INSIGHT Magazine | Issue #19

8/3/2019 INSIGHT Magazine | Issue #19

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VOLUME II| ISSUEWWW.ONEFOKUS.ORG/INSI


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Founded in the summer of 2003 by Alma Davila-Toro and Atiba T. Edwards,

F.O.K.U.S. was created to form diverse communitiesand support the arts in various ways, including concerts,workshops, art shows, lm screenings and our magazine, INSIGHT.

We believe the arts enable people to rise above barriers in society asevidenced in the diverse audiences that attend our events.

F.O.K.U.S. brings together art forms, both traditionaland non-traditional, to expand the views

on what is considered art.


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02 LE ER FROM HE EDI OR03 S REE S YLE04 HE BEAU Y OF I ALL06 O MAKE A CI Y BREA HE16 CARVE AR20 A MODERN MAN28 CREA ION OU OF DYSFUNC ION34 HE RI UAL OF ONGUE36 MONS ER MASH44 SHADOW OF A SHADOW50 REFLEC IONS ON RACE FROM AN OU SIDER'S PERSPEC IVE51 HA HOUSE52 NYCOMMU ERS60 MAKING AN IMPRESSION66 INFINI E PLAYLIS68 COVER AR : HE KING OF POP

CON EN SVolume II | Issue 3

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER / ATIBA T. EDWARDS Atiba is a perpetual visionary who likes to do art in the dark since it is easier to see the true light.EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / MAYA POPE-CHAPPELLMaya is an Oakland, CA native that moved to New York last year to pursue her Master of Arts degree in journalism. She's

a story teller of things unseen and voices unheard.LAYOUT & DESIGN / JEFF ALBERTJeff is a creative type whose favorite questions are Why? and What if...? In that order.

CONTRIBUTORS / AYODELE ALLI / BIG MIKE AMARAL / A.L. TONI ANDERSON / JUSTIN BUA / MARY DEYOE / ATIBA T. EDWARDS / ADAM FALKNER / BRAD FEHL / S.I.R PIERRE / MAYA POPE-CHAPPELL / MICHAEL SORGATZ / MARKUS WARD / CLAY WILLIAMS / LEVESTER WILLIAMS

WWW.ONEFOKUS.ORG/INSIGH

CONTACT US! Questions and comments: [email protected] inquiries: [email protected]

Advertising inquiries: [email protected]

INSIGHT is published by F.O.K.U.S. Inc. All rights reserved on entire contents. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Opinionsexpressed in articles are those of the author and do not necessarily re ect those of F.O.K.U.S. or its subsidaries.


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I'm a 1984 baby. I never witnessed the moonwalk live on T.V. or watchedthe premiere of Thriller. But Michael Jackson captured my attention in the

same way that he captured so many before me. As a preschooler, I fondlyremember my teacher playing Michael Jacksons Bad on the record playeras my preschool buddies and I danced ourselves into afternoon naptime.

As I grew older, I tucked my love for Michael away, especially in elemen -tary school where kids made fun of you for liking the man who wore blackhigh-water pants with white socks. Eventually, my love for Michael wasrestored as I came to appreciate the man and the music.

With an extraordinary career that spanned 45 years, Michael Jackson wasthe epitome of art. From his timeless tunes to his signature dance moves,Michaels musical genius captivated millions around the world, creatingindelible memories.

To commemorate the life of the King of Pop, we reached out to Justin Buato provide the cover of this issue. Atiba T. Edwards also unveils the rstIn nite Playlist, a collection of MJ songs that dont get as much airplay.

This issue features a sit down with Anthony Fascious Martinez who talksabout his one-man play Penumbra and the power of the arts in tellinghis own personal story. Markus Ward caught up with modern furnituredesigner Hugh Acton in a sophisticated Q&A called A Modern Man. Likethe varying opinions on Michael as a person and asan artist, this issue also presents varying opinions onthe statement Art is, as we feature art from fromacrylic on canvas to comic books and much more.

Art isMichael Jackson

LE ER FROM HE EDI ORVolume II | Issue 3

Maya Pope-Chappell


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S REE S Y

BIG FUN! Jermaine Jagger, Brooklyn NY


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artistic has turned into a thingof beauty or many things of

beauty. I could see that shehad been working painstaking-ly on her craft for a while. Not

just talking about it, but beingabout it. It was as though thebeauty I always knew she hadon the inside had manifested

itself in her jewelry.

