Artiszenz Project

We are pleased to announce that we are supporting a new project Arteszenz with talented Mar Piers!!!
 
Mark Piers is a California native and currently resides in Palmetto, Florida. He’s been an artist since his childhood, worked his way around the world and back in the 70s, painting and drawing anything and everything. In the 1984 Olympics he directed a team of thirty children throughout Long Beach, painting Olympic themed murals. Today, he is an internationally celebrated installation artist, and a true renaissance man, who has contributed his massive, unique and varied art pieces at Burning Man for the last fifteen years. He has created and put on dozens of art events at the widely celebrated Village of the Arts in Bradenton, Florida.

Working with  Artek-Global, Mark’s goal is to continuing to develop an increased sense of community through the creation of inclusive public art events, engaging children of all ages. Mark is a firm proponent of experiential events in art, as he brings to the Central Coast a most unique art event, involving children and young adults of all ages, creating and participating in the marvel and wonder, while taking away a satisfying artistic and emotional experience.

The Artiszenz Concept

Creative expression is an important part of the human experience. Too often we are in the role of content consumers instead of content creators. This project is designed and focused on encouraging young people to get engaged in the act of creating. These whimsical, life-sized figures, fondly referred to as “Artiszenz,” are designed to encourage free-form thinking and to empower participants who may have had little or no experience in working in a larger scale, collaboratively, (often art teachers will assign a team of students, sometimes three or four to one side of a figure), and with the knowledge that their creative work will be part of a larger outdoor art event, inspiring and energizing their participation. Bold painting, surface embellishment, texture and appliqué are often taken to amazing levels and the unique creative expressions of our youth are the lifeblood of this event. When these figures are collected and brought together at a single venue, the excitement of seeing a hundred of these dancing forms, decorated and assembled by different schools, in a setting that is already based in celebration, it’s truly a sight to behold.

The Nuts & Bolts

1) Three to six fully assembled five-foot tall foam figurine sculptures will be delivered to participating area schools. Included with this are bags filled with an array of pre-cut miscellaneous foam pieces of art. Everything from facial features, flowers, and musical instruments to lightening bolts, snakes and peace and love signage. These pieces can be used or not used. This is completely at the discretion of the young artists. There are no rules, save profanity or anything socially inappropriate.

2) The figures shall remain with the schools until one week prior to the 4th of July event, at which point delivery arrangements will be coordinated for pick-up.

3) The figures will be staged in Cayucos in a space TBD.