Mosaic Wall Opening and Dedication | Rebecca Hoffberger | Juvenile Services Program

The young men of the Schaefer House (Juvenile Services group home for boys) were a huge contributing factor to the 2000 sq. foot mosaic that was installed and dedicated in October.

Watch the "DJS TV" short video about it here, hear interviews with the guys, and see them working in our studio. See some of their personal work from our program this past year.

Above: Installing the last ceremonial panel.

Artist Mari Gardner, and (below) AVAM founder Rebecca Hoffberger during presentations with the Schaefer House guys, and crew.

Studio crew: (Photos courtesy of Maryann Baker)

A really lovely day for a crowd. Below: poem taken from  museum's annual literature.

Star-Spangled Spectacular (+More Mural Photos)

The Star-Spangled 200 was Baltimore's big to-do this year.  This month commemorated the completion of Francis Scott Key's "Defense of Fort M'Henry" which evolved into our national anthem. The Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission provided the funding, and was the reason behind the sidewalk mural I was painting last summer.

In a press release from the Visionary Museum, the mural is said to be a

"lively, complimentary and decidedly pro-peace take on Baltimore’s and America’s extraordinary true history."

We finished well into the cold season, but the snow and ice were generally good to the work. Here are the new and final additions not shown in previous posts.

The southern end of the mural features Chief Tecumseh from an anamorphic 3-D perspective, the far north side (museum entrance to Covington St.) are the written lines of his beautiful famous speech. 

Portraits of notable Baltimore natives were also painted near the main entrance of the museum. 

Tall Ships and Blue Angels (Featured ship: El Galeon Andalucia).

September 14, 2014 Canton Waterfront Park; Baltimore provided the people with Maryland's largest fireworks display to date.

(“So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.

Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none.When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home."-Chief Tecumseh)

New Pieces

I have a tiny show hanging at The Metropolitan, 169 West St. in Annapolis, until the end of February alongside of Laura Gallagher. All pieces below are new! 

Falling Apart Looks Really Good

20"x24"

Acrylic on canvas

The Real Kind

18"x14"

Acrylic on canvas

All of It

30"x42"

Acrylic on wood

details

 

Swatch tags

Stephanie & Laura

Sketchbook Project

The Maryland Federation of Art celebrated their 50th anniversary by putting together a local chapter of the Sketchbook Project (endeavor of Art House Co-op). 100 sketchbooks were on display this summer at The Art Gallery, University of Maryland College Park, before joining the masses in Brooklyn. Mine was there, filled with little fragments and ink.

(Cover [tiny pear with tiny gold leaves, on gloss white])  

("Are you getting enough? [Vitamin A]")

("coffee fox")

(Page 2: "Pear, identical to a new painting of a pear. Except that one looks like this: [arrow]

And then, I agreed to an adventure with an adventurer and a photographer.")

 ("On our way to Centralia, PA in Tucker's green jeep")

They even gave me this odd little sketchbook tattoo!

Ai Weiwei: According to What?

China's Ai Weiwei, now at the Hirshhorn (but only until the 24th of this month). A sizable exhibition that brought about a little sorrow, contempt, delight, and "hell yeah!" Delighted may not be the best word due to the weight of some work, but being charmed by the color and visuals could mask some of that material just for a second. 

Above on the ceiling, you can see the tiniest portion of Snake Ceiling (hundreds of backpacks in honor of young earthquake victims). 

According to What? (Installation of retrospective photographs)

Straight (20ft/38 tons of straightened rebar gathered from 2008 Sichuan earthquake wreckage.)

[The tragic reality of today is reflected in the true plight of our spiritual existence: we are spineless and cannot stand straight. -Ai Weiwei]

(I had a little variation of this sentiment not too long ago: see Paper 17.)

He Xie (porcelain river crabs)

Bowl of Pearls (Enormous porcelain bowls of freshwater pearls)

Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn (photo triptych) & Colored Vases (yes, millennia-old vases.)

Here's an emotive and informative piece from NPR regarding the exhibit. 

A fascinating day, and I never thought I would get to see Neolithic vases covered in such pretty paint.