Lance Armstrong has often partnered with Trek Bikes. Since 2002, Armstrong has more or less ridden their “Project One” painted bikes. And as soon as he announced that he was returning to professional cycling, Trek’s creative group started working on custom bikes for the celebrated racer.  As always, it was important for Armstrong’s  LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign to be linked to his bikes. And what about a way to raise funds for cancer research at the same time? The result is contemporary artists working with Trek in an effort to raise awareness and generate funds to benefit LIVESTRONG. Creativity and sport unite!

Trek provided each selected artist with consultation to describe fabrication possibilities based on Trek’s custom-formulated coatings. These are top artists who very rarely take instruction or advice about their work. The artists were briefed on bike paint and airbrush techniques as well as masking and decal options in order to pick the methods they would use for their design. Each Bicycle was uniquely handled per the artist’s instruction. Some frames were decorated with paint alone, while others required extensive decal work.  Lance Armstrong may make at least $4 million for charity by selling the bikes he competed with at the Tour de France.

The Hirst racing bicycle may fetch more than $1 million alone when it is sold with five others at Sotheby’s New York this October. All six of the “art” bikes made by Trek Bicycle Corp. will be auctioned by Sotheby’s at the Park Avenue Armory, New York, on Oct. 2nd, the anniversary of Armstrong’s cancer diagnosis. All the proceeds of the sale will benefit LIVESTRONG.

Mixed media stencil collage on canvas (newsprint, paper, spray paint, and acrylic paint), 112cm x 112cm.

© Shepard Fairey, Courtesy Deitch Projects, NYC.

In addition, Lance Armstrong and Nike took the collaboration one step further, with the launch of STAGES, a global art exhibition which will raise funds to fight cancer. With STAGES, over twenty world-renowned artists have donated their time and creativity. Their mission was to express the LIVESTRONG message through their artworks. This show will unite the art world, philanthropy, and sport. The participating artists are Cai Guo-Qiang, Rosson Crow, Jules De Balincourt, Dzine, Shepard Fairey, Andreas Gursky, KAWS, Geoff McFetridge, Yoshitomo Nara, Catherine Opie, José Parlá, Raymond Pettibon, Lari Pittman, Richard Prince, Ed Ruscha, Tom Sachs, Kenny Scharf, Eric White, Christopher Wool, and Aaron Young. The exhibition opened at the Emmanuel Perrotin gallery in Paris last week and will be on view through August 8th. Here are some photos of the show.

Michael Bingham*, “Texas,” Mixed Media, 2009

I’ve recently been fascinated with the art crime world, and wanted to find out more about what happens when art is a form of rehabilitation, rather than a commodity to be stolen and brokered. How does a criminal see, experience, and view art? Can the arts serve as rehabilitation for criminals and negligent youth? What about the safety of the artists and the protection of their craft? Just a few questions I’ve been exploring, with information on a few programs, below.

INDIAN ARTISTS

Looking to India, Delhi’s Tihar Jail has recently played host to contemporary artists, and some of India’s best known. They have launched an  initiative to use art as a way to stimulate young inmates. Devised by the Ramchander Nath Foundation (RNF) and the Ojas Art consultancy, the project has provided artist workshops and training focused on rehabilitation.

36 artists have arranged to visit the jail,  from all over the country, including many high-profile contemporary artists. Most are not well-known in the US and all have agreed to donate a work of art to the Tihar Jail, with the entire selection set to exhibit at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Art, in Delhi. The exhibition will also coincide with the launch of a film about the project and the publication of a catalog of the works, with profits from sales going towards further funding of rehabilitation programs at the jail.

JAIL ARTS PROGRAMS IN THE US

In the Bay Area, Community Works Director Ruth Morgan has developed the nationally renowned San Francisco Sheriff’s Department Jail Arts Program since 1979.  She continues to expand the Jail Arts programming, bringing a diversity of artists in a variety of disciplines into the San Francisco County Jail (and post-release facilities).  I think it’s exceptionally brave for these artists to give up their time and sense of security to give back in this raw way.

On the web, one can find many Jail Art website and sales gallery. One such is the site Art from the “Big House”, where you can find custom artwork. If interested, you can ask to have one of their artists draw a portrait of you, your loved-one, a celebrity, or even your favorite pet from a photograph that you supply. They promise that, “Our artists offer quality custom portraits at very competitive prices.”  And if you’re looking for “body art,” well, the some of the best tattoo artists are in jail.

In Michigan, The Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP) brings original works of art to Michigan’s correctional facilities, juvenile centers, urban high schools, and communities all over the state. Their mission is to provide a process, “guided by respect and a spirit of collaboration in which vulnerability, risk and improvisation lead to discovery. [They] make possible the spaces in which the voices and visions of the incarcerated can be expressed.” The PCAP has facilitated hundreds of Collaborative Workshops in theater, creative writing, art, dance, music and video, each culminating in a final performance, reading or exhibits. View the testimony and feedback  here.

*Michael Binghanis an upstanding citizen, is not a criminal, and (as far as I know) has never been in jail.

Local Utah painter Penelope Moore is working on a new commission for the Eyrie Vineyards Winery in Oregon. Moore and her partner Aaron Memmott met this client at their “It’s a Lush Life” opening at Gallery MAR, last weekend, during the annual Park City Food and Wine classic. What a whirlwind of a weekend, as the artists went from the Main Street show, to the mountaintop for a wine tasting and auction, to the Taste of the Canyons (where they had an art booth and exhibition space).

