Brooklyn, New York. Artists of the Diaspora are invited by ARTC-URI to participate in creating canvas murals. Art is being used as a mental and lifestyle healing strategy for residents in urban communities. The work for the theme, "Artists Speaking for the Spirits," is to be done in oil or acrylic on canvas in 5ft x 5ft, 5ft x 8ft, or 5ft x 10ft sizes. The images are horizontal with the 5ft height as the uniform dimension.

 

To participate in the project, please send biographical information and links to Web sites to be reviewed prior to confirmation. Further details and legal agreements will be discussed when participation is confirmed. We are looking for the finest representations of art you can offer this project. Any other information should be sent via email. We are in the second phase of the project which started with over 35 artists, each completing one piece. The collection will be presented to the New York, U.S., and world press on February 4, 2010, in Brooklyn, New York. This is the first of many phases of this project that is designed to create cultural economic opportunities for artists and communities alike, as the aesthetic reality of Diaspora Cultures become firmly established as a viable and exciting global movement spreading throughout the art world.

 

Paradigms are evolving. Values are changing. Life is being redefined. Artists are not participating in the evolution and development of our communities and the world. This is what we are made to believe. In this time of economic crisis, it is critical that the awareness of the African DNA continues to pollinate this planet in its diversity and richness that will blossom into real solutions for everyday people to benefit from. This is what Art does. Those who offer political and traditional solutions to help us grow and prosper seem not to be aware of the creative potential that art offers. Everything in our lives is art. It starts with desires and solutions art-iculated by artists of one discipline or another.

 

When are artists going to begin to take responsibility for themselves to guarantee the freedoms we owe to ourselves, to our families, and to our communities? We create the world, the industries, the economies, and we have to beg for funds to continue feeding the world with creative ideas and solutions? Cultural leadership, that transcends terms of office, lasts for lifetimes and generations, making more sustainable contributions to the critical times we are experiencing.

 

Why movements? Why artists? Why now?

 

Art moves the human spirit. Artists take risks to experiment with new ideas, lifestyles, and the future traditions that people and communities eventually enjoy.

 

These simple truths are needed now. Those who are aware will move with the ARTCURIAN mission as these ideas inspire us all to grow and prosper as conscious and responsible artists.