RAPID CITY, SD – The Rapid City Arts Council presents First Friday Downtown Art Walk on Friday, July 7 from 5–8 PM. This recurring community event is being held throughout Downtown Rapid City on the first Fridays, June through September. Following dates include August 4 and September 1.

Downtown Art Walks bring people and art together. In this self-guided experience, participants explore interactive artistic activities at each of the destinations they stop at along the way. From live music and poetry readings to workshops and painting – it’s an event locals and visitors will not want to miss.

There are 18 participating businesses, galleries and cultural venues on this year’s Art Walk. They include: Aby’s, Alex Johnson Mercantile, Art Alley, Art House, Black Hills Vinyl, Canvas 2 Paint, Celtic Connection, Dahl Arts Center, Dakota Drum Co., Dandelion Bouquet, Elements of South Dakota, Melissa Wood Art Gallery, Prairie Edge, Pure Fox, Suzie Cappa Art Center, Tusweca Gallery, Ugly Graffiti, and Garbage Tale Vintage.

The schedule for the Art Walk on July 7 features many unique activities including:

• Art Alley – Community mural painting with Rapid City Arts Council and “Ignitor” reception with muralist Mike Willcuts
• Black Hills Vinyl – “Come Play Deejay” booth; disc art with Black Hills Disc Golf
• Dahl Arts Center Galleries – Exhibition and meet and greet with artist Dan Tackett 5-8 pm, still life photography demonstration at 5:30 pm
• Dahl Arts Center Education Complex – Rushmore Music Festival student performance, 7-8 pm
• Dakota Drum – Exhibit featuring resident artist Sonya Holy Eagle
• Elements of South Dakota – Performance by Skyline Strings Band
• Garbage Tale Vintage – Freestyle and hip-hop performance by Prima School of Dancing
• Melissa Wood Art Gallery – Live watercolor painting
• Suzie Cappa Art Center – Live demonstration with Mark Zimmerman, BOGO art sale
• Ugly Graffiti – Popup art with The Art Closet
• Aby’s – “After Art Walk” avant-garde jazz and performance art starting at 8 pm
• And much more!

The Art Walk map is available online or at participating destinations. Information about interactive activities scheduled for each event is also available on Facebook.

First Friday Downtown Art Walks is a recurring community event presented by the Rapid City Arts Council and is proudly sponsored by Print Mark-et, Black Hills Vinyl, and Canvas 2 Paint.

For more information or to participate as an artist or destination, please visit the website or contact the Rapid City Arts Council at marketing@thedahl.org.

Susie Szeto Price ’92 can trace her foray into photography and the arts to a cinema class she took with Professor Scott MacDonald at Hamilton.

“Reading films critically really spoke to me. I wanted to be involved in film, or media studies, as a career because of it,” she says.

After graduation, Price earned her master’s degree at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts before becoming an assistant for Richard Greenberg and Bruce Schluter, two prominent creative directors who designed titles and marketing graphics for movie trailers. As a production and visual effects coordinator, she honed her skills in storytelling, dynamic shot compositions, and CGI effects.

“Interestingly, what I learned on the job was compatible with the theoretical film concepts I first learned from Scott,” she says. In fact, she found that even her family snapshots reflected those same professional and academic standards.

Eventually, Price took a hiatus from full-time office work to raise her family. Her husband, a photographer and CG animation artist, suggested that she submit her photos to Getty Images, where she still works as a freelance photographer creating stock imagery “telling everyday stories of family, children, and multiracial diversity in America.”

Price had found the perfect balance of spending time with her children, dabbling in real estate, and pursuing creative interests until 2015, when her husband died of multiple myeloma at age 47.

“It was one of the most devastating moments of my life. It was also the ultimate wake-up call to confront what I wanted my life to be about,” she says. “Unsurprisingly, my art and creativity went through the roof. I took chances. This creative energy was a way for me to communicate my love for my late husband.”

Price also uses that creative energy to inspire others through her work on the Hamilton Career Network’s Arts & Entertainment Committee. “I love sharing the possibilities of working in visual effects, animation, and other artistic fields through a liberal arts education. I’m a living example, and I have no regrets.”

