Latest / philly has heART / Mural Arts feat. Arthur Haywood

Transcript

Mural Arts feat. Arthur Haywood · philly has heART

0:15
Hey, Lou, did we have an incredible busy weekend?
0:21
So much fun. It was filled with so much, let's
0:27
call it performance art this weekend. Loaded.
0:30
Yes. Like a delicious baked potato. And it was
0:36
really a mashup of the entire community. So we
0:43
started our weekend with the Ballet X Young Patrons
0:48
relaunch. It was at the Bach building. I don't
0:52
know how we did it, but we had the parking gods
0:54
on our side. We did 15 minutes in. Well, yes,
1:00
but then they always come our way. They're like,
1:03
oh, we're about to give up. Nope. We're staying.
1:06
And did you even see in the comments? Some people
1:08
were like, we were on our way. We couldn't find
1:11
a part. We were circling. Yeah, we went home.
1:14
Yeah. We were here for it. OK. And it was an
1:17
amazing time. And we got to see some amazing
1:19
people. Shout out Eli. Shout out Kilian. Shout
1:23
out all of our new friends. Shout out to me joining
1:27
as a young patron. You're welcome. Shout out
1:32
you, Robert. Highlights included seeing Marquis
1:39
of the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and
1:44
Alexa of Pi Gallery. They were both there. There
1:48
were also moments in the performance where the
1:53
women caught each other's eyes and it was just
1:56
so clear that they were having a ball and dare
2:00
I say they like each other? Yeah, yeah. Offline,
2:05
if they're listening, they're like, duh. There
2:09
were moments where Ballet X met the needs of
2:12
the audience. For example, I caught Keelan grabbing
2:16
seats for a standing elderly couple. Yeah. That
2:21
was sweet. Super cute. Yeah. And you joined the
2:24
Young Patron Circle. It was super simple to sign
2:28
up. I... joined a program for like 10 bucks a
2:32
month, and I'm able to get the discounted tickets,
2:35
I'm able to join in their membership programming
2:38
throughout the year. And I think it's going to
2:41
be an amazing community to navigate with them
2:45
this year. Tell us the age threshold for those
2:50
too old to join. Robert's a pro on this as he
2:55
so eloquently informed me Friday night. Caps
2:59
out at 40. The tickets are easy enough, accessible
3:07
enough to fit into most budgets. Definitely.
3:13
Moving on to Saturday, Philadelphia Ballet, but
3:15
back up because earlier in the week, Sterling
3:20
Baca posted an Instagram. The first slide was
3:27
himself and Sydney rehearsing with like kind
3:32
of a line of spectators behind them. And you
3:36
see him kind of roll his ankle. The reaction
3:41
shot from the spectating dancers is how you know
3:45
it was serious. And he was out of commission
3:49
for Carmen Bolero. I'm assuming next week with
3:54
Evening of Horror. Yeah. Sending best wishes
3:59
for Sterling's recovery. 100%. Yes. Conductor
4:05
Beatrice presented an award to Martha the pianist
4:09
for over 50 years of work at a Saturday performance.
4:14
It was insane. 53 seasons she's up to now. How
4:20
incredible. Beyond. Could you imagine doing this
4:25
podcast for 53 years? Huh. I read she doesn't
4:37
just work with the Philadelphia Ballet, but she's
4:41
worked with Opera Philadelphia amongst other
4:43
performing arts companies. The Philadelphia Ballet
4:47
just had Carmen only two years ago as the season
4:49
opener. Do you remember that? Yeah, it was great
4:53
that he garcon at the time fell asleep before
4:57
the spice year scenes and of course, I was pregnant
5:01
with baby do at that point He did not fall asleep
5:06
before the spice year scenes this time. Yeah
5:10
Whoops Now I cannot speak to whether there was
5:14
one of these on that most recent Carmen But you
5:18
know what I caught on the program this time around
5:20
There was an intimacy coordinator credited. They're
5:25
doing it right. They're making sure everybody
5:28
is heard and that they feel comfortable, which
5:32
is awesome. We all know the story about Carmen
5:35
and also sidebar Robert. Did you know that circa
5:41
2000 or 2001 Beyonce was in a MTV television
5:48
movie? called Carmen, comma, the Hip -Hopera.
5:55
No, what? Where she played the title character.
5:59
I think I only watched it as background noise,
6:03
but I couldn't help but go back to one of Beyonce's
6:07
earlier film roles during the performance. I've
6:13
got a mini rapid fire for you. Okay, ready? Okay.