My friend asked me to help hercome up with a name uniqueto her jewelry-making busi-ness, one that would also beappropriate as she branches

out into other endeavors. Iam still thinking about thatone, and it is never far frommy mind. I am reminded of acertain character in 70s televi-sion who referred to himself asan artiste. She is that, and

more. Her business cards saycraftswoman but I am notquite sure that fully covers it.I hope I am lucky enough tohelp her come up with the win-ning name, one that re ectsnot only her many talents, but

A good friend of mine hasmany artistic talents. I know

she enjoys writing; we tookmore than one writing classtogether over the years. We

joined at least three bookclubs together, and her love forwords is as great as mine. Herlove for the arts, however, has

far exceeded mine on manylevels. She collects masks anddrawings and she makes quilts,none of which holds more thana passing interest for me.

Recently my friend started

talking about making jewelryand taking jewelry-makingclasses. To myself, I thoughtthis was the same passingfancy that we all had in highschool, when we used copperwire and African beads and

designed our own earrings(none of which I can nd now).It was not until I saw a displayshe had put together outsideof an acquaintances store thatI realized how serious she wasabout this. Her love for things

HE BEAU Y OF I ALL A.L. oni Anderson


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the beauty of all that she doesand is.

A. L. Toni Anderson is a life-longlover of reading and writing. She cur-rently works for the City of Oakland,CA, where she spends much of her dayediting documents, putting her Englishdegree to use.


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ListenVolume 1: Death is the rst in a series of illustrated nov -els that show the ways residents of New York City make it breathe.Volume 1 explores the literal and metaphoric deaths that occurdaily within the city, each chapter examining a night in the life of itscharacters. Detective Sean Hogan suffers the death of his real -ity when he nds his mistress in bed with another man; a youngcouple, trapped by a NorEaster, face the death of their relation -ship; Young Gabriel faces the death of his sexual identity; Sincere,a burgeoning journalist, witnesses the death of opportunity thatleads to the current status of a young prostitute; another character,stranded in Queens, faces the death of his dignity as he searchesfor a public restroom.

Featuring unique artwork, the stories are interconnected, eachchapter taking place in different boroughs. Between chapters,Bubsy the narrator details the themes of the upcoming chapterand describes the boroughs.

S.I.R. Pierre is an artist by passion and New York City public school teacher by profession. His debut illustrated novel, Listen...Volume 1 is currently available on Amazon.com. Check out his blog www.sirpierre.blogspot.com to see previews, art-work, video and more.

At the opening o the classic Black Star and Common collabora-tion Respiration, a haunting voice beckons, escuchela, la ciu-dad respirando (listen, the city is breathing). On the track, therappers discuss the reciprocal nature o city li e, how residents bring the city to li e as the city shapes the lives o its residents.Tis concept, that cities are living organisms, always intriguedme.

O MAKE A CI Y BREA HES.I.R Pierre


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S.I.R Pierre

AN EXCERPT FROM LISTENVOLUME 1: DEATH Ill let you live, if you tell the cops that lover boy over there was

raping you when I came home. Tell them you changed your mindand he wouldnt stop. I heard the screams and took care of things.

Floating between hues of consciousness, she wants to tell himhow much she hates Sandra, how much more she values his lovethan Randys physical gifts, how much she yearns to have Sean forherself, how she regrets ever having Elena, the shame of being hissecret concubine.

Her thoughts and counter arguments escape in a barrage ofmumbled screams through the gag and vomit. Why isnt she nod-

ding? She doesnt want it? She doesnt think Ill kill her? Was hethat important to her? The emotional baggage she has been carry-ing for so long tumbles through her sockets in a deluge of tears.Shes crying again? I dont believe this bitch would rather die thancarry this lie out with me.

Keep crying bitch! You wont be doing much of anything in alittle while. Blood streaks along the knifes blade as he removes it

from his back pocket. When she sees this, shell know Im seri-ous. Shell have to go along after that. I always knew you spicbitches were good for nothing more than a fuck, but I fell for youbitch, I put my career on the line for youyou betrayed mewitha fucking nigger? In my house? My fuckin house bitch! The knifeapproaches her chest, indenting the esh of her left breast beforethe pressure is relieved. I cant believe she would rather die with

him than live with me. Her body starving for fresh oxygen, her eyesbegin closing to slits as the room becomes quiet.

