The Yellow Bird Project

Fast facts: 

*cute, cheap tees designed by musical artists

*benefit different charities 

The Yellow Bird Project is something that is without a doubt wonderful. Basically, a bunch of musicians contributed to the project, chose their favorite charities, and designed t-shirts to benefits those charities. The t-shirts are available for online purchase at yellowbirdproject.com. 

I found out about this project through Devendra Banhart, one of my favorite artists, who was the first to submit and created his design himself. His t-shirt benefits the Teenage Cancer Trust. But there are others as well! One of the most well known bands who have contributed are The Shins. Their designs benefit the Nature Conservancy. Stars also contributed, and they benefit a women's shelter in Montreal with their design. 

The shirts only cost $25 and they benefit causes that some of your favorite musicians love. Not to mention the graphics are awesome! T-shirts have been designed by Stars, Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah, New Pornographers/Immaculate Machine, The National, Rilo Kiley, Hayden, Broken Social Scene, Wolf Parade, The Shins, Devendra Banhart, Wolfmother, Au Revoir Simone, King Creosote, Joseph Arthur, My Brightest Diamond, and Holly Throsby. Pick up one today!!! 

Te Casan

Fast Facts: 

*Vegan footwear by Natalie Portman 

* Te Casan 

So recently on one of my favorite shows, Project Runway, I saw Natalie Portman as a guest judge. And there I learned that she had started her own footwear line called Te Casan. I was excited to see that such a great actress and humanitarian had done something like that. More importantly, I saw her store while in SoHo recently, and was blown away at just how cute her line of vegan footwear was. Her shoes are fashion forward, easy choices to compliment an outfit, and eco-friendly. She uses natural fibers and no animal fur in her products, and I think that says a lot. The webpage for Te Casan was recently launched and is located at www.tecasan.com.

The designers for Te Casan include Niki Robinson, Gaetano Perrone, Faay Falbock, Gianluca Soldi, Natalie Portman, Zoe lee, and Manuela Filipovic. Portman's collection is entirely vegan, and incredibly cute. My personal favorite is the "Pippa" shoe. For anyone interested in footwear, I reccomend Portman's collection at Te Casan. 

Atelier Estee * @ Saatchi Online

Fast Facts:

* Modern/Contemporary Art with natural feel

* http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/artist_profile//92621.html

* Benefits a variety of charities. Photo credit - saatchi-gallery.co.uk, atelier estee *

Personally, I am not a large fan of modern art. I find collections that depict nothing but stripes uninspiring and I fail to see the point of one splatter of paint across a blank canvas. These images do not speak to me. Unfortunately, as an artist, I have my preferences, and they usually don't include contemporary or modern-style art. There are, of course, exceptions. One of these exceptions happens to be the Atelier Estee * Collection online at the Saatchi Gallery (http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/artist_profile//92621.html).



I came across this artist by pure chance. The paintings shown have a variety of range and color. For the most part they seem to juxtapose the fluidity of splatter paint and the rigidness of modern art shapes. There is a rawness in this work that is missing from even some of the master painters.



One of my favorite paintings available in the online collection is 'Chaos Theory, two.' If you read the description it says it was layered multiple times with objects such as leaves, coins, and even a grapefruit. It was partially inspired by Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains." I liked this piece just by looking at it, mostly because although very modern it has a natural softness to it that is very beautiful. I liked the fact that the artist included their inspiration and medium in the description because oftentimes artists fail to do so. It was refreshing to see a peace that was inspired by a work of literature that could also be interpreted by anyone viewing it.



What touched me the most about this gallery, and the primary reason it is in a blog entry, is that 50% of all proceeds got to charity. These charities include Autism Speaks, American Red Cross Disaster Relief, Hinds Hospice Angel Babies, Mercy Corps, World Vision, One Percent For The Planet, and Native Energy Wind Farms.



For those who cannot afford an actual one-of-a-kind painting, many of the selections are available in digital prints. This is a wonderful cause and an excellent demonstration of artful charity.

Peter Tunney

Fast Facts:
* Visit the Peter Tunney Experiment at 666 Fifth Ave
* Great pop Artist
* Messages battle cultural blindness, lack of American responsiblities, and certain evolutionary theories
* All sales benefit Spirituality for Kids.

If you walk down the main strip of Fifth Avenue in New York City you will be greeted with the smell of cigarette smoke, a feeling of smallness, and possibly a wave of clausterphobia after dealing with major crowds. Should you need a relief, there is a place worth going. The door to 666 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10013 is actually in between Fifth and Sixth Ave. on 53rd Street. And if you are lucky enough to go to that door, you should.

For a limited time, The Peter Tunney Experiment is showing in the downstairs gallery of an office building. Right in the middle of a corporate world is an artist who challenges conventional thinking and promotes conflict resolution and positive change. If you look at Tunney's webpage you will need to hunt around for good examples of his work - and even then the more gripping and wonderful pieces are not featured. For that you shoudl visit the gallery itself.

After researching Tunney I was surprised to learn that he began his career as a Wall Street investor. He is a reformed party-goer whose earlier works featured a lot of nudity and drug. This gallery exhibit, and the work he now shows, is nothing like that. In fact, his work promotes change. It is fitting that Tunney should be the first person featured on this blog because he changed himself, and now he is trying to change the world. When asked about 'The Peter Tunney Experiement,' Peter Tunney said it "will as ever be telling tales and art stories and hosting good, clean American fun on Fifth Avenue . . . Hopefully, it will be a breath of much-needed fresh air and splattered paint."

I myself would not describe the work as "good, clean American fun." It is reminescent of street art and it features collage and screenprinting techniques that are pristine. Most of his work relies on the use of text, but it is incredibly visually appealing and really captures its audience's attention. With messages such as 'we are all stumbling human beings' and 'there are no accidents in the universe,' Peter Tunney tackles important issues such as cultural blindness, evolution, and the American lack of initiative.

My favorite pieces by far by Peter Tunney are plays on old seeing test charts - only they are printed on origami like paper and they spell out messages such as 'the truth always shappens.' Not only do these pieces make you think, but they are really just amazingly well done and would make any apartment look great (though I doubt they're cheap). Proceeds from sales of art Tunney produces there will go toward Spirituality for Kids.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the beginning of what I hope will be a successful blog!

So what is Artistic Change?
Artistic Change is a way of getting talented names recognized and exposing new and exciting ways in which people are changing the world. In particular, Artistic Change hopes to focus on film, the arts, music, fashion, and journalism that promotes global awareness. Artistic Change is about new ideas, new standards, and challenging what is mainstream. We plan to post reviews, ideas, and voluntary advertisements. Artistic Change is for those who are open minded and who are interested in art forms as well as cultural issues worldwide.

So, without further ado, welcome to Artistic Change! I promise the posts to follow will be much more interesting!