Vitality and Verve Transforming the Urban Landscape

Vitality & Verve : Transforming the Urban Landscape Short Film

The Long Beach Museum of Art in collaboration with Thinkspace and POW! WOW! Long Beach present:

‘Vitality and Verve: Transforming the Urban Landscape’

A film by Jordan Ahern

‘Vitality and Verve: Transforming the Urban Landscape’ ran from June 27th – October 25th, 2015 at the Long Beach Museum of Art in Long Beach, California.

Directed and Edited by Jordan Ahern

Produced by Thinkspace

Special thanks to all the participating artists:
Aaron Horkey, Alex Yanes, Andrew Schoultz, Audrey Kawasaki, Brendan Monroe, Brandon Shigeta, Cryptik, Esao Andrews, Greg ‘Craola’ Simkins, Hot Tea, James Bullough, Jeff Soto, John S. Culqui, Low Bros, Meggs, Nosego, Nychos, Saber, and Tristan Eaton

As well as to all the artists exhibiting original works of arts alongside the curated murals:
Amanda Marie, Andrew Hem, Angry Woebots, Bumblebeelovesyou, C215, Carl Cashman, Curiot, EINE, Ekundayo, Gaia, Hueman, James Marshall, Jason Thielke, Jeremy Fish, Know Hope, Labrona, Mark Dean Veca, Matt Small, Meggs, So Youn Lee, Tatiana Suarez, Troy Lovegates, Will Barras, Word To Mother, and Yoskay Yamamoto

Filming took place at:
Long Beach Museum of Art
2300 East Ocean Blvd. | Long Beach, CA.
www.lbma.org

Special thanks to Ron Nelson and the entire staff at the Long Beach Museum of Art for opening their home to all the participating artists while providing such a welcoming atmosphere and professional environment in the process.

Video may also be viewed on YouTube.

www.lbma.org
www.thinkspacegallery.com
www.powwowlongbeach.com
www.jordanahern.com

Graffiti artist Saber’s Vitality & Verve Mural Featured in LA Times

The murals inside the Long Beach Museum of Art for ‘Vitality & Verve: Transforming the Urban Landscape might be gone, but the impression it has left on the art world remains. The Los Angeles Times featured graffiti artist Saber’s moving piece about the issue of police violence in our society. Saber taking the time to highlight a lesser known and local tragic act of violence against 19-year-old Hector Morejon; his piece inspire discussion around violence, vandalism, and of course art. Read the full story ‘Object Lesson: Graffiti artist Saber on why his new Long Beach mural takes on police shootings‘ here.

Join Us October 23rd for LBMA After Dark’s Closing Reception of Vitality and Verve: Transforming the Urban Landscape

LBMA Closing Reception — LBMA After Dark’s Opening Reception of Vitality & Verve: Transforming the Urban Landscape.

LBMA After Dark Returns October 23 To Celebrate Final Weekend Of The Museum’s Exhibition Vitality And Verve: Transforming The Urban Landscape

Final After Dark Event of 2015 to Feature Debut of Special Short Film of Exhibition; Plus Dancing Under the Stars With Live Music, DJ, and More

LBMA After Dark is returning Friday, October 23 from 6pm-10pm to celebrate the closing weekend of one of the most popular exhibitions in the Museum’s history: Vitality and Verve: Transforming The Urban Landscape. Nearly 12,000 visitors have seen Vitality and Verve since it opened on June 27 making it one of the most well-attended exhibitions since the Museum’s inception in 1950. To mark its closing this particular LBMA After Dark will offer attendees some special activities:

The debut screening of a short film on the creation of the Vitality and Verve exhibition.
New mural now included in the exhibition from the French artist Fafi for attendees to view.
See Vitality and Verve Artist Greg “CRAOLA” Simkins “whitewash” his own mural for attendees can witness firsthand the beginning of the removal process as all murals in the exhibition were intended to be ephemeral.
Meet LBMA’s Artist in Residence Shay Bredimus and view his art installation inside the Ralston Family Learning Center. The artist will be on hand to answer questions about his work. Bredimus is a figurative painter and tattoo artist. His work was featured in two solo exhibitions at Koplin Del Rio Gallery in Culver City, California and he has earned critical praise from Artweek and Inked Magazine.