Elenas screams pierce her ears.Instinctively, her torso bounds in the direction of its origin. The

rigidity of his grip on the handle combines with the speed of hersurge piercing her left breast, cracking her chest bone and punc-turing her heart.


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CARVE ARBrad Fehl


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Brad Fehl

AMERICAN MORNING PUMPKIN (pgs. 16-17)The American Morning pumpkin was commissioned by CNN forThe American Morning Show in October 2008. The show is shot inNew York City and overlooks Columbus Circle, so I was inspired

by what was around and before me man-made structures andnature in the midst of all the concrete and steel. With the skyscrap-ers and the Empire State Building as a major symbol, what betterway to de ne an American Morning than to have a sunrise comple -ment the composition? Ive experimented with different types ofpumpkins over the years and found that foam works best for carv-ing. The spiderwebs on both sides were the nal touch to pull the

whole thing together, balancing the piece and giving viewers moreto take in (and get scared by!).

SCARY TREE WITH PUMPKIN (right)Halloween can be about dark starry nights, trees that transformfrom benign beings by daylight to sinister creatures in the dark.Crescent moons that cast playful shadows across jack-o-lanterns.

Sleeping pumpkins await the artist's hand to bring them to lifeand tell their stories. Nothing more natural than combining theseinspirations and carving a scary tree holding a pumpkin, where thepumpkin itself might be scary or terri ed within its own right!

Brad Fehl is a Steadicam Operator by day for CNN in New York City. He's been

carving pumpkins for over 25 years as well as expressing his creativity through otherforms of mixed media. Contact him at [email protected] .


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A MODERN MAN An Interview with Hugh Acton by Markus WardModern design in urniture seemed to arise as a resistance to the

highly decorative, baroque, wooden antiques we now see in oldpaintings and estate sales. As the world moved towards a moreindustrial society in the mid 1850's, new techniques and materi-als were available to designers.

By the middle o the 20th century the idea o mass-producedurniture was a reality and allowed unlimited creativity. Design-

ers now embraced metal, plywood, and other modern materialsand used them in designs that embraced simplicity and sparse-ness. Many o the iconic pieces o modern design date back to the1950's, yet the blatant minimalism and sleek appearance stillmake them look as though they are made or a uture world notyet realized. Modernism has become the haute design o this newworld with urniture stores such as Design Within Reach bringingthese pieces back to li e with the designer and back story at the

ore ront.

Hugh Acton is one o these designers who has thrived in modern-ist design or over hal a century. One o his earliest design pieces,a bench, is a modernist icon that represents the mix betweennature and machine. Using thin slats o wood and steel legs withno joints, the piece seemed to control the wood and respect it.

I spoke with Acton about his eelings towards modernism, the in-spiration behind his work, and how he fnds creativity in havingrestrictions as well as complete reedom in his work.


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An Interview with Hugh Acton

on.

MW : So the basis of your workis paring down the excesses of

design in furniture?HA: Yes, rst you have to clar -ify the purpose [of the piece]and that's very philosophical.In a way it's very Socratic. Toeliminate the unnecessary and

nd the reason for life, and

that's what modern designdoes.

MW : Do you see the modern-ism movement of the 1950sas an offensive type of designattacking the traditional, con-

servative Americana of thatdecade? HA: All modern design is theelimination of the super uous,and trying to be direct in solv-ing a problem. Modern designis nothing more to me than

Markus Ward : Modernism wassuch a niche culture, but nowit has become more main-stream. How do you feel about

America's adoption of mod -ernism half a century after itscreation?Hugh Acton : A good designproject has value because itseems to answer a problemfrom one decade to another.

Those problems do not change.These pieces have a shelf lifethat seems to outlast that of

the designer. Almost all of theproducts reissued by DesignWithin Reach were made bysomeone who is long gone. I

feel like the shelf life of theseproducts haven't even reachedhalf life. So if you design agood product, it is applicableforever. Keep design simple,keep the production simple,and it seems to just go on and

IN A WAY I 'S VERY SOCRA IC. OELIMINA E HE UNNECESSARY AND FINDHE REASON FOR LIFE, AND HA 'S WHAMODERN DESIGN DOES


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through my bench. An inspira-tion for my furniture is to ndeconomy in common denomi-nators such as material.

