Off The Wall Graffiti takes on the snow!
In the midst of the snow plows, sunshine, icy roads, a level 3 snow emergency and school closings, an abstract gathering of individuals took place on Tuesday, January 7th. Some Antwerp young people had the opportunity to meet, draw and paint with Off The Wall Graffiti. The original plan was to paint a wall in The Arch (the building of the Antwerp Community Youth Center), but alas, due to the non-cooperating weather, The Arch didn’t have heat or water. But leave it to the “outside the box” thinking of Maura McCarthy, the founder of Off The Wall Graffiti, and her mother, Sharon McLaughlin, manager of the Essen House Restaurant in Antwerp—creativity would be born on this snow week! After a few back and forth phone calls with ACYC director, Angel Steiner, the venue was set: Essen House Restaurant. That’s right! Those of you who remember the old school, know that there is a basement under that gym, and that’s where the kids had the opportunity to collaborate with some very talented artists. These artists really are all just philanthropists at heart. They stopped in Antwerp mid-way to Michigan, and used this opportunity to share with a few of the kids the importance of using their creativity as a positive outlet.
Off The Wall Graffiti is a non-profit organization (founded in 2010) that tours the country doing art where ever that may take them and in the process, mentoring budding artists who may have had a tendency to get “bored” with the rigidity of society’s rules—sometimes getting them into trouble when they deface public or private property with their artistry. Maura states it best (taken from her website), “We are directing their self expression to sanctioned areas, we may even end up on walls—with permission.”
The OTWG’s Mission Statement:
“The mission of OTWG is to elevate the self esteem and talent of under-served 10-25 year old artists. In order to accomplish this mission, we will provide mentoring and contests for students to stretch their skills, focus their competitive nature, and win art supplies in support of self-expression, connecting them to a global community of artists in the pursuit of an education in the arts.”
They are currently working on finishing a documentary, This or That Documentary Tour, which will showcase several US cities that they visit, organize painting event, connect with some budding artists, and get life lesson interviews. They are hoping this inspires the ones out there who feel that nobody is listening or cares.
This tour contains a collective of artists—photographers, painters, musicians…
Paul Nasser is from New York City, and has been drawing most of his life. “If you love it, do it every day…” This is what Paul told the kids who were doodling on paper, trying to express themselves, before heading for the paints. Check out his team at www.nassart.com
Philippe Mastrocola is a Canadian by birth. He has also broadened his appreciation of art through his ongoing involvement with MU, a non-profit organization that supports and promotes public art in the greater Montreal area. His scope at present is called Spraycam. He spray paints the venue by hand, then when he’s finished with the cans, he fashions a pin hole camera and photographs his finished work. He is also the photographer. To see more of his work go to www.philippemastrocola.com
Danny Severance is originally from the suburbs of Chicago, but is now based in New York City. He brings his own flavor to this collection of artists—he held the mood in the basement with his violin and harmonica melodies. Danny is part of The Maven Imprint which is a “for artists by artists” collaborative. It is an artists’ agency and production company. As they build with their partners (such as Off The Wall Graffiti), they work as a movement to combine interconnectedness and cross-brand promotion with a professional business mentality. To learn more about The Maven Imprint and Danny visit www.themavenimprint.com.
Maura McCarthy is sort of the mastermind behind everything in Off The Wall Graffiti. She gets contacts and gigs set up which has given them venues all over to do live art and other expressive events. What she loves about art is how it enables her to connect with kids of like-mindedness. Many kids have “found” her, so to speak, and she gets them talking, and they’ll do art together—and a mentorship has been born! She’s seen many kids rise above obstacles that life has put before them, and pursue their artistic talents for the good of themselves, society, and the world. Maura is the mother of two grown children—a daughter who is pursuing her BFA in art education from Southern Oregon University, and a son attending college at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
All of these fine human beings are currently traveling together as a collective with Off The Wall Graffiti on their This or That Documentary Tour. A designer from Ireland, Stuart Crawford, also toured with them, but has since returned home. The corporate sponsor of this group’s endeavors has been Blick Art Supplies.
All of the kids in attendance on January 7th took part in a preliminary, inspirational time, by doodling on some Essen House Restaurant placemats, but a couple of them were a little too intimidated to put their work on glass. Yep! They used four inch thick glass that Sharon McLaughlin said has been gathering dust in the basement. And what better way to reuse, than to let these guys demonstrated their creativity. The medium was acrylic paint and paint markers. The purpose of this activity? Well, there were a couple:
1) to get kids to be creative without the use of an electronic device;
2) to help spruce up The Arch.
The kids all worked for almost two hours on their creations. But some of the more in depth masterminds couldn’t get all of their expression out in that time frame. No worries, though! Sharon said they will be able to have their artwork to finish as soon as the weather breaks and they will be transported over to their new home at The Arch. There are many more pieces of glass like the ones the participants worked on, so the extra paint and as many pieces of glass needed/wanted will be donated to the Antwerp Community Youth Center kids.
“I want to thank Off The Wall Graffiti for taking the time with these kids and showing them how what’s up in their heads can come out & look beautiful. I loved it! And to Sharon for getting this distraction from the weather set up,” commented ACYC director, Angel Steiner.
For more information about this wonderful group, www.offthewallgrafitti.com