If you head to downtown Stamford, you might notice some new residents. That’s because Stamford Downtown’s annual outdoor sculpture exhibit is underway. And this time around, you could say the organizers really have their ducks in a row.

The installation is called “Duck, Duck, Goose!” and included 24 fiberglass ducks and one goose that have migrated to the downtown area for the summer. Local artists painted each one, with some of the themes a little “quacky.”

The clever and often humorous works include PeKING duck, who wears a crown; Release the Quacken, an ode to the legendary sea monster; Robber Ducky, who’s clad in black and white stripes with stolen loot; and a Doodle Duck covered in drawings,

People can download the Otocast app to get a free audio guide with a digital map of where each duck is, plus artist commentary. Call it a bird’s-eye view into their creative process.

Every summer, Stamford Downtown comes up with a different exhibit to line the sidewalks. Recent years include “The Piano Project” and “HedgeFun.”

“Art in public places makes art accessible to everybody. You don’t have to go into a museum. You don’t have to pay a fee. It’s out there in the public,” explained Lynne Colatrella, senior VP of events and marketing for Stamford Downtown.

Colatrella told News 12 her great nephews and nieces inspired the idea. “I think duck, duck, goose was something we were playing, and I said, ‘Well, that could be a really cute exhibit.’”

And don’t worry about ruffling anyone’s feathers by touching the ducks. They’re meant to be interactive.

“They’re about 3 feet tall, which I think has been great for the little kids in town. Anywhere you look, you’re going to see kids climbing all over the ducks, and people are just loving them,” Colatrella said.

The goose, named Lucy Goosey, is covered in mirrored pieces like a disco ball and hidden downtown with the spot changed every two weeks. You can go the app or social media for a clue. Colatrella shared the latest one with News 12.

“The steps are regal. The clock stands tall. Can you find the goose behind this great hall?” Colatrella read.

Care to take a gander where the goose may be? You have until July 6 when it’s moved to a new location. The exhibit runs through September, and then all the ducks and the goose will be auctioned off with a portion of the proceeds going to the Stamford Museum and Nature Center.

After about a year of suffering through plummeting values, the office market in Downtown Los Angeles has received a bit of good news with the University of California, Los Angeles announcing its purchase of the historically designated The Trust Building.

The school will use the building at 433 South Spring Street in Downtown’s Historic Core as a site for satellite classes.

UCLA declined to state how much it paid for the 300,000-square-foot, 11-story, Art Deco building. But people familiar with the deal placed the transaction under $40 million, less than half of the building’s assessed value of about $88 million, according to the Los Angeles Times, which first reported the story. 

The sellers, Rising Realty Partners and its financial partner Lionstone Investments, bought the building in 2016 for $80.4 million. Rising Realty also financed a $40 million revamp of the building which included restoring original Art Deco features and bringing it up to modern earthquake safety standards. Star chef José Andrés is expected to open a restaurant and bar on The Trust Building’s rooftop later this year.

Rising Realty struggled to find renters and buyers for The Trust Building. In 2021, a $1 million bonus was offered to brokers who could close a deal for a tenant who would lease 100,000 square feet on the premises.

Despite the price discount, UCLA’s purchase indicates that Downtown Los Angeles’ days as an office hub are not over, according to Mike Condon Jr. of Cushman & Wakefield, who represented the seller in the transaction.

“After several years of nothing but negative news surrounding Downtown Los Angeles, the UCLA acquisition of the Trust appears to be one of the first green shoots towards recovery,” Condon said.
– Andrew Asch

Rather than scrolling through photos from a recent trip, José Naranja (previously) remembers his travels through exceptionally detailed sketchbooks with notes, illustrations, and ephemera collected during his visits. The artist and author is an avid tourist and dedicated observer, and he saturates the blank pages of his Moleskines with watercolor and ink drawings of airplanes, film characters, and maps. Like most of us, Naranja was unable to travel during much of the last few years, although he’s resumed his adventures and frequented Thailand and other parts of Asia, which are reflected in his latest spreads.