MW : Was there ever an ep-ochal piece of design or archi-tecture that inspired you?HA: (Hugh gives a long pause)Umm. Well I liked Harry Bertoia[renowned modern furniture

designer and sculptor]. Hedid wire chairs and he alsodid sculptures. He's a littlelike I am today only his workis much better. He also didfountains with puddling brassand hanging metal that rang

when the wind blew through.Well when you heat brass it's aheavy metal, and he died veryyoung because of his sculptur-ing activity. Nothing in particu -lar about his work inspired me

just the fact that he was such

a good furniture designer andcould do these sculptures.The latitude of his genius wasamazing and he never limitedhimself.

MW : Your furniture has such

doing things right.

MW : Did you view your designas somewhat of a challenge

against the frills and pillows ofthe suburban life?HA: (Hugh interrupts, smil -ing) The uffy life is almost allillusionary. The trouble with itis that the house is so uffedthey make no room for art.

You must understand whatgood art is. Take for instancea lamp. Most people want tomake a lamp a sculpture butthey're confusing the purposeof the lamp with art. So for mewhat you do is paint all the

walls white. Make the housecold and inhuman and thenhumanize it with art. Make it sosimple that it begs for art.

MW : When designing a newpiece, what is the inspiration

behind the materials you useor the small design details? HA: All of my pieces have asort of common denominatorof connections. The studs inmy uprights [shelving units]are the same studs that run


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simple lines and joints whileyou could say your sculptureis the opposite of that. Did youenjoy working without those

restrictions?HA: Its like what I was sayingabout Bertoia. He made verysimple furniture, but hightechnological use. He also didsculpture work, which wasvery loose. So what happens

is if your creative the creativityit takes to have the commondenominators to make a wholefurniture line are the samecommon denominators that gointo your sculpture. I use thesame crushing technique, the

same materials but the realityand dimensions is unlike anyother.

MW : I guess your admirationof Bertoia and his versatilitycan illustrate your turn towards

your current endeavor, whichis metal sculpture and jewelryproduction.HA: The important thing wasI still wanted to keep busy. Itwas so easy for me to playwith sculpture. I had some old

copper laying around and Istarted bending it and some-one said, Hey, that's nice canyou make me one? And pretty

soon I have people all overwanting my copper sculpture.Then, of course, the jewelrywas something I did for mywife and then again someoneasked and then I'm making

jewelry for everybody. Next

thing I know I was making hun -dreds of thousands of framesfor my daughter (who is a re-nowned jewelry maker with 65galleries dealing her products).Now I have someone makingthose frames for me so thats

cotton caked my life. You dothese things to amuse yourselfand they become a work of art.

And art has a life of its own.

MW : Would you say there is anabstract expressionist quality

to your work?HA: When you make a sculp -ture you have a certain rela-tionship with the material. You

nd there is a communicationbetween you and what you aredoing. Mentally [the piece] is


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telling you don't do anymore.

MW : Like Jackson Pollack[seminal abstract expression-

ist painter] with his canvases.There's this chaos and thenit's over.HA: Yes, but I usually like tokeep them around for a littlebit to see if they want me to doanything else. Some of them

say they aren't comfortableand I try to make them morecomfortable. There is a com-munication.

MW : Your home containsmostly your own work both

furniture and art. Would yousay you design for yourself orsome hypothetical consumer?HA: Well...both. Originally, mywork, it answered solutionsthat satis ed some of my own

requirements and once I de -signed something that workedthe way I wanted it to it wasapplicable to a variety of uses.

Once I answered my needs Ifound that my needs seem tohave a certain universal pos-sibility that wasn't answered.Each of my shelves havepieces that can modify anddrop down so the consumer

can move and utilize it to theirneeds.

MW : So each one of yourpieces is unique?HA: I couldn't replicate them ifI wanted to.

Markus Ward is a freelance writer andundergraduate student at MichiganState University. He resides in EastLansing, MI. Email him at [email protected] .


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writing

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Levester Williams is an undergradu -ate student majoring in Fine Art at theUniversity of Michigan. To commenton his artwork, email him directly [email protected] .

