AeroSoul Art - Blog

KCBS Radio Interview with AeroSoul Director Refa One 11/25/17

11/29/2017

Transforming The Visual Landscape Mural Unveiling

11/27/2017

Join us Sunday December 3rd at 1pm to unveil a new mural in West Oakland commemorating the legacy of the Black Panther Party. This will be a celebratory event for the mural and an opportunity to meet the artists. There will be live music,dance, poetry as well as speaking from original rank & file members of the Black Panther Party. This is an event for the whole family, bring your good vibes and help us celebrate healthy community transformation.
12/3/17 1pm-5pm
1333 Peralta St. Oakland
(Corner of Peralta st. & 14th st. West Oakland)
Free to the Public

Support AeroSoul in Creating a Black Panther Mural in Oakland

9/5/2017

AeroSoul is a community institution and cultural resource that documents, promotes and develops the legacy and rich history of the African/African diaspora's writing culture commonly known as Aerosol Art or Spray Can Art. From ancient Kemetic (Egyptian) pyramid texts and Dogon (Mali) wall drawings to the wall paintings of (Haitian) Vodun temples; AeroSoul draws upon the legacy of African/African diasporic writing and historical narrative that is displayed on walls and architecture.

AeroSoul’s international outreach and influence extends to Africa, Europe and Hawaii by collaborating with and showing the work of artists from many parts of Africa and the African diaspora. AeroSoul’s artists create murals in the HipHop aesthetic that advocate for self-determination in struggling Black and Brown communities.

In order to keep integrity with our mission and stay relevant by addressing the currently challenging times that we live in, we are asking for your help. Currently, there are no Black self-determined murals commemorating the Black Panther Party in West Oakland. We need art supplies such as paint, we also need help in accommodating internationally recognized Senegalese artist Batsh1. He will be travelling from France to assist local lead artist Refa 1 in completing this mural. Batsh volunteered his own money for the ticket to America from his current residence in France. His commitment to be present and work on this mural is evidence of AeroSoul and Refa 1’s work building rapport with African and African diasporic artists internationally.

Refa has collaborated with Batsh on murals in France, Senegal and West Oakland. We need to raise money for Batsh’s return flight and the paint supplies. All contributions are appreciated, no matter how small or large.

Artist Refa 1 of AeroSoul Art has designed a mural to be completed at 1333 Peralta St. in West Oakland. This is a highly significant location for many reasons. It is in the local Oakland community that the Black Panthers organized their Food and Breakfast programs. It is walking distance from the location of the original Black Panther Party’s West Oakland headquarters. It is walking distance from the house that Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton created the Black Panther Party’s Ten Point Program and Platform and it’s also walking distance from the area that Huey P. Newton lost his life.

The mural will represent the Black Panther Party’s Food and Breakfast programs as implemented by rank and file Panthers in addition to honoring the memory of BPP founder Huey P. Newton. Because the mural will be completed on 14th St. and Peralta it is in the Black Arts Movement Business District. BAMBD is a project that has been decreed by the City of Oakland as a historically Black cultural district honoring the legacy of the internationally influential Black Arts Movement. This mural project – with its cross-continental Black artists collaboration – is in keeping with that international legacy.

As an additional component of the creative process AeroSoul Art plans to bring youth student artists to the wall to help with the creation of the mural. Refa 1 has created murals at Martin Luther King School in West Oakland and George Washington Carver in San Francisco’s Hunter’s Point district.

Your contributions will enable us to create a priceless educational piece of public art at a time when keeping Black history as told by Black culture workers is so important to our contemporary moment.

Thank you,
-AeroSoul

https://www.gofundme.com/blackpanthermural

This is the portrait that will be painted of Huey P Newton.

Mock up design for the mural theme

AeroSoul in Africa (FestiGraff 8)

3/29/2017

AeroSoul is a community institution and cultural resource that documents, promotes and develops the legacy and rich history of the African/African diaspora's writing culture commonly known as Aerosol Art or Spray Can Art. From ancient Kemetic (Egyptian) pyramid texts and Dogon (Mali) wall drawings to the wall paintings of (Haitian) Vodun temples; AeroSoul draws upon the legacy of African/African diasporic writing and literary narrative that is displayed on walls and architecture. AeroSoul’s international outreach and influence extends to Africa, Europe and Hawaii by collaborating with and showing the work of artists from all parts of Africa and the African diaspora. AeroSoul’s artists create murals in the HipHop aesthetic that advocate for self-determination in struggling Black and Brown communities.