The event will also feature its signature great music, food and dancing under the stars. Online tickets are on sale now so please visit the Museum’s website LBMA After Dark page to purchase tickets: www.lbma.org/afterdark. Tickets are $20 per person but visitors can attend free by becoming a Museum Member today. Visit the Museum’s membership page here for details: www.lbma.org/membership. In addition, any new membership purchased by Wednesday, October 21 will receive a free swag bag that includes a limited edition poster and bookmark from Vitality and Verve. Supplies are limited.

“This LBMA After Dark will mark the end of a special year for the Museum,” said Ron Nelson, executive director of the Long Beach Museum of Art. “The success of Vitality and Verve has been beyond what the museum imagined it would be with increased attendance, global media coverage and a record number of new members joining in 2015. We thank everyone who has made this exhibition such a fantastic experience for us as well as the community we serve.”

Attendees to the event are strongly encouraged to take public transportation to and from the Museum. All guests who use their bicycles as transportation will receive a free drink coupon to be used at the event. For more information, including purchasing a membership, please visit the museum’s LBMA After Dark page at www.lbma.org/.afterdark.

‘Vitality and Verve: Transforming the Urban Landscape’ Extended!

We’re thrilled the share the Long Beach Museum of Art has extended ‘Vitality and Verve: Transforming the Urban Landscape’ an additional month till October 25th. If you have yet to be convinced to make the trip down to Long Beach for this monumental exhibition, here is the press round up of the show highlighting the fantastic work and its importance to the post-contemporary art movement.

Artist Meggs, who created a triptych throughout the museum, describes his pieces in his own words.

“‘Not the Enemy’ my 3-part installation represents the misconceptions, fears and negative stigmas associated with graffiti culture.

When institutions begin to recognise the social and artistic importance of this movement, its also important to recognise and understand the roots of that movement and the broad spectrum of people & practices it involves. Several weeks prior to this monumental show, unarmed 19 year old Hector Morejon was shot & killed by police in Long Beach whilst allegedly painting graffiti in an abandoned building.

One of two teens killed in Long Beach in so many months. As an artist who has explored and painted in abandoned buildings myself, I felt it was important to recognise this tragic event and how unnecessarily extreme this course of action was, as is much of the negative social stigma and over-inflated harsh legal penalties associated with Graffiti Art.

This is also part of a larger problem, the treatment and violence towards unarmed citizens in the US.

No doubt police and lawmakers have a hard job to do, but the re-occurrence and number of these ‘unarmed’ shootings is evidence that current practices and policies must be changed to end community tensions and avoid more unnecessary deaths.”

Vitality & Verve: Transforming the Urban Landscape Press Round Up II

Over 3,000 people came down to Long Beach on July 26th for the opening reception of ‘Vitality & Verve: Transforming the Urban Landscape’. Artists and art enthusiast mingled enjoying the night, soaking in this transformative moment for the post-contemporary art movement.

Please explore the links below with all the amazing press the show has received. Thank you to everyone who has attended the exhibition and for your support.

Juxtapoz
OPENING: “VITALITY AND VERVE” @ LBMA

Arrested Motion
Openings: “Vitality and Verve” @ Long Beach Museum of Art

Long Beach Post
VITALITY AND VERVE Attracts An Estimated 3,000 Attendees to LBMA’s AFTER DARK Event

OC Weekly
Vitality and Verve: Transforming the Urban Landscape

1xRun
Exhibitions: ‘Vitality and Verve’ Presented by POW! WOW!, Thinkspace Gallery, and the Long Beach Museum of Art

Daily DuJour
The Murals of “Vitality and Verve” at the Long Beach Museum of Art

Twisted Shifter
This Museum Let a Group of Street Artists Do Whatever They Wanted To Its Walls

Vinyl Plus
Tristan Eaton x Nychos for ‘Vitality and Verve’ at the Long Beach Museum of Art

Vitality and Verve: Transforming the Urban Landscape has also received rave reviews from Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia and LA Mayor Eric Garcetti.