CREA ION OUOF DYSFUNC IONLevester WilliamsI grew up in a dys unctional

amily plagued by drugs,violence, greed and abandon-ment. My parents were notaround, drugs captivatedand distorted the mind-setso my relatives, and therewas no hope given to me as achild growing up in a povertystricken environment. Tese

actors have inspired myartwork, an expression o my

eelings about amily valuesin todays society. Troughmy artwork, I hope to give theviewer a glimpse o the impor-

tance o amily in ones li eand how it should be treatedwith the utmost care.

(right) Avarice

Acrylic on canvas


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(above)LifeHeldByAGambleOil on canvas


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(pgs. 32-33)Reachfulight

Oil on canvas


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Crowded round a bottletrading chalk like teenage lipstick

for the rst time since the rst time

we misplaced virginitylike lost and found house keys.Todays lesson:

The pull-off parking lot on First Street

in June, the smell of rum and too muchperfume on collar bones bent like promise,

like a summer we hadnt metyet. We found midnight in our mouthson accident, on car hood, tongue

clock-worked slow around warm half-moonsof esh and words we thought would make usgrown as locker room, as man up body armor.

Grown as goose-chested, belt-notched back-and-forthnothings about everything that mattered at 16like pussy and your name in the same sentence,

like nish line tape made of good storyand rumor, like war scar raised above headand nothing more. That shit was funny

when we held manhood in our palmslike lightening to prove its nectar in our spit

HE RI UAL OF ONGUE Adam Falkner


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Adam Falkn

on First Street. We were shorthand notes

of our broken fathers, learning the brail of bodyin the dark like Tennessee river licking grit

from stone, and nothing more. Which is why

when we never spoke about the streetlightor the dent in the hood of my fathers caror how scared we were of their letter-jacket boyfriends

until now, crowded round a bottle some 10 years later

trading chalk like teenage lipstickfor the rst time since the rst time

we had a hunch there was something more,and it feels good to be home, to be accidentto be everything and nothing all at once.

Adam Falkner teaches English/Creative Writing at a public high school in Bushwick,Brooklyn, and is pursuing a Masters degree in Secondary English Education. Contacthim at [email protected] or friend him at www.myspace.com/afalkner .


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MONS ER MASHBig Mike Amaral

This piece of Beat Fink, the Beatnik monster playing bongo skulldrums, features traditional style combined with the psychedelicmonster feeling of a 60s Creepy Magazine Advertisement. An in -teresting thing about this artwork is that a friend who owns an autobody shop gave me the Sign Painters 1-Shot that was used for thebackground of this painting. The 1-Shot had been sitting on a shelfin the back room since the late 60's. It took a little chipping andpeeling, but under the skin was a whole lot of fresh antique paint.

(right) Beat Fink Acrylic, airbrush, sign painters 1-Shoton canvas board14" x 18"

This painting combines my love for traditional tattoos and lowbrowmonster imagery. As anyone who loves getting ink knows, a tattooparlor is the happiest place on earth. I hope this piece inspiressomeone to go get a tattoo.

(pg. 38)

attoo Parlor Acrylic and airbrush on canvas16" x 20"


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Name o Author

writing writing


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Big Mike Ama

Nothing says kustom kulture or lowbrow like a nice tall Tiki muglled with a sweet zombifying concoction and said drink being

consumed by a Fink at a luau.

This piece was inspired by the styles of my favorite artists grow-ing up such as Ed Big Daddy Roth, Pizz, and Stanley Mouse. Iadded my own style of obsessive detailing to the painting asopposed to the old school style of keeping it rather loose.

(pg. 39)iki Drink Fink

Acrylic and airbrush on canvas16" x 20"

This painting features everyone's favorite monster, Frankenstein,doing the thing he loves doing the most, sur ng. He completes hisset then paddles off into the horizon. Any surfer or Frankensteinenthusiast will tell you, He's out there man.

(le t)

Surfenstein Acrylic and airbrush on canvas16" x 20"


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Big Mike Ama

Many people have written me telling me how sick or cool thispainting is, but they usually end off the letter by telling me howthey remember the comforting smell of a freshly opened loafof Sunbeam, or how they recall the image of the Sunbeam girlpainted on the side of the local convenience store. Even thoughthis painting gives off the terror and excitement of a violent zombie

invasion, the iconic imagery of the Sunbeam girl provides a verywarming sense of nostalgia that we can all relate to. It really takesyou back.

Big Mike Amaral is a self-taught Lowbrow/Pop Kulture artist, cartoonist and sculptor.He currently lives in Taunton, MA with his loving wife Jennifer and his son Michael Jr.Check out more of his artwork www.amaralfactory.com .