6:18
Carmen. Harpie opportunist or just emotionally
6:22
damaged and therefore unavailable? Harpie opportunist.
6:29
Don Jose, sucker in love or homicidal idiot?
6:34
Homicidal idiot. Anything else about Carmen?
6:38
What do you have? I loved how the company in
6:45
both pieces have had their time to really start
6:50
to lean into it and hit every single beat. It
6:54
was beautiful. It's you've really got to see
6:59
that they had worked together on this in multiple
7:03
variations to really make sure that it shined
7:08
and for moving into Bolero. a little bit yeah
7:14
let's move into Bolero perfect to have the live
7:18
orchestra this time for Bolero was hands down
7:23
an amazing experience last time they didn't have
7:26
it last time they did not have the orchestra
7:29
last time so this is the time that they had the
7:31
orchestra and so they had practiced and practiced
7:35
and rehearsed every single beat was so well done
7:40
together It I mean it just builds and builds
7:43
and builds it was it was great and We got to
7:48
have a great party afterwards, too. I Postmated
7:53
myself McDonald's on the way home, but back to
7:56
Bolero You know, I had the kids with me yeah
8:02
Big kid was asleep By the time we got through
8:08
Carmen the little one Bebedou, one and a half
8:14
years old, mesmerized by what he was seeing in
8:18
Bolero, just sitting on his dad's lap, gazing
8:22
ahead from RoCC. Thank you very much. Yeah, yeah.
8:28
That might be your future dancer. That might
8:31
be. And, you know, I think what is one of the
8:35
most remarkable things about this production
8:38
that everybody in the company is in this production.
8:44
And I know we've said it before, but you are
8:47
looking at the future of not just Philadelphia
8:51
Ballet, but I think the future of ballet in the
8:54
United States because, you know, people move
8:57
on and they go to different companies and maybe
8:59
they come back. I always think about this while
9:02
I'm watching these type of performances and productions,
9:06
who in the core do you just know is going to
9:11
be promoted in a few years to soloist, principal
9:16
dancer, et cetera? Any predictions? Mine is Juan.
9:21
I think he stands out. I think he's a very powerful
9:24
male dancer that has stood out in the last years
9:30
of production as well and is even coming through
9:34
to this season as another shining star. My money
9:40
is on Isaac Hollis. Oh nice He was one of the
9:49
bandits in act two of Carmen also sidebar Did
9:53
you notice that the bandits did not join the
9:56
rest of the cast for curtain call? I digress
10:01
And also I so clearly remember him during dance
10:09
card, just looking like he was having the best
10:13
time ever throughout that. Last thing we have
10:19
to touch on. Do we have to acknowledge the new
10:23
PMA identification? It's always going to be the
10:28
same to me. On to the conversation? On to the
10:33
conversation. This is Robert Marsh, and you're
10:47
listening to Philly Has Hard Podcast. In this
10:50
podcast, we sit down with artists, gallerists,
10:53
educators, curators, and other creatives who
10:56
comprise the Philadelphia art world to discuss
10:59
upcoming performances, exhibits, and other events
11:02
and initiatives that are not to be missed. The
11:06
art scene in Philadelphia is so rich that it
11:09
can seem daunting. Consider this your weekend
11:12
cultural recommendation. With me always is my
11:15
producer Lucinda Dyerland. Hello. Hello. And
11:18
today we have with us Arthur Haywood, muralist,
11:22
artist. We are happy to have you today. Thank
11:25
you so much for having me. I'm really looking
11:26
forward to talking to you both. Yeah, this is
11:28
great. This is great. Arthur. Let us know a little
11:32
bit about your journey. How did you come into
11:39
muralism, as well as art in itself? Yeah, I really
11:42
got more into art as a teenager. I took a graffiti
11:45
class downtown with an artist named Pose2 at
11:47
the Hawthorne Community Center. And I actually
11:50
got the opportunity because on the TV show, Trading
11:52
Spaces, with my neighbor, the kid Trading Spaces,
11:55
he had his room decorated into a skate park.
11:57
And the artist posed to decorate his room graffiti.
12:01
And one of the prizes for me, you know, as his
12:02
friend, was to get the graffiti classes. So that
12:05
was about maybe 13, 14. And I took graffiti classes
12:09
continuing even through high school with his
12:11
artist name posed to his real name is Daniel
12:13
Hopkins. Yeah. And so that got me more into sharing
12:15
my art publicly, you know, because graffiti is
12:17
also a form of mural making and public art. Right.
