The Smell of Aerosol is in the Air

Last weekend, on Sunday, October 27 the annual Graffiti Jam, referred to as the Garden Park Urban Art Festival and Loop Graffiti Jam, took place in downtown St. Catharines.

Over 30 artists from Niagara and surrounding areas came together in Fulton’s Alley off of James St. to reinvent the walls and businesses. Once again, the art that was created did not fail to amaze me. I’m not surprised, since the artists spent an entire day and even longer working on their pieces. I think to an artist, a piece is never really completed...I'm not an artist, but I value art. I’ve learned over the years that there is always going to be something you can add or change, but either way it will still look awesome. 

I was impressed with the amount of media and sponsors the event had this year which helped make it a real success. The best part about the event is that all proceeds raised are going to Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Catharines-Thorold (a charitable organization dedicated to adult volunteers being mentors for children.) Also, each artist was supplied with a blank canvas to be painted and auctioned off to support BBBS. 

Live music and DJ’s performing throughout the day gave visitors even more entertainment. Each year the event keeps getting bigger and better. A lot of time and planning goes into an event like this and a big thanks to John Fulton who runs the event each year, as well as the sponsors and businesses who allowed the art work to be displayed. 

I'm excited to see what next year brings. Hopefully, the success of the event will draw attention towards these talented artists and create more legal art walls in the community.

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Keep Shining...

Local Art: Street art is not a crime

For this blog post I want to continue with my focus on the local hip hop scene in Niagara, specifically graffiti. First, I am going to make it clear what I mean by graffiti, since it is a term that gets tossed around a lot.  

While searching for definitions I found these from the Oxford Dictionary: 
Art: the use of the imagination to express ideas or feelings, particularly in paint and drawing

Graffiti: drawings or writing on a wall etc., in a public space

Vandalism: the crime of destroying or damaging something, especially public property, deliberately and for no good reason

I realize that people have their own opinions on art and whether they consider graffiti to be an art form. I believe that there is bad graffiti, which is vandalism, when people purposely destroy or tag property. But I am talking about the artistic side of graffiti, artists with a real talent and who give meaning to their work. One of the main reasons is the prospect of fame and recognition of one's artistic talent. Artists also use the walls as a form of self-expression. Vandalism is illegal, but street art should not be. 

I have lived in St. Catharines my entire life (that would be 22 years) and it wasn’t that long ago I realized the art that exists on the street walls, under bridges and highways in the city.  There is a legal wall in downtown St. Catharines, located in the alley way beside L3 Nightclub on James St. Artists have permission at certain times of the year to paint on these walls. 

2010 Live Aids Niagara Graf Jam (Legal Wall, St. Catharines) 

Graffiti can be in the form of murals or productions, when many artists come together to paint a similar theme. It’s unfortunate that there are not very many legal walls in the area for artists to express themselves and showcase their work. Instead, if you want to see real artwork it is at places like the thoth and trussle, located under highways and bridges, not visible or known to most city residents. 

'District 905' - Thoth, St. Catharines

Local Hip Hop - It was all a dream...

In my PR program, whenever we talk about the media and what they are doing to satisfy their audiences, local content is always one of the main points. So, for my first post I thought it would be best to start off with hip hop from the place I have grown up. The Niagara region, specifically St. Catharines, has its own hip hop movement that many might not be aware of. The thing I love most about the hip hop here is there are so many different styles and not everyone is the same. I want to give you readers a taste of some of the talent that exists in my city. I can’t post everyone, but I want to give a shout out to all 905 artists and thank them for keeping hip hop alive in our city. 

Hip Hop/R&B artist Zay:

Zay has already put so much work into where he is today and this is just the beginning of what is to come. He has the confidence, determination and sound that will make him successful. The 4D Music group, includes Junior Endless and Zay, and has worked with Canadian artists including Rich Kidd, JRDN, Arthur McArthur and Belly. Zay has performed at many venues in Niagara and Toronto, as well as opened for artists, such as Redman.

Endless Records artist Zay, also known as Zak Ali, recently released his first music video shot in Toronto. It is a story about an artist who is building his career and a strong relationship deteriorating as a result. The song was produced by Arthur McArthur (Toronto's rising production star) and the video was directed by Chris Strikes. Watch the video for 'Don't Say It's Over' here:

You will hear this on the radio soon, just wait! and it's available on iTunes.

"I feel the viewer might appreciate it more because it has a story line and a decent amount of dialogue to draw them in emotionally." - Zay

Video release party Wed. Feb 8^th at Sutra on St. Paul St., St. Catharines 10:00 p.m. 

Event info
Follow on Twitter: @zayitsfire

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