(le t)Sunbeam Zombie

Acrylic on canvas11" x 14"


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Maya Pope-Chappell : Why did

you choose an obscure wordlike Penumbra as the title ofyour play?Fascious : Penumbra, meaninga shadow of a shadow, hasa lot to do with ancestry andpresent individuality. For me, it

has a lot to do with my familyand identifying who I am asa person in the context of mylife. [It is also] a shadow of fourplays that Im writing aboutmy life.

MPC : In the play, you deal with

the balance between mascu-linity and femininity and whatthose terms have meant inyour life. How did you come tounderstand manhood?F: My father was in jail fromwhen I was eight to 13, which

is a key time for puberty so Ikind of had to discover whatI believed manhood wasthrough a woman. And kindaunderstand what it means tobe a woman rst and thenbuild on my manhood. [In

Combining poetry, hip-hop theater, and dance, Anthony Fas-

cious Martinez recently debuted the revised version o hisone-man musical called Penumbra at Te New York InternationalFringe Festival (FringeNYC), an annual multi-arts event. De-scribed by one woman as Shakespeare on speed, Fascious start-ed working on the play at 16 but has spent the past year revisingthe original script with Director Shidan Majidi. Using variousaesthetics to share his story, Fascious discovered that art was notonly a means o expression, but a means through which he woulddiscover his manhood, attempt reconciliation with his estranged

ather, and express eelings rom the stage that he couldn't shareace to ace.

I sat down with Fascious just be ore his debut at FringeNYC totalk about Penumbra and the power o the arts.

SHADOW OF A SHADOW An Interview with Fascious by Maya Pope-Chappell


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An Interview with Fascious


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An Interview with Fasciou

Penumbra], I analyze speci -cally my relationship with myfather and grandfather and mymother and grandmother and

the parallels and the differ-ences I've been able to takefrom them.

MPC : Being that Penumbra isso personal for you, what isthe toughest part of the play to

perform?We [my father and I] gothrough this serious incidentthat's described in the play,where my father was shot atsix times by an off duty cor-rectional of cer right in front

of me, my little sister and my

uncle. It was in broad daylight

in a park in front of a lot oflittle kids. One big point thatsmade is that throughout theprocess when my fathers shotand when were going to thehospital afterwards, he didntcry. Not once. Not in front of

me. As one who's gone to jailand had to live the life he livedgrowing up, it doesnt allowhim or many men to express

themselves in a way that issensitive or seems soft in anyway. MPC : What were your parentsreactions to the play?When I rst did the play, my

mom attended and my oldersister who I hadnt met untilI was 21. Ive never cried onstage. Ever. I get to this onepart in the play where Imtalking about my dad andI couldnt hold it. She [my

mother] really connected to

the piece and speaks to me

about it, which is really helpful.My father seen it on DVD andhe responded but he didnt getinto details about it. I say a lotin the play and I think thatskind of why I did it to say lookdad, theres something I want

...HE DIDN' CRY. NO ONCE.NO IN FRON OF ME.


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An Interview with Fascious

to sit down and speak to youabout but that didnt happen.I know whenever weve triedto get into serious discussions,

even back when I was in highschool, we would start to talkand then we would be quietbecause it was about to getemotional. He would stop andchange the subject and wewould never nish our conver -

sation. Hes never addressedit directly which is kinda whatI wanted.

MPC : It must be hard to shareso much of yourself on stage.

What is that like?Every aspect of my life istough because its my lifethat Im sharing and thesepeople are alive. Every linethat I write in my play, I haveto be cognizant of how it will

resonate when the personhears it. I dont want to exploitanybody but at the same time,Im trying to be as true as I

can. And sometimes its brutaltruth. But then theres multipleperspectives to every story soits just tough. My truth mayvary according to who's listen -ing to it. I just feel like this isa story that I have to tell and I

feel empowered through beingable to share it.

MPC : Why did you choose artto express your story?Taking on these different aes-

thetics [hip-hop, poetry, theaterand dance], clashing themtogether and using them totell my story has really helpedme develop as a person andas an artist. Truthfully, art isa lot of what saved my life. I

I WAS OPENING UP IN A WAY HA I'VE NEVER OPENED UP PERSONALLY. AND AR DOESHA I 'S LIKE GOING HROUGH HERAPY

EVERY IME YOU'RE ON S AGE


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An Interview with Fasciou

was opening up in a way thatI've never opened up person -ally. And art does that. You tellstrangers what you wouldn't

tell family members. Its likegoing through therapy every

time you're on stage.

