We Paint! in the news

We Paint! has hit the press! Kristin Nehls, a contributor of Ohio University's "We Paint" wrote an article about the project in the school publication, Speakeasy. Check out the article !

We Paint! Ann Arbor, Michigan

Site: Ann Arbor, Michigan; Farmer's Market
Time: 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm, November 10, 2007
Contributors: Ariel Zipkin, Jason Lindberg, Kate Anderson, Ross O'Connell, Dylan Gracia, Sarah Warren, Kaveh Esmael, Curtis McCartney, Ashley Dehudy, Hye Lobert, Melissa Calabrese, Peter K, Karl Lukhaup, Canton Belanger, Sara, Susann Eddy, Greg Oberle, Jonathan Williams, Lily Li, Catherine Maestro, David Dodd, Janet Hughes
(if your name is spelled incorrectly or someone who participated is not listed, email me and I will edit the page)

Pictures!

We Paint is back! The project made its Michigan debut this weekend. Though the weather was a bit chilly, the market atmosphere brought a diverse crowd to the easel. It was exciting to have a mix of pros and amateurs. Congrats to those who were reluctant to make their mark but took the plunge anyway! You made important additions to our work. A special thanks to Ariel Zipkin and Sarah Warren who were a great help in orchestrating "We Paint: Ann Arbor"! Many thanks, ladies!

We Paint! Hyde Park, Cincinnati, Ohio

Site: Hyde Park Square, Cincinnati, Ohio
Time: 4:00 pm- 5:15 pm, November 2, 2007
Contributors: Sophia, Lizzie Ayers, Lucy Sweeney, Rene Hillman, Rebecca Hillman, Tabby Hillman, Alberto Garcia, Lisa Scholl, Brad Celmer, SueEllen Eatrides, Suzie Haas, Anonymous, Matt Grosinger, Spiro Mirkopoulos, Karl Ellison

Pictures!

Today wraps up a successful week of work. There was a lot of positive energy and a whole lot of COLOR in today's painting! It was nice to get a good mix of adults and younger artists working on the project. I like when we pull the canvas off of other easel to let people paint at their own height. One exciting moment of the day was when an artist said that she had been thinking about starting up painting but was reluctant to buy the supplies and dive in. We discussed how this experience may be a sign that it is time for her to get started. I hope that she is at home with a brush in her hand right now!

We Paint! Fountain Square, Cincinnati, Ohio

Site: Fountain Square, Downtown Cincinnati, Ohio
Time: 11:45 pm -1:45 pm, Thursday, November 1, 2007
Contributors: Jeff Cooper, Anne Garrett, Vanora Smith, Emmitt Williams, Chris Molnar (Writer!), Margie Homan, Andreas Lange, David Pratar, Willi B Smith, Lee Ellen Amos, Tom Dwyer, Ronald Caulton, Richard Ellison, Paula Ellison, Paul Edw. Glasgo, Laura Elam, Joe Early, rjwoproce@aol.com (name unknown)

Pictures!

Today brought a lot of different types of artists to the canvas. It is really interesting to see the different ways that the artists in each project feed off of one-another in their work. No matter what the outcome, I hope that all of today's participants feel the way Ronald did about the process of making this painting. After painting for his 90 seconds, he commented that it had "made [his] lunch hour!" You made mine too, Ronald!

We (attempt to) Paint! Target Store, Cincinnati, Ohio

Site: Target store off of Ridge Road in Cincinnati, Ohio
Time: 3:15- 3:32 pm, Wednesday October 31, 2007
Contributors: Alejandro and Devon (brothers)

Pictures

Today was a difficult day on the forefront of experimental community painting. Fifteen minutes after set up, the manager at Target walked outside where I was set up and told me: "Miss, you are going to have to leave. We don't allow these kinds of things to happen here." At this point, I told Alejandro and his brother Devon, who had already volunteered to paint, that they could paint while I packed up. I didn't do much thinking from there before I just packed up my things and left. I was quite upset that the gentleman didn't even ask any questions about my work.
Today's experience made me think a lot about our consumer culture. The people bustling in and out of Target consecutively ignored me or told me that 1 minute and thirty seconds is a lot of time that they needed to spend "buying stuff". I understand that people have a lot to do on a day to day basis, but I also think that we might benefit if we make time AND space, for new things to happen. It is difficult for me to come to terms with the fact that so many of the corporations that run this country (and many others) do not promote positive change, learning, or questioning the norm, among other values.
I plan on going back to Target to explain the project to the staff in more detail, since I was too flustered to stand my ground at the time of the incident. Even if they do not want this "kind of thing" to happen around the store, I would still like for those people who are there to understand it on a human level (not a profit margin level). Overall, I think that Alejando and Devon's work out-shines the negativity of the day. It is a positive piece of work.

We Paint! Newport, Kentucky

Site: Newport on the Levee at Newport, Kentucky
Time: 5:15 pm -6:45 pm
Contributors: Rachel, Mylan, Alex, Chris, Graham, Ed, Ashley, Brittany, Aaron, Amanda, Becca, Janet, and Coy

Pictures!

Today I set up later than usual. The crowd was thinner than a typical day at Newport on the Levee. A lot of passersby were runners or bikers, some of whom stopped to paint. Others had come to see the sunset or were finished with a day at work at the Aquarium. The sun was setting as I packed up at around 6:45.

We Paint! Ludlow Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio

Site: Ludlow Ave. and Telford St., Cincinnati, Ohio
Time: Monday, October 29, 2007 from 4:15 pm-6:15 pm
Contributors: Laura Hughes, PFC. Bonner, William, Megan Hutch, Yana Negroutsa, Stephanie Defreitas, Ines Badillo, Amanda Smigovsky, Jeremy Guttman, Emily Kamholtz, Kelly Krouse, Randy Sauer, J. Arbenz, Andy Young, Molly Siler, Claude, Timothy Adams, Erin Tapke, Rob Hamrick, Jessie, Emily Ravenscratt, Caeli Good, Bri Cain

Pictures!

This group of artists proved to be incredibly enthusiastic and willing to jump into the project! Rob, one contributor of the day, was reminded of a film called "The Mystery of Picasso" when he approached the painting. Perhaps we should all go rent it so that we may see deeper insight into our joint work? Either way, I would love to hear feedback from the artists who made this painting possible. Please leave your thoughts, suggestions, and that like in the comments section below.