Somehow I forgot to post this video here last year. I think after Palestine and moving my brain went alesewhere but here is a video of some of my favorite art books. Check it out! Note: I define art books as mostly pictoral books exploring various generes of art such as photography, fashion design, illustration, animation, filmmaking, cooking, dance, public art, and more. its not everyone’s cup of tea as far as “art books” go, but its my absolute jam. A mix of styles, interests, and disciplies. Enjoy.
Check out some images from the new “Painting The Streets” book I’m in alongside many of my Trust Your Struggle Collective family and so many more Bay Area artists. Get a copy here.
The good folks over at the East Side Arts Alliance and Nomadic Press got together to make this book of all the artwork created in the summer of 2020 in response to the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Amhaud Arbery, and so many other victims of Police Terrorism in the United States.
Walls by Cece Carpio, Miguel Bounce Perez & Thitiwat Phromratanapongse, Nisha K Sethi, Priya Handa, and Robert Liu-Trujillo. That summer Cece, Nisha, Migs, Thi, and Rob hit the street to paint walls in frustration, solidarity, and creativity as the crew has done so many times in the past 19 years. We’re honored to be featured in this book by Nomadic and East Side.
The book features both artwork, essays, and poetry by artists and writers such as Alicia Garza, The Black Cultural Zone, Greg Morozumi, Leslie Lopez, Robin D.G. Kelley, The Bay Area Mural Program, Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith, Kufue, Keena Romano, Timothy B, Zoë Boston, Maisha Quint. DonJuan Carter-Woodard, Amiri Baraka, The Illuminaries, Inbal “Bali” Rubin, Dime, Chris Granillo, Pancho Pescador, Oree Originol, Shi Shi, TDK Crew, DeVante Brooks, and words from JK Fowler of Nomadic Press and Elena Serrano of East Side Arts Alliance!
Dig this? Check out this video where I talk about some of my favorite art books
Hey everyone its been awhile since I did one of these and I’m excited to share it. The aim of these is to inspire you, inspire artists, young readers, and more. Art books to me arebooks using visual art, photography, design, collage, and words to highlight a topic, art form, person, place, genre, discipline, or medium.
They are a great way to unplug when you’ve been staring at screens too long. They’re great for traveling, road trips, flights, etc. They’re great for getting inspired and they’re a great way to get young people reading; as long as its about a topic they LOVE. Please watch and share.
I discuss 13 books in the video including my own art book:
“The Art of Tekkenkinkreet / Black & White” – Shinji Kimura
“Supreme Glamour”- Mary Wilson
“The Art of Juanjo Guarnido” – Juanjo Guarnido
“Shelter in Place” – Avy Jetter
“Dinotopia” – James Gurney
“Painting The Streets-Oakland Uprising in the Time of Rebellion”- Nomadic Press
“Creations Vol. 1” – Derek Laufman
“Iguana Bay” – Claire Wendling
“Black Champions in Cycling” – Marlon Lee Moncrieffe
“Maestrapiece- San Francisco’s Monumental Feminist Mural” –Heyday Books
“Art of Rob” – Robert Liu-Trujillo
“Prince of Cats” – Ronald Wimberly
Dig this? Check out “My Favorite Art Books 2” the second video in this series. And if your local bookstore or library doesn’t have any of the art books you’re looking for, politely request them 🙂
If you’d like to purchase some of them I suggest ordering them from your local bookstore, Bookshop.org, or StuartNg Books in LA.
Wow, its only day 3 andmy Kickstarter is almost 80 % funded! Amazing! Thank you all. Here’s a bit of info to share….
What is an art book? Who cares? An art book is a tool, an escape, a resource, a push, a friend, its anything you want it to be. Of course we’re talking about paper, binding, pictures, words, etc. But it’s also a way to grab attention and get kids to take a break from the screens when you need them to. You can put them on the kitchen table, on your bookshelf, home library, or in a classroom. If you can’t buy them, you can check them out at your local library. But why? Art books are a great way to encourage young creatives! There are lots of different types of art books. Here are a few:
1. Photography: “Reflections in Black by Deborah Willis”
Its a book cataloguing Black photographers from 1840-2000. It has essays, memories, think pieces, and tons and tons of photographs. Black & white, color, experimental, and more. #photography
2. Animation:“Into the Spiderverse”
This is an art of book. Whats that? Well many feature and animated films have art departments that develop the look and feel of a film from the way actors act, to the designs of their clothing. An art of book for a film that you like can expand your understanding of how it was made and who did it. This book features many departments of the film making process. #animation
