WALLS FOR A CAUSE NYC
Public Display of Contemporary Art
Unlike many other cities in the US, New York’s museums and galleries remain open and available for visit, but it is only natural that not everyone feels comfortable attending indoor exhibitions just yet. Thankfully, in a city with one of the biggest art scenes in the world, there are countless opportunities to enjoy art while still trying to stay safe. OBM (Orange Barrel Media) in collaboration with We Buy Gold gallery in New York are presenting Walls for a Cause NYC, a public art exhibition which features murals of paintings by nine contemporary artists. The project is both a public exhibition and a philanthropic initiative, so its audience will have the opportunity to both enjoy beautiful art and contribute to a good cause.
The project was launched during the fall of 2020 and is accompanied by an online exhibition titled On the Other Side of Something on We Buy Gold’s website. The commissioned paintings, displayed as large-scale murals on prominent OBM wallscapes across Brooklyn and Manhattan, have been created by nine participating artists: Felipe Baeza, María Berrío, Theresa Chromati, Ariel Dannielle, Chioma Ebinama, Marcus Jahmal, Christopher Myers, Naudline Pierre, and Ilana Savdie. These murals will be on display through March of this year, and the original paintings can be viewed in the On the Other Side of Something online exhibition. Additionally, until March 24th, 20% of the sale of each original painting will be donated to the nonprofit Project EATS, a New York neighborhood-based project focused on sustainably producing and distributing essential resources within their communities to everyone that needs them, regardless of income.
The artists featured are of different nationalities and backgrounds, offer different approaches to painting and are at different points in their careers, but they all share an interest in spirituality and identity, as well as a great passion for this project. As stated by OBM: “On the Other Side of Something brings together artists who consider the supernatural, surreal, and otherworldly possibilities of representational painting. Included artists utilize figuration and representation for a range of purposes, from exploring history and the self to creating narrative and spiritual forms. Their participation in Walls for a Cause was driven by their interest in “populating” the cityscape with larger-than-life figures and scenes to consider the impact of these bodies and ideas looming large in the public sphere.” In the recent past, OBM has also partnered with “Art for Action”, an artist-driven campaign for voter awareness and to fight voter suppression; and with artist Nari Ward on a public art project which was an extension of her retrospective We the People at MCA Denver.
The project has been curated by Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels of We Buy Gold and Diana Nawi for Orange Barrel Media. Given that it is a multi-site exhibition it is a perfect activity for someone seeking to enjoy a day of art and culture in the outdoors. People who are not in New York City should still take some time to explore the online exhibition which provides a section for each artist with images and videos of the works they have contributed. It is a perfect opportunity to explore different neighborhoods in the city, satisfy our urge to be outside and, most importantly, discover the works of these incredible artists.