We are raising money to be used to bring a Teen artist to Senegal for the international spray can art conference called Festigraff 8, held in Dakar Senegal (West Africa) April 13th 2017. The money will be used for airfare, lodging and the purchase of art materials such as respirators, brushes and paints. These materials will be donated directly to African artists participating in the International Festival(FestiGraff 8) who don't easily have access to such materials.

During FestiGraff this year, AeroSoul will work with artists from the African diaspora to create murals in Senegal themed around social justice, peace and love. We will also engage local African children in art lessons and mural painting. These efforts help to bring awareness to communities in need as well as supporting African self determination. We are building bridges with art and your support will help insure our success.

We will be leaving for Africa in April and as a result we need the funds from now until April 29th.
As artists who have worked with youth in both the US, the African diaspora and Africa our mission is to bring the value of our teaching and artistic skills in collaborative projects across African and African diasporic lines. Garnering the funds to go to Africa will make our work as ambassadors of aerosol art more powerful because we can arrive with the gift of material resources as well as our exemplary skills as artists. We've spent a lifetime acquiring the skills to create collaborative projects and those people who donate to our campaign will assist us with realizing a priceless teaching and creative experience in Africa.
Thank you
-AeroSoul

Click Link below to support our GoFundMe Campaign.
https://www.gofundme.com/aerosoulafrica

AeroSoul Director Refa One teaching young senegalese youth how to use spray paint for the first time. Dakar 2016

Senegalese youth who attended workshops at FestGraff. Dakar 2016

Members of AeroSoul volunteer to paint murals on the Highways of Dakar to promote road safety. Dakar 2016

AEROSOUL Comic Book Covers Project

8/2/2016

AeroSoul members Duane Deterville and Refa 1 do work teaching art to incarcerated youth. One of the many projects recently completed by them is this series of comic book covers wherein they enabled the youth to imagine superheroes that eradicate social toxins in their respective communities. Each superhero was conceived of by predominantly Black and Brown incarcerated youth. Both girls and boys were asked to think about what problems exist in their community and to create superpowers that will address them. Our goal was to nourish, spark and free the imaginations of our youth because we firmly believe that in our creative mode of thinking we are in our most radical, liberatory and revolutionary Afrikan minds. These are the practical uses of science fiction, fantasy and speculative fiction as a tool for liberation.
The African centered ideas of Negritude and Afri-Futurism have historically tapped into the imaginative and revolutionary notions of Black/African people. In keeping with those notions we teach youth how to envision their environment as a place wherein they have autonomy to express themselves and choose their own destinies in culturally safe spaces. Our youth envisioned superheroes with supernatural and telepathic healing powers, heroes who protect their communities from drugs and police terrorism. One particularly impressive superhero battles against the stealing of natural resources from the continent of Africa. All of these images and the potential narratives that stem from them are a testimony to the power and resilience of our youth’s imaginations. With proper stimulation they maintain imaginations for liberation in the face of the status quo’s toxic and dehumanizing media propaganda.

Click here to see all 12 amazing covers

Behind Enemy Lines

7/9/2015

Part of AeroSoul’s mission is youth advocacy through the practice and preservation of hip hop’s visual culture. Wearable art has long been a part of that culture and these jackets – created by San Francisco’s incarcerated youth – are a continuation of that culture. The culturally specific political themes of these painted denim jackets exemplifies AeroSoul’s mission to advocate for self-determination in struggling Black and Brown communities. The themes include classical African notions of justice, stopping street gun violence, indigenous/Brown pride, Sisterhood and the very contemporary valorization of Black youth’s lives in the personae of Travon Martin. These examples of youth expressing themselves in these culturally specific ways also underline the 5th element of hip hop which is knowledge of self.

Lovin' where you live

2/23/2015

As director of the AeroSoul organization I've been afforded the opportunity to serve in a leadership capacity that has international influence amongst spray can Artists of African descent. It is an honor paired with great responsibility meant to inspire creativity that transforms community visual landscapes. Here is a short documentary highlighting some of the work AeroSoul Artists do in struggling neighborhoods where we promote LOVE through Art.
-Refa1