3. Murals:“Maestrapiece: San Francisco’s Monumental Feminist Mural”.
This book celebrates the herstory of a really huge mural painted in the Mission District of San Francisco on one of the first buildings ever dedicated to the lives of women; The Women’s Building. The book is full of old and new images, memories, and writings about how this crew of bad assess women painted this mural and why it means so much. #murals
4. Graffiti: “Piecebook the secret drawings of graffiti writers” by Sacha Jenkins and Chino BYI.
This is an ill book featuring some writing but mostly sketchbook drawings of pieces, characters, throw ups, and more by graffiti writers from the 70s to the 80s I believe. For any kid who was interested in Graffiti or street art this is a must have because it shows you a world that you wouldn’t get to see unless you were a part of the culture. #graffiti
5. Fashion: “The Sourcebook of Fashion Design”.
This is a dope book featuring how to’s , writing, and tones of photographs of sketches, designs, fabric, outfits, and garments from the designer fashion industry. And I mention this because you might have a kid who loves fashion. Get them some fashion designer books! #fashiondesign
6. Architecture: The Future of Architecture in 100 Buildings
This book features beautiful images of buildings of the future and some that echo the past. It spans the globe and features captions and short written pieces about the buildings. Got a kid in your life who loves architecture? #architecture
7. US History: “Celebrate People’s History” by Josh MacPhee
is a book of poster art. The art in this book features work by movement artists, groups, and more. The subject matter ranges from individual figures to historic events, places, and groups. And it talks about labor, laws, social justice, ethnic studies, and more. Because each poster has a very short reference it leaves it up to the viewer to look up what strikes them as interesting. #UShistory
8. Makers/ Builders: “Girls Garage” by Emily Pilloton
is an awesome resource for girls about how to build things. It features history, facts, and an encyclopedia about tools and lots of DIY tips on projects. One of the coolest things in it are profiles about women young and old who have built shit!! #builders
9. And lastly, I threw my book in there to illustrate the point that there are lots of different types of art books and mine is one of them. An artist sketchbook with character designs and other things. Thank you for supporting my kickstarter to make this art book a reality. Not only for me but hopefully for some young students out there.
If you’re looking for any of these books please go to your local bookstore or library and ask them about these art books!!!
If you’re an artist who painted a mural or wall in downtown Oakland or the Fruitvale district and want to help facilitate yours and others being preserved please read this flyer and contact the “Black Cultural Zone” at info@blackculturalzone.org
There have been multiple groups of folks working behind the scene to help preserve these works of art but the BCZ is bringing folks together. Please share with friends if you know of someone who painted something as well.
You ever visited the Mission District and marveled at the murals? Me too, in fact I grew up on them while walking to my mom’s job at SF General Hospital. And one of the most brilliant pieces was painted on the “Women’s Building” painted by one of my mentors and biggest mural teachers (SFSU and life) Juana Alicia. In case you didn’t know, Juana and the whole crew along with HeyDay Books is making a book about the Maestra Piece which will include writing by activist Angela Davis. Please share this widely. They should be at 10K by the weekend if everyone throws down.
Who: Cece Carpio, Erin Yoshi, and Nisha K. Sembi (Trust Your Struggle Collective)
Why/How?
In honor of International Women’s Day, Studio Grand Oakland and Galeria de la Raza are pleased to bring Cece Carpio, Nisha K. Sembi, and Erin Yoshi, the women of the Trust Your Struggle Collective, together at Studio Grand for this show honoring the stories of women and their resilience. This exhibit specifically looks at the countries of origin of the three artists – Philippines, India, and Japan. Come out and celebrate at the Exhibit Opening :: When She Rises on Saturday, March 12, 8:00pm-11:00pm. DjLeydis DeCuba will help us bring the show in. So much love to Cece, Nisha, Erin, Ani Rivera, Melanie Cervantes, Galería De La Raza, Trust Your Struggle Collective, and the good folks over at the Akonadi Foundation for helping us make this happen. Together, We Rise!
So good to see this panel live. Took my son to hear Dawud, Brian, and see some of the awesomeness that is the Black Comics & Arts Fest in Sf this January.
Mentors, brothers, and dope artists Morning Breath getting down on walls.
My crew got down on this wall along with some very talented artists from Palestine to LA, mentors, graff, and street artists. Check out the video and the work the folks in it are doing. Me and my lady went to the opening of this mural and got to learn more about the struggle Palestinian peoples are dealing with.
Support is building…I’ll post more things as they come in. If you have some positive words you wanna say about La Pena Cultural Center, please give them or TYS a hollr.