A little background on this cutting-edge winery: In January 1965, after earning a degree in viticulture and oenology from UC/Davis, and research in Europe, a 25-year old named David Lett moved to Oregon “with 3,000 grape cuttings and a theory.” He planted the cuttings in a rented nursery plot, and went looking for the perfect vineyard site. It was the first planting of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and related varieties in the Willamette Valley, and the first Pinot Gris in America. The Eyrie Vineyards, founded by David and Diana Lett in 1966, is located in the Red Hills of Dundee, about 30 miles SW of Portland. It was named for the red-tailed hawks who make their home (EYE-ree) in the fir trees at the top of the first vineyard plantings. The winery is in nearby McMinnville.

Penelope Moore has created several commission for wineries and oenophiles alike, and this new work promising to be a warm, rich piece with tones of burgundies and canary yellow. The photo and still life set-up was created at Gallery MAR, as you can see from the image below (note the yellow wall). I can’t wait to see the beautiful, finished painting!

On recent trip to Seattle, Washington, I came across a new, fantastic art business venture. Empty spaces and needy artists unite in “Art in Great Spaces” in downtown Everett, Washington. From now until September 30th, “Art in Great Spaces” will feature working artists in five vacant storefronts around this downtown suburb. Six different artists will be featured during each six-week session. From painting and encaustics, to sculpture, the public is invited to observe, interact and learn. I walked in on a print-maker, who eagerly showed me her new works, and let me help operate her press.

In St. Louis, the Regional Arts Commission has teamed up with a local mall to help fill vacant retail space with art studios, galleries, performance groups, classes, and more. The project, called “Art Space,” has brought an increase in visitors to the flailing mall, and has helped merchants stay in business, according to Jill McGuire, executive director of the Regional Arts Commission. A dance studio is now in the place of what was once a Gap clothing store. The performers use the dressing rooms to change into costumes, and the wooden floors are now used for tap and Irish dancing. More than 60 arts groups have signed contracts for the empty retail space so far. The rent is nominal, averaging $100 per month, plus utilities.

The US is not the only country to get in on this great idea. The United Kingdom is exploring new exhibition space ideas as well: where commercial enterprise has stalled and shops shut out, artists and galleries are now taking the initiative and moving in. This is a development the UK government announced its support for in April, unveiling a £3m grant scheme to allow people to breathe new life into vacant spaces in downtown areas.

Artists are coping and finding new ways to surmount the dismal economy. For a little inspiration, here is a slide show of working artists and their new perspectives on art in difficult financial times.

Annual Art Auction and Gala

It will be a hot time in the old town Thursday, July 30th. That’s when art patrons from the west converge at the 2009 Kimball Art Center’s Annual Art Auction and Gala. We hope you’ll be one of them. Besides the opportunity to enjoy the excellent food and drink alongside some of your favorite artists, you’ll have a chance to get heated up bidding in both silent and live auctions. Not only will you leave the evening with your imagination ignited, but you’ll feel warm all over knowing you contributed to some of the most valuable assets in our community-art, artists, and art education. We thank you in advance for your generosity. Thursday, July 30, 2009 Kimball Art Center, 638 Park Avenue, Park City, Utah. Gallery MAR artist Ron Russon is featured in the art Auction.

The Complete Canvas: 5:30 p.m. Includes a reserved table for eight of your guests plus cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, auction preview, and everything below.

The Full Palette: 5:30 p.m. Same as above minus the reserved table for eight

6:30 pm – Seated dinner with the artists

The Petite Palette: 7:00 p.m. Entry into the silent and live auction plus deserts and drinks

8:30 p.m – Live auction

RSVP by July 23rd at 435-649-8882 or events@kimball-art.org. Party attire

Ron Russon, “American Bison, Oil.

Park City Arts Festival

Celebrate the 40th Park City Kimball Arts Festival by volunteering August 1st & 2nd.

The Park City Kimball Arts Festival is Utah’s oldest and longest running Arts Festival. This year’s festival will host over 40,000 visitors and feature 225 nationally acclaimed artists and craftsmen, along with great food, live entertainment and fun family activities. Volunteers are the heart and soul of our festival. Be at the center of this exciting event!

Volunteers receive the 2009 festival t-shirt, access to all weekend festivities, lunch & refreshments and a sponsor gift bag including a gift certificate from Knead a Message. Questions? Contact The Kimball Art Center at 435-649-8882 ext. 105 or volunteers@kimball-art.org

Our artists, Jan Perkins and Rob Colvin are currently on view at the Springville Museum of Art. In celebration of the unique and varied landscape of the west, the Springville Museum of Art has opened its new exhibit, Redrock, Sage & Pinon. The exhibit, which spans over 100 years of fine art, includes such artists as Maynard Dixon, John Fery and Alfred Lambourne, along with Gallery MAR artist Rob Colvin. Featuring the raw and untamed beauty of the Wild West, each work highlights the depth and wonder of canyons and deserts unique to Utah. With the striking contrast of the bright blue sky against the red rock, it is no wonder why artists were drawn to the National Parks and Monuments.

Jan Perkins’ piece, “Sanctuary,” was selected as one of 200 pieces in the annual Spring Salon at the Springville Musuem of Art. She has aslo recently been selected to commission a mural for the city of Oakley, Utah, for their Centennial celebration. The mural will debut during the Summit County Fair, August 1st through the 8th. The mural will be hung on the back of the grandstand at the entrance of the Summit County Fairgrounds in Coalville. “Jan’s iconic depiction of our rodeo, one of the most popular events at the Summit County Fair, and her excellence in artistic execution won her the commission,” said Brian Bellamy, Interim County Manager.