12:20
And so it was all legal. You know, the most legal
12:23
thing I've done, you know, was with a marker
12:25
on the sidewalk, you know, a washable marker.
12:28
Right. You're living on the edge. Right. So my
12:32
dad made sure once I got into graffiti, he's
12:34
like, you know, you're not going to get arrested
12:35
for this. So but it really excited me. The colors,
12:39
you know, the character designs. It was just
12:42
a way of expressing. and a way for me to let
12:45
out emotions and also collaborate with other
12:47
artists to share different ideas, to lift people
12:53
up. Art is another way of enlightening people
12:56
in terms of reassuring them, in terms of whether
13:01
it's a mural or art about the environment, or
13:05
even if it's just expressive. mural or expressive
13:09
graffiti piece, you know, that can really brighten
13:11
someone's day. And for me, I feel like the first
13:13
time I ever got like thanked for creating a piece
13:16
of art was like through doing graffiti or murals,
13:19
you know, every other time you submit something,
13:21
people like, you know, it's in the invoice. Right.
13:23
It's pretty much like in the interaction, fairly
13:25
transactional. Yes. But I found through mural
13:28
making and graffiti that there was an interaction.
13:31
with the public and people could, it was accessible
13:33
and that people could see themselves or art in
13:37
their own space on a daily basis because it's
13:39
free, it's accessible in their own space or their
13:41
own city and that really inspired me in terms
13:44
of how I wanted to share art. I was also very
13:47
into illustration and a lot of that also became
13:49
from the accessibility of it. That you can share
13:52
art with so many people because it's in printed
13:55
format. And me being an avid reader, I was really
13:59
into fantasy, Harry Potter growing up. And that
14:02
really inspired me to be able to share my own
14:04
art with other young readers in that same way
14:06
to inspire them to read the story just from the
14:08
cover. It's like a preview to the book. And having
14:11
parents who were very involved in literacy, my
14:13
father is State Senator Heywood. So he's organized
14:16
reading camps. My mother's been president of
14:18
the school board as well too. So growing up,
14:20
I would hear them having meetings and that really
14:23
showed me the importance of reading and literacy
14:24
and how we can open up opportunities for young
14:26
people. And, you know, especially me being an
14:29
avid reader myself who loves stories, you know,
14:30
it's fun. Right. And I really ended up just combining
14:33
the two things that I love, you know, fantasy,
14:35
art and stories to present it to young people
14:37
who can connect with it, whether through illustrations,
14:39
book covers or mural making for a school of public
14:42
schools to encourage them to read. And so putting
14:45
those two things I love together, I share it
14:46
with an audience that can connect with it. gratified
14:50
that they've been also been able to grow from
14:53
that experience as well for the places I've done
14:55
the art at internationally you know I was usually
14:58
after I finished you know doing the graffiti
15:00
classes in high school I went to Art College
15:02
at the Maryland Institute College of Art for
15:04
Illustration. And from there, I was doing another
15:09
some more training after that to get more into
15:11
the realistic painting of foundations. And so
15:14
I went to a school here called Cambridge Street
15:15
Studios in Philadelphia for about a year or two
15:18
years. And that school shut down. And then I
15:21
went to another school for additional painting
15:22
in New York called Grand Central Atelier that
15:24
really was based in classical foundation and
15:27
training. Oh, wow. And then so I got more of
15:29
a step by step process. been breeding on tradition
15:32
since Da Vinci and Michelangelo in terms of how
15:36
they develop portraits to make the illusion of
15:39
portraits appear real. And so I really incorporated
15:42
that into my art making, also combined with the
15:44
idea of the messaging of human potential being
15:47
limitless. So that's why I incorporated more
15:49
of the stars in the background or fantasy subject
15:52
matter to show that we are. limitless in our
15:55
potential and just another way to visualize it
15:57
is that through imagination. And then from there
16:00
I was doing some murals in Philadelphia with
16:02
the mural arts. I've been interning with them,
16:06
because originally from the graffiti class, I
16:08
interned with the artist named Nose Go. He has
16:09
Goodwin as his real name. So that was when I
16:11
was about a teenager, I met him. And then while
16:14
I was in college, I was helping out with some
16:16
murals as well, too, with mural arts. And then
16:18
once I finished studying at Grand Central Atelier,
16:20
that was in 2018, I ended up being an assistant
16:23
artist on a mural with artist Wale Oyechide.
