I am excited about a new series, "Stark" that I am developing. This series will focus on high contrast bold images and sculpture. Here is the first in the series.
Tree of Life | 3" x 12" x 12" | Mixed MediaThere will be a total of twelve pieces in this series.
The Blum House, part of the Mississippi Valley Library District, and former home of the Blum family, owners of the Blum Cowbell Factory from 1876-1956 was built circa 1900. This home was donated to the Collinsville Library and has been used primarily as a rental facility for individuals and community functions.
We are proposing that there is much more possibility for this historic venue to be a significant part of the revitalization of Uptown Collinsville by transforming it into an art co-op and fine art gallery. There are multiple artists, crafters and artisans that reside in and around the Collinsville area. The Blum House has the potential to offer low-rent studio space (upstairs) as well as one of the best venues for a fine art gallery (downstairs).
This can be done with minimal changes to the venue while maintaining the Blum House’s integrity and historic significance. This will also generate an influx of traffic on a daily basis into the gallery and Uptown Collinsville; not to mention creating a community location for artistic expression.
The Blum House Co-Op could offer studio space to between eight and ten artists, artisans and crafters. The rents could start at $50 per month with a six month rotation, depending on the number of artists interested in the studio space.
The fine art gallery could become an anchor in the St. Louis Metro art community. The resident artists (studio renters) would have a place to exhibit their work, plus we can offer exhibit space, art shows and art events to regional artists.
The Blum House can also be the home of a regional art group that could host shows and exhibits and partner with existing community organizations to offer classes and workshops to the public as well as art camps for Collinsville area youth. This could be a fantastic way to promote art in this community and to the entire region.
What are your thoughts about this concept? As an artist in the region does this sound appealing. Please post your comments.
Don't forget about the Rescue Project. We need your support to make this important Art Against Oppression project a reality. Visit our IndieGoGo.com page for more information.
I am in the process of securing distribution for this brand.
Please contact Armando@Heredia.ws for more information about this and future art series.
A portion from each item sold will be donated to various non-profit entities that are focused on raising awareness and making an impact on social injustices globally.
The Freedom Series is my artistic response to governmental regimes that use violence and oppression against their own men, women and children.
Visit the AAO Brand Page for more information.
It wasn't the six hours, it was the last thirty minutes.
Maybe I could point to the strong chemical odor in the particular area of the basement I was in. It did give me a headache, but it wouldn't be completely true. It was the mental picture I had when I lay down on the cot I borrowed for the event.
In my mind this wasn't a pass/fail concept. I wasn't trying to prove that I could stay for 72 hours. There wasn't any guilt in my mind over walking out. I think I got to that place, sooner than I had anticipated, where the separation spoke louder than logic or reason. That's where I was trying to get, to the place I would have to call "alone". I wanted to feel it, but I wasn't prepared for how strong it came on. It wasn't a trickle it was a wave.
I have traveled extensively, most of the time by myself. I have stayed in hotels and in people's homes. There's always a twinge in my chest when I get to the hotel room that first night. I usually don't sleep well, but I have not felt that alone since I was a little boy. I was around four or five, living in Monahans, TX.
I was laying on my back under my grandmother's curio cabinet. The unfinished wood, stamped with tha manufacturer's name was close above me. I was crying, not just tears, but the type of crying that is called wailing. I felt utterly and completely alone.
My cousins had cornered me in their yard, down the street from where I lived with my grandparents, two of their daughters and my three siblings. At this point in my life I had no recollection of the death of my mother. It was completely blocked out, thank God. They, because they could, because they were older and stronger, told me that my grandmother wasn't my "mom", that my mom was dead and that I was nothing but an orphan.
I suppose they were jealous that we lived with our grandparents, and that my grandmother let me call her "Mom". I don't know why they did it, but it put me in that place called "alone". I think it was my aunt Mary who got on her hands and knees in front of the cabinet and tried to coax me out. I kept crying and saying "I want my mom."
She said, "Mom will be right back, she went to the store."
I, through tears and sobs, said, "I don't want my grandma, I want my mom."
The look on her face was full of compassion, but it couldn't close the door that had been opened.
At 11:45 or so, when I lay down, I felt that place again.
I can not fathom a child feeling that plus abject terror from tormentors. The knowledge that I could walk out at any moment was a sliver of hope that these people don't have. The understanding that though I am alone I am not abandoned, is something they can't hold onto.
One person being placed in the hell called alone is a tragedy, 1.2 million per year, is an atrocity.There's more that I will say, but this is all for now. I am more aware today and more thankful for groups like The Red Thread Movement, The International Justice Mission and Love146.My prayer for you is that you will always be free.
Please consider supporting the Rescue Project. It will be one way we can use art to raise awareness for this important issue. http://www.indiegogo.com/rescue-series
Thank You.
Well, it's been almost six (6) hours. Not 72, not 36 or even 24, just 6. I am feeling a tightness in my chest and I don't know how to say this, but I am done. The feeling of separation washed over me the moment I laid down on my cot. I was expecting it maybe on Saturday night, not within the first watch.
I don't have the make up for this type of project. I will write more about this feeling as I can unpack it. I simply can not fathom the feelings it would cause for those who are in this type of situation with no escape. I would go crazy.
I am, regrettably, signing off. Heading home.
We have had a lot of rain and the temperature has dropped. Hello fall weather. The basement room I was going to be using has flooded. Fortunately, there are several unused basement areas in the building. The area I am staying in is equally dreary, but it's dry. It's interesting what we are thankful for. 25 hours until it begins. I decided to spend this time of reflection and isolation making art and writing. Please pray for the oppressed to be set free.
Cold, wet and hungry. That is what I am going to be putting myself through during the 72 Hour Abduction beginning on Thursday at 6:00 pm. The most important words in that sentence are "putting myself through". This is a simulation of what really happens to people, from children to adults, against their will. My hope is that during this time I will catch a glimpse of some of the suffering that these people are going through everyday, and will be able to transfer that heartache into the Rescue Project. 72 hours is the critical window of time after an abduction. Every moment an abductee is missing during this time frame translates into more of a chance for them never making it back home. An estimated 1.2 million children are abducted and forced into slavery every year.
In my last post I said I would rather never sell another piece of art. Hopefully as things progress and I can develop a system of support or, like in medieval times I can procure a Patron of the Arts, I will be able to do just that. However, the present reality is that making art is about selling art.
I refuse to just "sell art," though, the art will make a statement and help support a worthy cause. Here's how you as an individual or as a group can help me make art and also make some money for yourself and/or organization.
Investor needed:
I am looking for an investor(s) to help provide funding to do a limited edition “Price of Freedom” print series. There will be 100 numbered hand-printed and signed pieces.
Prints are 24” x 48”
Latex and Acrylic on Heavy Acid Free Paper
Each print will sell for $25. From each piece this is how the funds will be distributed:
$5.00 Donated to IJM
$15.00 to Investor
$5.00 to Artist
$500 Investment
Please Contact Armando Heredia
618.971.0935
