J.War @ Bridge Art Fair, NYC...

Photographs by yours truly will be featured in the upcoming international book released by Artnow Books entitled, Through the Eyes of New Photographers. This book will contain work and information from artists that represent the international future of modern photography. The book will be released at the Bridge Art Fair in New York City, March 5-8, 2009. The Bridge Art Fair is being held at The Waterfront Building, 222 12th Avenue in Chelsea. The Waterfront Building, more popularly known back in the day as The Tunnel nightclub is a 23,000-square-foot converted railway tunnel that spans an entire city block. Bridge Art Fair will will feature over 50 exhibitors, a large percentage of which will be international and will be taking place during New York Armory Art Week. For all my people who aren't able to attend the release in NYC, the book will also be available online and in selected bookstores everywhere.

as always PEACE, to you and yours...

Art For The People!

It's times like these when art and other forms of human creativity empower the people. So if you're an artist, singer, painter, poet, sculptor, writer, blogger, community organizer, graffiti writer, emcee, deejay, b-boy/girl, producer, get out the tools of your trade and do something NOW! NOW is the time to create great art! The current hardships that our country and it's citizens are enduring need to be expressed through art. If not for yourself, do it for the families of soldiers who will never again speak to their loved ones, do it for the citizens of places like Gary, Indiana, Flint, Michigan, South Chicago, Illinois, Youngstown, Ohio, Erie, Pennsylvania, Cumberland, Maryland, Buffalo, New York, and Linden, New Jersey, do it for the farmers, members of the United Auto Workers Union, workers just laid-off from the Cat factory in Peoria, Illinois, single mothers, do it for Ronald Jackson the 14 year old killed while taking a bag of fruit across the street to an elderly neighbor in the Upton neighborhood of West Baltimore, do it for them. These people need to have their stories told, now isn't the time for wishy-washy art without a pulse aimed at selling to snooty gallery owners and collectors with Starbucks on their breath. Now is the time to create art that tells timeless stories for the future of our country and the world.

In the words of our own President Obama:

"We find ourselves in a rare moment where the citizens of our country and all countries are watching and waiting for us to lead. It's a responsibility that this generation did not ask for, but one that we must accept for the future of our children and our grandchildren."

I couldn't have said it better.

Onward 09' Web Gallery...

Peace. For all of you who didn't get up to Onward 09' at the Project Basho Gallery in Philadelphia. The Onward 09' web gallery is now available at:

http://www.onward.projectbasho.org/webcontents/onward09/

Check it out, support the real!

Peace.

In the Wake of a Recession, Depression Ensues...

Turn on your TV, read the newspaper, everyone's talking about the most important political issue in recent times...the economic recession. But while all the big wigs down on Capitol Hill are busy talking big numbers ($827 billion dollars to be exact) regardless of your political affliation you cant help but notice one thing...the Republicans still hate Democrats (for no reason) and the Democrats still hate Republicans (for no reason). Am I the only one who notices that the people of this great nation are STILL the casualties. I mean lets kick the science here, the unemployment rate in the US has just hit 7.6% with over 598,000 jobs lost which is the highest since September 1992 (during the "recovery" period after the crack epidemic). There are an estimated million more planned job cuts and factory closures, with the majority of those occuring in the once strong manufacturing section. Of course this job loss effects the "little people" and their communities, leading to an increase in crimes that degrade the quality of life and lead to a smaller tax base and more blight in cities (like Baltimore) that have already been hard hit during the crack/herion epidemic of the 80's and 90's.

Which brings me to my point...

What do Americans do when they are encountering hard times, leading to depression??? They seek medication through a variety of means including:

1.) Television, Movies, Video Games, and Other "Entertainment"

2.) Alcohol, Bad Food, Prescription Drugs, and Illegal Drugs

3.) Spending money (despite not having any to spend)

What caused the crack/heroin epidemic? Depression brought forth by inflation, loss of jobs - Thanks Reagan, overall poor economy, AND an availability of good cheap drugs. This also led to a host of other social ills that are still being felt in inner city communities throughout the US. My question is with all of the necessary ingridients currently being boiled up in this big American pot of stew, are we headed for a repeat?

Here's a photo for all the people who are trying to do more with less and haven't let the times turn them into victims. It's entitled "Where The Chicken At?" and was taken on a chilly night on North Avenue in the City of Bawldimore, Murdaland. Enjoy & Peace.

Street Pigeons (Inspired Flight)...

Travels With Sneakers...

These sneakers must have a mind of their own
Eyes too,
Cause’ these sneakers and me
We've seen and done it all
But I can’t remember why.
I guess I was just running
Down I-Nike Five…

190 miles up Interstate – Nike Five
2,659 miles on the Hi-Tec Highway
113 miles down the Timberland Turnpike
521 miles on the British Knights Byway
60 miles over Puma Pass
Then back again on the Fila Freeway

Final destination,
I’ll never make it there,
At least not today.

I was pretty sure
I got there yesterday…

Wintertime on the Westside...

"Abandominiums""Untitled (Gloom)""Streets of Ice (Driftin')"
Peace. Hope all my people out there are staying warm during these frosty winter months. The price of electricity continues to rise (thanks to Baltimore Gas & Electric) and the temperatures continue to drop. So here's a few shots from around my neighborhood for all the single mothers out there trying to keep the kids warm, the homeless who walk during the night to avoid dying from exposure, the shivering addicts getting high at shooting galleries and abandominiums across the city, and anybody whose only source of heat is the Maryland Fuel Fund, hold your head. Peace.