16:25
He did some art for... Black Panther, I believe,
16:29
for the movie, the costume designings. And so
16:31
he did a mural for, I think, the 52nd Street
16:33
Library, the Lucian Blackwell Library. We did
16:36
work on that with another others. And while I
16:38
was developing my own portfolio, I was creating
16:40
a book about the Library of Alexandria at the
16:41
same time. So I was working on my own art and
16:43
illustrations. Oh my gosh. And ended up being
16:45
able to have, you know, a... portfolio foundation
16:48
for them to be able to receive other mural opportunities
16:52
as well too, just based upon not only assisting
16:54
other artists from that experience, but also
16:56
seeing what my vision was artistically in terms
16:58
of my own art. You're busy. Yes. I have a question.
17:03
How much coffee are you drinking? Oh, I actually
17:05
don't drink coffee. I actually used to work at
17:07
a coffee shop. Sorry, do you go on? I'm sorry
17:09
to interrupt. But you know, very fortunate to
17:12
have support and opportunities throughout this
17:13
whole process. So when I was doing the murals
17:16
in Philadelphia and had my portfolio to enhance
17:20
as a platform to enhance opportunities and to
17:23
find opportunities, I did a mural in Harrisburg
17:25
for the Sprocket Mural Festival. And then from
17:28
there, I did some some other art for assisting
17:30
artists like Amy Sherald for shooting the mural
17:33
at the Target here in Center City. So I worked
17:35
on that with two other artists, Keanu Jean and
17:39
Emily White as well too. And from all those experiences,
17:44
I ended up having more to my resume to submit
17:47
to artist residency applications. And I was very
17:49
fortunate, I got a residency in Paris. It was
17:52
called from the Harry Hale Woolley Scholarship.
17:54
And there I was continuing the same theme of
17:57
painting students at this high school inside
18:00
of their favorite stories, whether Star Wars
18:02
or Narnia or even Harry Potter. And it was very
18:08
much a coincidence is one of the project managers
18:11
from Mural Arts connected me with her teacher
18:14
that she studied with in high school when she
18:16
grew up in France. So I was able to, you know,
18:19
have the connection with the teacher there and
18:21
the school. And Corfuva is like the small suburb.
18:23
right outside of Paris, where I did these murals.
18:27
And from there, the residency was initially nine
18:29
months. And I was learning French while I was
18:31
there. And I got an opportunity afterwards to
18:34
continue at that same youth center right next
18:37
to the high school I was working with to do some
18:38
more murals for them for another nine months.
18:41
And then I fortunately got a residency in Tulsa,
18:43
the Tulsa Artist Fellowship. It was amazing because
18:45
it's fully funded residency for two years. Wow.
18:48
Where they cover the cost of living, a studio,
18:50
and they give arts a stipend, a monthly stipend
18:52
as well, too. So I was really able to focus on
18:54
creating a body of work, still focused on the
18:56
same theme, showing students the side of their
18:58
favorite stories and decorating its entire high
19:01
school dance studio, some other schools in Tulsa
19:03
as well, too. And so when I came back to Philadelphia
19:06
now, that was in January, I was able to get this
19:10
opportunity with the Cobb Street Golf Course
19:11
and the same project manager. connected me with
19:16
the Cops Creek, who's the project manager. He
19:19
got me to go to school in Paris. The same project
19:22
manager connected me with this opportunity in
19:24
Cops Creek to decorate their golf course. So
19:26
it really is a very fortunate connections I've
19:30
been able, people I've been able to meet and
19:32
also grow with as people, but even professionally.
19:35
Oh my gosh, yeah, 100%. Oh my gosh, your portfolio
19:39
must be, I mean. I was gonna say, it must be
19:46
sick. Yeah, I actually bought some pictures of
19:49
it. Okay! I love that! Through all that experience,
19:53
I've been really able to develop my portfolio.
19:55
Well, I did want to mention the project manager
19:57
who connected me with the school in Paris was
19:59
Nessanelle Portier, and she was the same project
20:02
manager who came to me with the Cops Creek. Oh,
20:03
wow. Your opportunity when I came back and returned.
20:05
Oh, my gosh. The new network. One of my dad's
20:09
friends always says, you know, the person with
20:10
the biggest network wins. You're all connected.
