an unrelenting cascade of perseverance, empathy, and empowerment

ARTISTS ENGAGED
is a long-term project chronicling the work artists throughout the U.S. are doing in response to the needs of their communities and the dynamics of the world. ACVilla and Thollem McDonas have gathered their documentation and experiences over the course of 2 decades to create this series of artist profiles, collaborative music, and video montages of murals with messages.

Photo by Alessandro D’Amico

Drawing upon original footage, archival footage, and interviews with more than 50 artists, and members of the community Artists Engaged EP 4 profiles the musical community of Palermo, centered around Lelio Giannetto and his organization Curva Minore. It will premiere, and stream in January.

Episode 1

Cheryl E. Leonard, Napoleon Maddox, Jordan Dykstra, Mary Prescott, Rent Romus, Jasmine Nicole Williams, Carmina Escobar, Dereck Higgins, Ken Freedman, Francis Wong, Cynthia Oliver, and ACVilla’s documentation of murals around the U.S.

Episode 2

Marc Masters, Sage Bond, Merlin Coleman, Christina Calderon, Cynthia Oliver, and Jason Finkelman, plus more of ACVilla’s documentation of murals around the U.S. and a street performance, Baile en la Calle, in San Francisco’s famous Balmy Alley.

Episode 3: (In Progress)

Episode 3 focuses on New Mexico-based artists and organizations dedicated to their communities both near and far, including Dylan Tenorio (Kewa/Artist/Co-Director, Little Globe), America Meredith (Cherokee Nation/Artist /Editor, First American Art Magazine), Madalena Salazar (Director, Working Classroom), Roger Montoya (Co-Director, Moving Arts Española), Scott Moore (Beautiful Midden, Taos), Norma Chairez-Hartell (Culture Worker/Murals of Las Cruces) and Miranda Viscoli (Co-Director, New Mexicans Prevent Gun Violence). Woven into the episode are murals-with-a-message that ACVilla has gathered on their travels around the state.

Episode 3: New Mexico is supported in part by the Fulcrum Fund, a grant program of 516 ARTS made possible by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Meow Wolf Foundation. We recognize the work of the Meow Wolf Workers Collective.

Dylan Tenorio for a profile in First American Art Magazine

Dylan Tenorio (Kewa), who goes by the name acbo as a musician, talks about his newest album ‘Only A Dream’ that he self-released on his Bandcamp site, www.acbo.bandcamp.com.

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We encourage everyone to watch these episodes with others.

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