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BRANDON D. WALKER walkerbran@gmail.com 6334 Oxford Place New Orleans, La 70131 (504) 975-9955
JOY, PAIN, AND ALL THINGS IN BETWEEN: THE URBAN INDIVIDUALISTS DISSECT THE MANY COMPLEXITIES OF THE HEART Art Collective to Feature Live Music, Poetry, Spoken Word, and Visual Artwork
THE URBAN INDIVIDUALISTS, a collective of local and international artists, will debut its Hard Hearts art exhibit on July 17, 2009 at 7 PM at the Williamsburg Music Center. The event is free and open to the public.
The exhibit chronicles The Urban Individualists’ diverse life narratives as translated in their colorful works. Paintings on display tackle the group’s many stories of triumph over tragedy, celebration of difference, and nuanced recollections of life’s marvelous ups and perilous downs. To complement their art, Hard Hearts will feature a collection of spoken words artists and live musical performances, including the dynamic sounds of percussionist Silvano Ferrin, Booker T. Williams on saxophone, and the soul tantalizing vocals of Tara Thierry and on strings.
The Urban Individualists is the brainchild of Helene Ruiz, a Bronx-based artist. Ruiz founded the collective after her life suddenly took a turn for the worst. In 2002, while working as an office manager for a radiology office, Ruiz found herself unable to walk after spinal injuries. She was left bedridden for 18 months. Ruiz turned to painting as a means of self-medication and expression. Her work offers an autobiographical journey through her traumatic experience.
“It was my goal to assemble a group of visual and performing artists into a collective body. This group represents a multicultural network of collaborating individualists cohesively working as a unit. We have a voice that needs to be heard and a vision that needs to be seen,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz has worked feverishly to link her dream to the aspirations of others. The Urban Individualists believe that they can transform art as a collective body, separated only by their distinct styles and sounds.
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If you’d like more information about Hard Hearts, please contact Brandon Walker at 504-975-9955 or e-mail Brandon at walkerbran@gmail.com.
For more information on the Williamsburg Music Center, contact info@wmcjazz.org or visit the center’s website: www.wmcjazz.org. February 12, 2009The Riverdale PressArtthe urban individualists - a group of artists started by Riverdale resident Helene Ruiz — present the new mixed-media exhibition, “Space and Time.” This exhibit is on display at A Gathering of the Tribes Gallery, located on the second floor of 285 E. 3rd St., now through Saturday, Feb. 21. The attraction explores public and private, tangible, psychological and fantasy perspectives of connections and disconnections between time and space. Two new paintings by Ms. Ruiz, which were made specifically for this exhibit, are included in the showcase. For gallery hours, call 212-674-3778 or go to www.tribes.org.Link: http://www.riverdalepress.com/full.php?sid=7625¤t_edition=2009-02-12January 19, 2009For the First Time Ever, a Brooklyn Art Collective Gets IronicIn Section: NY compressed Posted By: Joseph Alexiou
Spreading faster than cholera in Zimbabwe, Williamsburg-based artist collectives continue to thrive. But more power to the creative folks for getting together and collaborating on freedom of expression. When Bronx artist Helene Ruiz created The Urban Individualists, her vision was to have visual and performing artists collaborate so that they work as a unit and, in this way, make an impact in art as a collective body. The irony of their name when compared to their M.O. and mission is like bahn mi: delicious, with several layers of taste and texture. The opening reception takes place this week, Jan. 23 from 6-10 at the Williamsburg Music Center. Various collective artists will perform, including jazz saxophonist and graphic artist Booker T. Williams and acclaimed dancer Ann Votaw.
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