20:13
Yes. And there's so much in common. It's just
20:15
a matter of being able to see it. So I really
20:18
believe a lot of our interactions are just reactions
20:22
to our actions, and sometimes we just have to
20:24
present. are what we have to offer for people
20:27
to decide if they want to interact with it. How
20:29
do you start that process with your subjects?
20:34
Normally the process is involved through doing
20:38
a student survey at the school for what their
20:41
favorite books are, in particular whether it's
20:43
popular titles or favorite genre of books. When
20:45
I was doing the residency in Tulsa, I shifted
20:47
the theme more towards just genre in general
20:49
so I can make original artwork as well too. And
20:52
so I do a survey amongst the students, and then
20:55
once I get into the most popular books or genres,
20:57
I create some designs from those themes. Five
21:02
different designs based on the most popular books,
21:05
and then the students voted. on which ones were
21:08
their favorites, which one they connected with
21:09
the most. So the most popular three, you know,
21:11
I was doing the residency in Paris and in these
21:13
other schools that I've done murals at, they
21:16
voted on their most popular and that became the
21:19
design, you know, the composition for the final
21:21
painting. You know, from there, I'd go back to
21:23
the school and take pictures of the students
21:25
that are going to be inside of the painting.
21:27
You know, normally the teacher has to decide
21:29
for me because at one time I was doing one for
21:31
elementary school, some students were crying
21:32
because they couldn't be depicted. But there's
21:36
an element. of the project, too, where students
21:38
can help paint on the borders of the mural. Students,
21:40
even if they're not depicted, they can still
21:41
participate. Oh, that's great. So that's how
21:44
the process unfolds. It's a way of engaging young
21:46
people in the excitement of literacy and learning,
21:48
because it's fun. It's an escape. And so some
21:52
kids say they don't read. It's shocking, because
21:55
it's a movie in your mind. Yes. Oh, that's so
21:57
true. And you guys think about it more deeply.
21:59
It's social commentary. You're interpreting every
22:01
thought. that a character has. And it becomes,
22:04
in a way, whether meditation, social commentary,
22:07
there's so many important ideas. Like, imagine
22:09
a world where you could not even reflect, you
22:12
couldn't think. Right. You're working on a mural
22:14
that's being installed at the Cobbs Creek Golf
22:17
Course Learning Lab, a project for the Tiger
22:20
Woods Foundation. And we've read that this is
22:22
the second learning lab for the foundation itself.
22:25
Philadelphia was selected as a tribute to his
22:28
mentor, Charlie Sifford. How much of the creative
22:33
was left up to you and what were your inspirations
22:37
for that creative portion? Definitely. So I love
22:40
this process that we had. It was very collaborative
22:42
in terms of some students that take classes at
22:45
the Learning Lab were involved in terms of, you
22:47
know, taking a survey, but it was more so we
22:49
did a workshop. Nice. Where they did a photo
22:51
collage of some of their favorite celebrities
22:53
that they wanted to see. in the mural. So I printed
22:56
out a number of celebrities. The people on the
22:59
committee for Cobbs Creek had mentioned some
23:01
other ones, I thought, too, that were from Philadelphia.
23:04
And they organized collages based on five or
23:07
10 people that they wanted to see in the final
23:09
mural. Nice. And so that influenced the final
23:13
10 that we selected to be painted. And the theme
23:17
for the mural that presented was stars of Philadelphia.
23:20
These people are from Philadelphia shining their
23:23
light. in their own way so you see in the mural
23:25
painting they're all surrounded by like these
23:28
star halos around them to show them we all shine
23:32
our light in our own way and to never dim our
23:34
light for anyone was a message you know to share
23:36
with these young people that take classes at
23:38
the Cobb Street Learning Center so the final
23:40
ten that we ended up selecting you know we're
23:43
Eve, Questlove Patti LaBelle, Will Smith, Tina
23:48
Fey. So we had a section of entertainers. Oh,
23:51
that's great. And then we had a section of athletes.
23:54
So Charlie Sifford, Will Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant,
23:59
Dawn Staley, and Johnny McDermott. another golfer,
24:03
were the final 10 that they selected. So a lot
24:06
of the committee was involved in selecting that
24:07
final 10. Originally, they weren't trying to
24:09
make me paint like 20 people. Given the time
24:12
frame and budget, I could only paint a limited
24:14
number of people at a time. So 10 was a number
24:17
that we selected. That's excellent. That's incredible.
