Make Something.
D.I.Y. Art School for Teens
2008 - Present
I never went to art school. I hate art school. So after many years working in creative fields, I decided to stop complaining and dreamed up a nationwide series of art workshops for underprivileged teens. I linked up with my pals Molly Small, Ingrid Allen and Willo Perron to try to create something unique. Our intention was simple: to introduce a new generation of creative minds to the concept of “Do It Yourself” (DIY). In classic renegade style, the vision came together in unembellished, slightly ragtag steps.We rallied our pals: painters, filmmakers, playwrights, musicians, publishers, poets, and the occasional professional skateboarder to commit to leading workshops and voila! Make Something!! became a reality. Now, having taught more than fifteen hundred students and held over fifty workshops in cities worldwide such as New York. London, Tokyo, Paris, LA, Boston, Portland and Miami, Make Something!! has proven that with a little hustle and some mutual support, anything is possible. Our workshops are based on a simple grassroots concept of collaboration. It’s a work ethic shared by the family of artists who lend their time and talent to allow us to offer our unique brand of art workshops to kids all over the world. We call ourselves Make Something!! for a reason. Each workshop is about teaching young people to use their own ingenuity to get something done.
Undefeated
Billboard Project.
Los Angeles
2005 - 2012
In 2005, my friends from the sneaker store Undefeated were opening their new store on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles. There was one problem, there was a horrible billboard above the place. They came to me and asked if I'd like to curate a the space as an ongoing art installation for them and I jumped at the chance. We partnered with Nike, and proceeded to create one of the most interesting public art installations in the city. There were no creative restrictions put on the artists (besides normal laws against profanity and obscene images) and we were honored to exhibit some of the most interesting creatives of our time. We kicked the project off with a 3-D installation by Geoff McFetridge and followed for almost a decade with installations from Raymond Pettibon, Barry McGee, Dennis Hopper, Mike Mills, Os Gemeos, Kaws, Terry Richardson, Kenneth Anger and more. Los Angeles is a city that is best seen by car. The general public rarely go to art galleries and this billboard proved a welcome cultural experiece while sitting at a traffic light. I always liked to call it a "glitch" in the landscape. Meaning that we zone out on all of the advertising we see every day. This billboard offered people a chance to snap out of that.
The Sads.
Musical Project
2008 - 2010
The Sads are a musical group that has been sporadically active since 2008. Founded by Aaron Rose, David Scott Stone and Aska Matsumiya with Dan Monick (and later Joe Plummer on drums). Described as more of an art project than any sort of regular rock band, The Sads have managed to break boundaries throughout their career. Though live shows are few and far between they have performed in New York and Los Angeles in addition to two European tours. Their second world tour was done as a silent performance, where the band played entirely electronic instruments while the audience listened to the show via headphones. The piece was performed mostly in art institutions including the Palais De Tokyo in Paris and a residency at the ICA in London. The Sads have released three records through Los Angeles label Teenage Teardrops: Rough Stabs(2008), Miniature Moons (2008), The Silent Show (2009). A fourth record was recorded in Berlin in 2009. The album has never been released, but we've decided to post a link to it here:
Signature Model.
DC Shoes
2008 - 2010
In 2008, DC Shoes asked me to design a signature show for them based on my life experiences growing up as a mod in the 1980's. I decided to do my own variation on the desert boot, which was my classic staple during the stime. The shoes came in two colorways, a classic black and wheat and were made in both high and low top versions. The shoe’s interior were lined with plaid shirting fabric. Maybe the coolest feature of these kicks was the custom designed gum soles, featuring a repeating teardrop pattern with a single clear teardrop exposing a cork interior. If you count the teardrops there are 96 on the bottom, a reference to the ? and the Mysterian's song, and the name of my scooter club. No detail was missed. An army parka with a custom designed lining was also created as part of the project as well as a limited edition zine that came in every box. The zine contained advice for young artists including where to find cheap or free art supplies as well as contributions from Alexis Ross, Matt Leines, and more.
Art Husband.
Musical Project
2011
Art Husband was a short-lived improvisational music project featuring Aaron Rose, Cali Thornhill-Dewitt, David Scott Stone and Dan Monick. Though the group only played two shows, those who attended have said they were one of the best performances they've seen in their life. Though no records were ever released, recordings and videos do exist, which may still see the light of day at some point.