtCenter’s Williamson Gallery (4,600 square feet) on the Hillside Campus at 1700 Lida Street in the hills above the Rose Bowl.

Opening Night Reception

The opening reception will be held Thursday, October 8 with the first half taking place from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. on the Hillside Campus in the Williamson Gallery. The after-party, from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m., will shift the action to South Campus in the Hutto-Patterson Exhibition Hall at 870 South Raymond Avenue, a short stroll from the RISK and Kenny Scharf murals. Complimentary valet parking will be provided to visitors at 870 South Raymond Avenue. The event is free and open to the public.

The Material World

“OUTSIDEIN seeks to prove the connection between street art, illustration and design as evidenced by the dynamic relationships artists are now forging with brands such as Prada, Marni, Nike, Pepsi, Stussy and Dior,” said Ann Field, chair of ArtCenter’s Illustration Department.

Artwork, she says, is now driving the design of clothing and accessories, morphing into immersive retail environments and creating unforgettable advertising campaigns.

“In the tradition of Keith Haring’s Pop Shop, many of these artists are notorious and already producing their own merchandise,” Field said. “Designers are seeking them out impressed by the quality of work and its ability to connect to the emotional heart of a generation who, like them, sees no boundary between art and commerce.”

Honoring the Memory of Keith Haring and His Mural Treasured by the Community

The exhibition was also conceived in part as a commemoration of the historic mural completed by Keith Haring in 1989 on ArtCenter’s Hillside campus. “Exuding cultural diversity and open borders of experience, street art continues to aggravate and endear as it broadens provincial perspectives,” said Nowlin.A focal point of interest and popular gathering spot, the Haring mural offers inspiration to the College’s growing community of students focused on social impact art and design. The work also serves as a memorial to artists who have died of AIDS, including Haring, who died in February 1990, just a few months after his visit.

The dedicated team in ArtCenter’s archives recently discovered found footage of the Haring mural installation which when shared through social media channels elicited tremendous response from generations of students who had been touched by the work.

ArtCenter as a Cultural Resource

The extension of the exhibition to ArtCenter’ South Campus, a conveniently accessible location for public visitors, represents the College’s commitment to becoming a significant cultural destination for Angelenos and art lovers far and wide. Future exhibitions will serve to promote synergies throughout the region, forging discourse among students, community members and professional artists around progressive ideas in art and design.

A Conversation About the Street Art Movement

Artists leading the street art movement, journalists covering the story and author G. James Daichendt will discuss the Keith Haring legacy, the impact of street art on major brands and much more during a panel discussion set for Thursday, October 22. Venue, time and panelists are to be determined. For information, please visit williamsongallery.net/outsidein.

How to visit, link and win with hashtags

Visitors are encouraged to share their observations and images with friends and fans using these hashtags: #OutsideInMurals #OutsideIn #ArtCenterMurals.

Exhibition visitors have a chance to win a limited edition art book signed by Kenny Scharf @kennyscharf or RISK @ogRISK! by sharing photos on Instagram tagged with #OutsideInWin.

Admission to all ArtCenter galleries is free and open to the public.

For more information, please visit williamsongallery.net/outsidein.

Please include this link in your coverage http://blogs.artcenter.edu/dottedline/2015/09/16/outsidein-exhibition-street-artists-create-mural-sized-works/

The Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery at ArtCenter College of Design is located at 1700 Lida Street in Pasadena; hours are noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, with extended hours on Fridays, until 9 p.m. The gallery is closed Mondays and holidays. For more gallery information, call (626) 396-2446. Williamson Gallery exhibitions are funded in part by the Williamson Gallery Patrons and a grant from the Pasadena Art Alliance.

Williamson Gallery exhibitions are funded in part through the generosity of the Williamson Gallery Patrons, and a grant from the Pasadena Art Alliance.

About the Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery The Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery at ArtCenter College of Design opened in 1992, and has since represented a unique voice in Pasadena and beyond, engaging art and ideas of both local and international significance. Pasadena is unequalled worldwide for its convergence of the arts and sciences, and the Williamson Gallery has embraced the exploration of that core identity as one of its primary programmatic goals. Offering students and the public an opportunity to form authentic and critical insights based upon first-hand experiences with the arts, the Williamson Gallery seeks out projects that will resonate deeply with the tenor of our times, provoke intellectual dissonance, and conjure unexpected pathways of thinking.

About the Hutto-Patterson Exhibition Hall In 2014 ArtCenter College of Design opened a new home for two of its dynamic visual arts programs—Undergraduate Art and Illustration—in the 870 South Raymond Avenue building at the College’s South Campus in Pasadena. Renovation of the former post office was made possible in part because of the generosity of the Hutto-Patterson Charitable Foundation, providing a dramatic atrium space in the center of the building to showcase the work of ArtCenter students, faculty and visiting artists through a rotating series of exhibitions. Exhibitions are accompanied by public lectures and special events, and woven into the curriculum. In keeping with ArtCenter’s efforts to increase access, affordability and appreciation of art and design in our communities, the exhibition hall is free and open to the public.

About ArtCenter College of Design Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, California, ArtCenter College of Design is a global leader in art and design education. Art Center offers 11 undergraduate and six graduate degrees in a wide variety of visual and applied arts as well as industrial design disciplines. In addition to its top-ranked academic programs, the College also serves members of the Greater Los Angeles region through a highly regarded series of year-round educational programs for all ages and levels of experience. Renowned for both its ties to industry and social impact initiatives, ArtCenter is the first design school to receive the United Nations’ Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status. Throughout the College's long and storied history, ArtCenter alumni have had a profound impact on popular culture, the way we live and important issues in our society.

Images: High-resolution images are available by request.

Contacts:

Teri Bond
ArtCenter College of Design
626.396.2385 (office)
310.738.2077 (mobile)
teri.bond@artcenter.edu

Nick Hanson
Sherwin-Williams
612.375.8545
nick.hanson@spongpr.com