24:21
We note that you work primarily with a medium
24:25
that can withstand the elements, right, out inside
24:28
in the murals. And this, we have a series of
24:31
like some questions for you. So many questions
24:35
about murals. Yes, we absolutely love it. What
24:38
kind of paint or coating do you use for the murals?
24:42
Yeah, so this is refreshing in the sense it's
24:44
an interior mural, so I could more or less just
24:46
treat it like a regular painting. You know, I
24:48
use oil paint for the portraits because it's
24:49
easier to blend with oil paint that dries more
24:52
slowly, the acrylic paint dries within about
24:54
a minute. So it's harder to blend and get the
24:56
smoother transitions with acrylic paint. an interior
25:00
mural, I don't have to worry about weather conditions.
25:02
It's inside of the restaurant. So I really just
25:04
use oil paint for the portraits. I use acrylic
25:06
paint for the backgrounds. It's a larger space,
25:08
more flat areas, and I have to worry so much
25:10
about the blending, being smooth. And it also
25:13
saves a lot of expenses as well, too, to use
25:16
acrylic paint for the background. And so I just
25:19
use Gambar. It's a varnish that they use on a
25:21
lot of paintings in museums, in terms of a protective
25:24
coat for the parts that are painted in oil paint.
25:26
And I use this exterior Varnish caught from Nova
25:29
color for the parts of running acrylic So I just
25:32
combined those two together to get the final
25:34
varnish and it should be a protective coat I
25:35
mean, I mean, I'm sure like somebody spill like
25:37
spaghetti on it right here. Probably wipe most
25:40
of it off They do have some barges are like an
25:45
inch or two inches deep Wow, but they're just
25:47
a lot more expensive it's pretty much like you
25:49
might as well get some glass And then what kind
25:56
of coating do you use for exterior? Yeah, so
25:59
for the exterior work that I do, I normally use
26:02
the Nova color. They have either the exterior
26:05
varnish, but there's also some other varnish
26:08
that Nova color also makes that's more sustainable.
26:12
I forget the actual title of it, but we use that
26:15
on the Amy Sherrill mural because it's exposed
26:17
to a lot of elements outside and they could afford
26:19
it. That always plays a part though, right? And
26:24
you know, it's funny because we did I have Meg
26:28
Seligman on earlier this year. And yes, she's
26:33
absolutely incredible. Yes. And it's crazy that,
26:39
you know, the mural has to live on and the mural
26:42
has to be like repainted every couple of years
26:47
just to make sure that it stays and the elements
26:49
don't just destroy it. Do you find yourself being
26:53
part of that? kind of preservation side of your
26:58
murals? Or do you paint your mural and then you
27:02
step away? Yeah, for me personally, I create
27:05
the mural for the interaction, the engagement
27:07
with the community, and also to add to my portfolio.
27:10
You know, I hope that it would be able to stay
27:12
in a preserved state, but at a certain point,
27:14
you know, it's out of my control. Right. And
27:16
most of what I'm sharing with people is a digital
27:18
image at this point in terms of seeking other
27:20
opportunities. Unfortunately, I have not seen,
27:23
you know, any like vandalism, but at a certain
27:26
point it's out of my control. You know, put the
27:28
varnish on it and you just kind of, you know,
27:31
do the best with the rest of the time I have
27:33
on the earth. In all honesty, there's no priorities.
27:37
Correct. And because I think even some of Meg's
27:41
work that at least I pass on... the Schuylkill
27:44
Expressway, right, over time has been graffitied
27:48
on top of it. But now there's a project going
27:51
on for one of those pieces that it seems like
27:54
they have cleaned off the graffiti and then are
27:57
repainting the mural to bring it back to life.
28:00
Yeah, I'm really glad those efforts and initiatives
28:01
are in place. Because even like paintings you
28:04
see in museums, like they wouldn't be there unless
28:06
the ones we see in museums are the ones that
28:08
had the most preservation and conservation taking
28:10
place on them. So I'm glad that same level. of
28:14
engagement is being taken place with public art.
28:18
In a lot of ways, public art is more accessible
28:20
than what we see in museums. A lot of times,
28:23
museums are expensive, so a lot of young people
28:25
can't even get there. I mean, so many people
28:26
who work in mural arts, they've never been to
28:28
a museum. Expensive, far away, so it really is
28:31
important to preserve a lot of this public art.