AeroSoul Brothas Break Down the West Coast History on Hard Knock Radio

11/6/2013

Toons & Refa TCB 1989

Yes Yes Y'all it's November,HipHop history month and it's also the 40th anniversary of the Universal Zulu Nation. This week Hard Knock Radio host Davey D explores the history of HipHop's eldest element, Style Writing (also known as HipHop Hieroglyphics). On hand to discuss the topic were seasoned veterans in the field, Refa One & Toons One of the TCB crew and the North Star Zulus. Both of them go in on this interview discussing the cultural youth phenomena that exploded onto the inner city streets of the Bay and LA in the early 80's. Such legendary artist and crews as Dream TDK, Soon1, PJ WCA, Charlie DTK, Paser KTD, Stare BSK, Bam TWS and ladies like ShenShen were the topic of discussion. Both artist also build on the cultural and political ins and outs of the movement. Toons speaks to the diversity of styles that came out of LA before the impact of the NYC flavor and how the two coastal styles blended together to form a unique look that would later become reputable around the globe. Refa One kicks the science of how the Bay Area carved it's own brand of style through various style masters who would also impose their raw creativity onto the mass transit lines of BART and Muni. So much history in so little time, but it is a great snap shot at a Golden Age in HipHop on the West Side. Expect more from the Bay Area Aerosol Heritage Society and AeroSoul on this subject.
Tune into Hard Knock Radio week days on KPFA 94.1 FM.
Click link below for the full interview.
PEACE!!!!
http://www.kpfa.org/archive/id/96886

AeroSoul and the Shirt Kings Shocking the KPFA Airwaves

9/3/2013

Tuesday Morning gearing up for the 2nd Opening of "Electric Kingdom", Shirt King Phade and Refa1 join Davey D on Hard Knock Radio. The two Style Veterans Speak on Phade's new book "Shirt Kings, Pioneers of HipHop Fashion", the Gallery Exhibit,community murals and the Universal Zulu Nation. Be sure to listen and give us some feedback.
Peace!
click link for Radio Archive
http://www.kpfa.org/archive/id/94936

August 28th, 2013

8/28/2013

A trip down memory lane to when customization and art reigned supreme in New York City. Jamaica, Queens, New York in the mid 1980s. Rappers and hip hop fans came from all over the city to get their own customized T-shirt by The Mighty Shirt Kings. The style traveled all over the world through record covers, magazines and music videos and the Shirt Kings designs soon became synonymous with Hip Hop and the culture of making something out of nothing. Shirt Kings - Pioneers Of Hip Hop Fashion looks at the early days of urban fashion through the lens of the pioneering group of artists known as the Shirt Kings. By adapting the graffiti skills from the trains and spray cans to shirts and airbrush they created a new look for a new generation. Edwin PHADE Sacasa is a founding artist of the group and it is through his archives that we are transported to the 1980s in New York City where the fashion of the day was loud, colorful, and filled with cartoon imagery on clothes; but not just any cartoon imagery for the cartoons were urbanized. Mickey Mouse with a Fila suit, Casper the Friendly Ghost with gold teeth, Roger Rabbit with a flat top hair do and Pink Panther with gold chains and guns - it was the reinterpretation of American classics but with an urban and gangster lean. The Shirt Kings were the inventors of this style and everyone across the city was well aware and made there way to Jamaica, Queens, to a small shopping mall known as the Coliseum where you could easily bump into the biggest names in Hip Hop of the day placing orders. HipHop Artist like DJ Red Alert, LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane and Mike Tyson - they all had to have their Shirt Kings designs. Shirt Kings - Pioneers of Hip Hop Fashion chronicles the art, the styles, and the people who were loyal supporters of the Shirt Kings style and takes us on a trip down memory lane to when customization and art reigned supreme in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

"Shirt Kings brought the Hip Hop element into the clothes for real and integrated it, and it was the first time I saw Hip Hop culture completely merged with clothing."
- LL Cool J

"The Shirt Kings network was fashion TV of the times, and advertising and promotion way before it became trendy."
- Chuck D, Public Enemy

"The first shirt I ever threw on that had anything on it that represented my heart was Shirt Kings."
- KRS One

About the Author

Born in East New York, Brooklyn, Edwin PHADE Sacasa studied photography at the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan and graduated from Savannah Collage of Art and Design with major in video production. PHADE has been airbrushing for the entertainment industry for more than two decades and founded the Shirt Kings store in the mid 1980s, where he serviced many of todays Hip Hop stars and pioneers, such as Jay Z and Run DMC. PHADE is working with youth in the inner city and have developed a program that teaches urban fashion through airbrushing, art therapy and entrepreneur skills.

Hardcover: 144 pages

Publisher: Dokument Press (April 15, 2013)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 9185639575

ISBN-13: 978-9185639571

Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.8 x 11 inches

Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

AeroSoul

AeroSoul is a community institution and Cultural resource developed to promote the legacy and rich history of the African Diaspora's contribution to Writing Culture. AeroSoul is also a Movement built to seed struggling communities of color with public Art created through the HipHop medium. This site is designed to promote youth advocacy through HipHop's first element. Passing on Writing's rich traditions to youth insures that our Cultural Rituals have the Power to Free our collective Minds & Spirits.

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