Scape Martinez, graffiti artist and author, will present a series of workshops and events, including a live graffiti painting set, about urban art June 6 through June 8.
He will make special appearances at both the Gadsden Museum of Art and the Gadsden Public Library.
During this visit, Martinez will demonstrate his urban art styles and techniques with the focus on stylistic expression and creative empowerment.
Events will kick off at 3 p.m. June 6 as the Gadsden Museum of Art hosts a reception Martinez will discuss his creative journey, and approximately 10 pieces of his artwork will be on display from his upcoming book “COLORMASTER: Freestyle Color Techniques for Graffiti Art”.
“The value in having internationally recognized artist and author Scape Martinez visit Gadsden, Alabama exists in the value of instilling a respectful appreciation and passion for street art within our community and to make street art more understandable and accessible through educational hands-on experiences.” Carol York, Outreach Librarian for Gadsden Public Library, said. “Street art is natural, organic, and for the people. To borrow words from Whitman’s Song of Myself, street art is large and contains multitudes. It encompasses the masses instead of shunning them, and it amplifies loud even the smallest voice.”
This is a unique series of events, as Martinez will be hosted by both a library and a museum, with work being placed in both. With visual art in one, and literary in the other, Scape will be showing the connection between writing and his abstract graffiti art. At the workshops, Scape will engage participants by showing the benefits of expressing oneself through the various styles of graffiti art and further understand it’s place in greater mainstream culture.
“This is a great opportunity for me to share my unique brand of creativity, to a whole new audience. To be able to spread my message of art expression and creative empowerment is equally gratifying. Also the opportunity to show my work, both visually in the museum and in written form through my books is fantastic,” said Martinez. “I believe in using visual art, and graffiti/street art is a part of that vocabulary, to empower and transform, not just some things, but all things, ranging from people and places, to objects and attitudes.”
In addition at these events, Scape will be signing copies of his three books “Graff: the Art & Technique of Graffiti,” “Graff 2: Next Level Graffiti Techniques” and “Graff Color Workbook.” By removing the mystery and bringing the art style into the light, this will be a very unique opportunity to understand this often misunderstood art form. Participants will be able to engage in timely discussion and hands on workshops.
For more information about Martinez, visit: www.scapemartinez.com