28:33
Yeah, that's huge. Oh, I love that. I love that.
28:35
If you could transition to any other medium and
28:39
achieve the same success that you currently have,
28:41
what would it be? Yeah, so this transition even
28:44
to some of my other objectives and goals that
28:47
I have is also collaborating with sculptors,
28:51
architects, to create what is going to be like
28:53
a fantasy Sistine Chapel, like a school space
28:55
or library where you feel like you would be immersed
28:59
in the world of a story. The paintings that I
29:01
was doing in Tulsa for this dance studio was
29:03
more inspired by that theme in a more limited
29:06
format where I was decorating the walls with
29:08
paintings of students inside of fantasy worlds
29:11
to show them in a heroic light. And I like to
29:14
expand that vision to a space where not only
29:18
the walls are decorated, but also the floors.
29:24
The ceilings, you know, are also painted, so
29:26
you feel like you're within the world of fantasy
29:28
story. That's how it feels for me to read, immersed,
29:31
transported into that world in my mind. Where
29:34
I'm in that environment, I'm involved with the
29:37
characters, and this is a way to, you know, engage
29:40
young people in an instant. into the world they
29:43
can escape into. Right. And it's a way to do
29:45
it visually. And also for young people that could
29:48
collaborate in terms of helping paint on some
29:50
of the borders or some of the simpler designs.
29:53
So a medium I'd like to transition into is collaboration
29:55
more with architects, sculptors, to more or less
29:58
create this experience. Is there certain music
30:02
or any background noise that you listen to when
30:05
you're creating your art? Yeah, so when I'm painting,
30:08
whether it's a portrait, it's more intense. I
30:11
have to focus more on the transitions. Also to
30:13
instrumentals like chill hop. on my headphones.
30:16
But if I'm painting a background that's more
30:18
general, or clothing that's more general, normally
30:20
I listen to audiobooks, whether it's fantasy,
30:24
romantic, or sci -fi audiobooks. That's pretty
30:27
much what I listen to, to transition me to another
30:28
space, but also to learn, to have stories to
30:31
learn from. There's so much social commentary
30:33
in fantasy, whether it's oligarchy, you can really
30:37
view a lot of these things objectively, or relationship
30:39
dynamics. You can really view a lot of these
30:41
dynamics objectively. Where can the audience
30:44
find you online and real life? Yeah, so I'm online.
30:48
My website is ArthurHeywood .com. It's Arthur
30:50
like the aardvark. We're going to link it in
30:53
the show notes. We got you. Yup. A -R -T -H -U
30:57
-R Heywood, H -A -Y -W -O -O -D .com. And my
31:00
Instagram handle is ArthurHeywood as well too.
31:03
So any other links, you know, whether Facebook.
31:06
I still have a Twitter where I just came to X
31:08
at this point. I don't really post on there anymore.
31:10
But if you want to view some archive work, that's...
31:12
into that from my website. That's great. That's
31:15
great. I love that. Rapid fire questions for
31:18
you. What is your favorite Philadelphia neighborhood?
31:21
I think Philadelphia neighborhood, probably like
31:24
the art museum district. There's so many museums
31:26
on the Parkway. The Rodin Museum, the Philadelphia
31:28
Art Museum. Calder Gardens. Just opened. The
31:31
Mudder Museum. I don't think I'll go in there
31:33
again because it was really graphic. I couldn't
31:36
even handle like the ring. But there's so many
31:40
amazing things to be inspired by. Oh yeah. And
31:43
staying inspired is so important. Set the scene.
31:45
We're going to assist you with a heist. Heywood's
31:48
three. Forget Ocean's 11, okay? What piece of
31:52
art are we stealing? Oh, what are we stealing?
31:56
What do you want for your collection? I think,
32:00
you know, a painting that I would really appreciate
32:02
to look at, you know, like on a, you know, like
32:05
on a daily basis, probably be the Birth of Venus
32:09
that's in the Musée d 'Orsay. And Paris, you
32:12
know, the painting is, um, you know, uplifting
32:16
in terms of her and showing her, you know, as
32:18
like a goddess, but other also like just the
32:21
way it's painted, uh, you know, technically he
32:24
really made her look like she's a shines like
32:25
a pearl in terms of translucency of that brain
32:28
application. And, you know, he's been one of
32:31
the artists that I look at in terms of it for
32:32
a technical base for making things appear realistic.