Currently, Naranja is working on an experimental illustrated oracle deck that envisions the year 2050 through the lens of science, art, and philosophy, all tinged with his signature fantastical approach. The artist’s latest book, The Nautilus Manuscript, is available now, and you can follow updates on his work on Instagram.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Maps, Everyday Ephemera, and Watercolor Drawings Record José Naranja’s Travels with Fantastic Detail appeared first on Colossal.

City dwellers know that convenience stores have a culture unto themselves, and although franchises continue to dominate and overtake businesses, small, independently run shops have undeniable charm. For the past several years, artist Lee Me Kyeoung (previously) has been adding to her ongoing series of paintings that celebrate the idiosyncrasies and appeal of tiny South Korean corner stores, which are increasingly facing closure.

On view throughout July at Gallery Imazoo in Gangnam, Me Kyeoung’s latest works are an ode to these disappearing locales. Enveloped by lush cherry blossoms or persimmon trees, the shops are well-stocked with dense shelves, crates of goods, and advertisements pasted in the windows. Bicycles, benches, and the occasional folding chair stand outside the entrances. Delicately rendered in pen and acrylic, the paintings depict architectural and organizational variances that make each spot unique, while honoring the cultural ubiquities of these spaces.

Me Kyeoung has a robust archive of the quaint shops, which you can find on Instagram.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Exquisite Paintings by Lee Me Kyeoung Are an Ode to the Quaint Corner Stores of South Korea appeared first on Colossal.

The six-bottle collection features original contemporary work from Dustin Yellin, with $1 from every bottle sold donated to his artist and scientist-led cultural center, Pioneer Works

JERSEY CITY, N.J., June 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — 1800 Tequila, the world’s most awarded tequila brand, today announced the 11th edition of its “Essential Artist Series”, reaffirming its role in celebrating the best taste in tequila and in life. Featuring a collaboration with Brooklyn-based contemporary artist and founder of Pioneer Works, Dustin Yellin, the latest Essential Artist Series celebrates the harmonious fusion between art and tequila.

The 1800 Tequila Essential Artist Series is a testament to the brand’s continued support of emerging and established artists to shape the art community. Through these annual collaborations, 1800 Tequila has partnered with renowned artists, including Okuda San Miguel, Shantell Martin, Enoc Perez, and the Basquiat and Haring estates. With each artist, 1800 Tequila further pushes the boundaries of best in taste by providing creators with alternative canvases to reach new audiences through creating collaborative and bespoke bottles of 1800 Blanco Tequila that become sought-after collectibles.

For Essential Artist Series 11, 1800 Tequila selected Dustin Yellin as its hero creator for their shared values across craft, community, and curiosity. The collection presents six limited-edition bottles showcasing original works by Yellin, inspired by his “Psychogeography Series,” which teases the tension between nature and technology through narrative and visual transfiguration. Each of his six designs feature intricate details of human interaction–with each other and with nature–backdropped by different celestial bodies.

“I have been an admirer of 1800 Tequila and its Essential Artists Series for many years now and am incredibly honored to have been selected as this year’s featured artist,” said Dustin Yellin. “1800 Tequila is an artist-forward brand that celebrates innovation, creativity and culture, in a similar way to which I approach art. I’m excited to present our synergies and my artwork through this collaboration on the classic 1800 Tequila Blanco bottles.”

As part of the brand’s dedication to moving culture forward and support of emerging artists, $1 from each 1800 Tequila Essential Artist Series 11 bottle sold will be donated to Yellin’s non-profit, Pioneer Works, an artist and scientist-led cultural center in Brooklyn, New York. With a mission to build community through arts and sciences to create an open and curious world, Pioneer Works provides visual and performing artists, musicians, scientists, technologists, community organizers, and educators the resources and platform they need to expand their practices.

“1800 Tequila has long prioritized taste above all else – not only in tequila, but extending to the arts, culture and beyond,” said Lander Otegui, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Proximo Spirits. “The brand’s continuous liquid innovation and passion for moving culture forward find likeness in Yellin’s commitment to progressive, purposeful art and support of emerging artists. We welcome Dustin to the esteemed group of 1800 Tequila Essential Artists collaborators and are proud to be raising money for emerging artists with every bottle sold.”

