I also had the opportunity to participate in this year’s Bushwick Open Studios. I volunteer for the Community Outreach branch of Arts in Bushwick (the organization that puts on BOS each year) and this year we had an opening celebration for a mural at the local Moore Street Market that we did with a local muralist and Bushwick Middle School kids. We also held a Community Day in Maria Hernandez Park to give local organizations an opportunity to take advantage of the high traffic BOS brings, and share what they do for the community. There were awesome performances by local youth dance, hip-hop and spoken word groups as well.

I had some new work in the Seeking Space show at 3rd Ward, a local venue and studio facility (last image, the large work on paper on the left, and the three small ones stacked on the right).

Samantha, 25, Mahopac, NJ – Server, Dancer

Brackett, 23, Newmarket, NH – Server, Marketing

Kate, 25, Jackson, NJ – Server, Nurse

Jess, 25, Jackson, NY – Server, Therapist

A lot has happened since I posted photos of the first classes in Envigado, Colombia in partnership with ASODEA. While teaching classes every day, we focused our attention on the photo workshop which grew in size and age span (students ages 7-adults), and then on the younger set (ages 6-13) for the art workshop. I got a chance to go into the countryside of Envigado on top of the mountains and I also met with many families in the city who are affiliated with ASODEA to hear the stories of their displacement. With each new family I talked to, I learned a little bit about a different part of the country. This community of displaced persons really became, for me, a cross-section of Colombia as a whole. I also spent time in Medellín, exploring neighborhoods and different kinds of arepas, and even met with the gallery director at the Centro Colombo-Americano.

In the end, the workshops were a great success. The students made great strides in two weeks of intensive work, and we had a lot of fun in the process. I can’t tell who learned more however, them or me. What I can say, is that all of us, whether having just arrived or having been a resident for a few years or more, were all new to Envigado. And thus, through art-making, we fostered our own creative communities of learning how we relate to the new city around us. Through looking a many different artists, experimenting with new materials and thinking about how to see in new ways, we explored the ways we interact with our surroundings.

Below are some images of the rest of the workshops. Stay tuned for more news regarding ArtistsActivists and our partnership with ASODEA. Next week, my project partner Stephanie Dusek will arrive in Envigado to teach English workshops to the same community.

All photographs by Mauro Bedoya. Also thanks to Javid, Angela, Daniel, Nancy and Jaime, to all of ASODEA, and for the wonderful friends in Envigado who invited me into their apartments and cooked me a few vegetarian meals. And thanks to everyone who helped with lesson plans, artist suggestions and activity ideas.

After a lot of planning, fundraising, and help from friends, I made it to Colombia a few days ago, as the Art and Photography Director of ArtistsActivists. Here in Envigado (a city right next to Medellín) we’re partnering with ASODEA, an organization that works with displaced families in Envigado due to the continuing violence in the country from conflicts with the FARC and other marginal groups. I designed art and photography workshops for my two week trip that began last week serving about 45 kids–each getting their own sketchbook! (Lots of thanks to Artist and Craftsman of Brooklyn for their generous supply donations). The workshops deal with how we relate to the city around us (Envigado/Medellín) and how to think about our surroundings in a creative, restorative and exploratory way. A few artists we’re discussing: Kandinsky, Sonia  Delaunay, Robert Frank, Boris Savelev

Huge thanks to Javid Jaime Vergel of ASODEA for making this all happen and being there for whatever I need help with, and to Mauro Bedoya for assisting me with the classes and documenting them.

Below are some photos of the program inauguration and first day of classes.

Two of my best friends got married. I designed wedding programs for them. Then, we all sat around the table, folded, punched holes, and B-stitched into the night.

See the fun new fashion spread I assisted on for Collezioni, out in print now.

Photos by Charles Quiles and Joseph Bleu.

And for a fun out-take of everyone on set that day, enjoy this little snippit:

Behind the scenes, on set for Collezioni Uomo issue no 80

Video by Mike Ke | Make up by Rebecca Robles | Hair by Dani Arranka | Styling by Giorgio Ammirabile | Styling Assistance By LaStephy Noir | Photo Assistance by Seth Caplan and Jeremy Joseph