32:36
and how that can also transcend in terms of giving
32:38
other emotions, you know, in terms of, you know,
32:40
really painting her shining and glowing like
32:42
a pearl. You know, that also gives a metaphorical
32:45
interpretation as well, too. What is your favorite
32:47
art museum outside of Philadelphia? Outside of
32:51
Philadelphia, probably the Louvre. And Paris,
32:53
you know, it's incredible historical and painting
32:56
treasure trove. You never see it all in one day,
33:00
but there's so many time periods and techniques
33:02
of painting to explore within one space that
33:05
for me, you know, the Louvre in and of itself,
33:10
the paintings, the building, it's just the whole
33:13
space is a treasure chest of inspiration. Love
33:16
it. Love it. If you could commission any artist
33:18
in history to produce a portrait of you, who
33:21
would it be? You know, I really have been a very
33:24
big fan of Rockwell in terms of the humanism
33:26
he had in a lot of his work, in terms of portraying
33:29
people, no matter their backgrounds, origins,
33:31
you know, in a very, you know, characteristic
33:34
way. And I really, I think it'd be honored, you
33:37
know, to see how he would paint me. He does a
33:39
lot, you know, sometimes exaggerating, sometimes
33:41
more realistic, but seeing what his take would
33:44
be in terms of that spectrum. Can you describe
33:46
the Philadelphia art scene in one word? Yeah,
33:49
I think it's innovating. Arthur, this has been
33:52
great. Thank you so much for your time today.
33:55
No, this is good. Is there anything else that
33:57
you wanted to share with the audience? Oh, yesterday,
33:59
thank you to you both for having me here, for
34:02
the opportunity, as well as to the people at
34:04
Muir Arts and Cobbs Creek who helped organize
34:06
this project. I'm really fortunate and looking
34:08
forward to sharing, you know, people at the students
34:11
unveiling and people who attend, you know, how
34:13
they can shine their own light in their own way.
34:15
Excellent. You heard him, people. Excellent.
34:17
Thank you so much. Thank you. He is absolutely
34:33
incredible and his process is amazing. To be
34:38
able to kind of pull in together, especially
34:40
when he works with kids in schools, to be able
34:43
to like pull those kids to his work was so collaborative
34:51
that he really makes sure, and you know what,
34:56
now that I'm even saying that, like, we're finding
34:58
that a lot of muralists make sure that they collaborate
35:02
with the community before they start to put paint
35:07
on wall to begin with. And so that's, I think
35:12
that's been a through line from the muralists
35:14
that we have had on. Hence the public in public
35:18
art. Yeah, yeah. They make sure to give them
35:22
a voice. Alright ladies and gents we have some
35:28
things for this weekend and a bunch of things
35:30
for you to put in your calendar. We're gonna
35:33
kick it off starting on Thursday but all weekend
35:36
the Philadelphia Ballet's Evening of Horror from
35:39
October 16th through the 19th. The Philadelphia
35:44
Film Festival also starts on October 16th and
35:48
runs through the 26th. The annual Barnes Art
35:53
Ball is this Friday October 17th. The Philadelphia
35:57
Orchestra's Children's Halloween Spectacular
36:01
at the Kimmel Center is on October 18th at 1130
36:06
a .m. Henry Rousseau's A Painter's Secrets opens
36:12
at the Barnes on October 19th and runs through
36:15
February 22nd. Friend of the Pod, Dominique Samarco
36:21
is hosting a pioneer landscape workshop on October
36:24
25th from 3 to 6. For a very accessible $28,
36:30
all direction and supplies are included. In Philadelphia
36:34
Ballet, we see your gala and raise you the Ballet
36:37
X's 20th anniversary gala on October 28th. But
36:42
you don't have to go to the gala to enjoy Ballet
36:45
X's 20th anniversary retrospective running from
36:49
October 29th through November 9th. There is A
36:53
program and B program, so go to one or both.
36:58
Young Friends of the Philadelphia Ballet Brunch
37:00
at the Bar is November 9th from 11 to 1. Tickets
37:05
are on sale now. False Dawn and Memory Loss at
37:09
the Print Center is on exhibition through November
37:13
22nd. And something to get on your radar for
37:16
later this fall, tickets for the traveling exhibition
37:20
Dreamworld Surrealism at 100 are available. The
37:25
exhibit does not open until November 8th, but
37:28
it will run until February 16th. And the PMA
37:32
is the only United States venue getting a stop.
37:36
End with that. Philly has art. And art!