The 1800 Tequila Essential Artists Series 11 featuring Dustin Yellin bespoke bottles are now available for pre-sale orders on 1800Tequila.com for $31.99 and will roll out in limited quantities in-store and online at 1800Tequila.com, Drizly and ReserveBar in early July. For more information, visit 1800Tequila.com and follow along on Instagram, @1800tequila.

About 1800® Tequila

1800 Tequila, the world’s most awarded tequila and the #1 super premium tequila brand in the U.S., is made with 100% blue Weber agave harvested at its peak in Tequila, Mexico. Named after the year of origin, 1800 Tequila has never wavered from its original formula and distillation process. Now, as the best taste in tequila, 1800 Tequila has reached category leadership through its liquid superiority, deep-rooted Mexican heritage and culture-driving collaborations with musicians and artists. The iconic bottle is also recognized for its trapezoidal shape, reminiscent of the centuries-old Mayan stone pyramids found throughout Mexico. Please visit 1800Tequila.com and on Instagram @1800tequila to learn more about the 1800 Tequila portfolio.

1800^® Tequila. 40% Alc./Vol. (80 proof). Trademarks owned by JC Master Distribution Limited. ©2023 Proximo, Jersey City, NJ. Please drink responsibly.

Source: Based on awards received by 1800 from Academia Mexicana del Tequila, A.C., Diosa Mayahual, SFWSC, and IWSC between 2001 and 2022

Source: Nielsen Total US xAOC+Liquor+Conv 3-25-22

About Dustin Yellin

Dustin Yellin tells stories that weave together the diverse forces of nature and technology. Through his multidisciplinary body of work, which includes object making, painting and animation, Yellin draws attention to the interconnectivity of all beings and things. His approach tunnels across traditionally siloed fields so as to crystallize the idea that both the human world, and all other worlds around us, are a collection of enmeshed networks – even if many are hidden. Yellin’s glass works in particular, in which paint and images clipped from various print media are embedded within laminated glass sheets to form grand pictographic allegories, invite viewers to engage with the legions of their own consciousness and its embodied emotions, as well as that of our collective society and its infrastructures. Yellin is the founder and director of Pioneer Works, a multidisciplinary cultural center that builds community through the arts and sciences. The artist balances descriptive poetry with a prescriptive social practice so as to span new ways of seeing and being, and build a bridge to a more holistic world.

Dustin Yellin (B. 1975, California) lives in Brooklyn, New York. His artwork has been exhibited at Brooklyn Museum, Amorepacific Museum, Museo Del Palacio de Bellas Artes, SCAD Museum of Art, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, City Museum, Colección Solo, Corning Museum of Glass, and with Creative Time, amongst many others. Yellin is often featured in diverse media ranging from the New York Times, to Artforum, Vanity Fair, and TED. He holds an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

About Pioneer Works

Pioneer Works (PW) is an artist and scientist-led nonprofit cultural center in Red Hook, Brooklyn that fosters innovative thinking through the visual and performing arts, technology, music, and science.

We provide visual and performing artists, musicians, scientists, technologists, community organizers, and educators the resources and platform they need to expand their practices. Pioneer Works has three floors of interconnected studio, performance, exhibition, and multipurpose spaces, which cultivate collaborations past the boundaries of traditional institutions by placing makers and thinkers in proximity to each other. We support onsite production through our science, design, recording, and ceramics studios; media, virtual environment, and technology labs; darkroom; and garden. Multi-disciplinary programs, exhibitions, residencies, and performances are presented to the public, of which the majority are free.

We encourage lifelong learning through community-based workshops, continuing education classes, and K-12 STEAM programs. We extend beyond our walls with our virtual publication, Pioneer Works Broadcast. Our approach encourages experimentation and empowers curious minds across diverse communities, knowledge bases, and frames of reference; in so doing, Pioneer Works aims to accelerate culture through the free exchange of ideas and information for all.

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SOURCE 1800 Tequila