For more info about Penumbra orupcoming shows, check out

www.Fascious.com .


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resenting a perspective you

might be unfamiliar withNone of us are all knowing, butto be blinded is not blissJust ask a patient with glau-coma.

So only with dialog can weraise the veil of ignoranceand better understand eachother, because to over-standyou or vice versawould mean supremacy and Ibeg to differ

Be it white or the Asiatic black

man theory, not really downwith thatRacism has never been justabout hate but the effects of itIts not just about skin but thedivisions caused by itIts about privilege and those

who are to blind to see itIts about those who dream America and those who actu-ally live it

With a distinctive in ection and uniquecontent my work represents an intrinsicoutlet. For more on ayo's work visitwww.ayoinmotion.com .

It would be easy if issues of

race were in just black andwhite

At least we wouldn't have tobother with colorIt's telling, visions of a betterworldlike when I lived in an elemen -

tary school worldconfronting convention, ignor-ing color lines and lovingthe amalgamation of pink, blue,yellow, brown or lack there off

That's the beauty of crayola And even when I becameaware, I wasn't consciousTill 14 years old in Americamade me realize racismexistedWanting to ignore the signsbut the prejudicial encounterspersisted

And at this very point in thisvery poem, I'll rather not remi -nisceOr re-present story lines youmight be familiar withI am more interested in rep -

REFLEC IONS ON RACE FROM ANOU SIDER'S PERSPEC IVE Ayodele Alli


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HA HOUSEMary DeYoe

his hands Goddammit!and pretended I wasnt in the

room. And I think he knewthat I was pretending to do thesame,because so rarely was oursilence ever breached.

Now, the walls in that houseare tempting like the body.When no ones around Ill lookbehind the mapsand portraits and faded schoolart;and Ill marvel at the damage.Like lifting up a t-shirtto studyshadowy skin between ribs,Ill study every inchof deterioration,and Ill study every pieceof aking paint

Mary DeYoe works at the University ofMichigan Museum of Art and currentlylives in Ann Arbor. Shes also a photog-rapher so check out her photos onwww. ickr.com/photos/marydeyoe .

Usually it started small,then a glass would hit

down on the table, hardand quiver the milk in our Kix.

Certain kinds of yelling areworse than others.When they cried we couldhear itbecause it drippedthrough the kitchen ceiling which was also the oor oftheir bedroom.The other kind, meaner,was like a hollow boom,ricocheting off the walls like the way the door didafter Dad slammed it open sohardthat it skipped the springingdoorstop,and left a handle imprint perfect and round,

or like the time he dodgeda vase of roses,and glass burstinches from the moldingthen skidded like marblesacross the oor.

After which Dad smacked


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NYCOMMU ERSClay Williams


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CROSSING (pgs. 52-53)The bicycle rider is just a detail among the lines and curves of theWilliamsburg bridge, an intricate backdrop from the front windowof the J Train.

ESCALATING (right)Following the idea of the people in the periphery, the passengerahead of me leaving the station is fading out of the frame. He'snothing but a pair of legs in the distance.

WAITING (pgs. 56-57)My counterpart, a stranger, waits for the uptown subway trainwhile I wait for the downtown local train. I don't know him or wherehe's headed or why. And I only see him through the lter of theexpress train, which burst through the platform between us.

GRASPING (pgs. 58-59)

On a crowded train during the height of rush hour, a disembodiedhand grips a pole directly in my line of sight. The fact that there'sanother person attached to it is irrelevant.

Clay Williams is a photographer and blogger based in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.He shoots and writes about food, travel and the urban life. View more of hisphotos at www.ultraclay.com .

Clay Williams

Everyday in New York City, we travel commuting past hundredsor even thousands o people a day. But we never really catch aglimpse or get a sense o who they are and what surrounds them.Instead o trying to see it all and overload our senses with whoand whats around us, we flter it out, except or what lies in ront

o us. Our ocus is preoccupied with our electronic devices or eventhoughts o work or home, simply oblivious to the world aroundus. Tis was my inspiration or the photos o commuters travelingon the New York City subway. I wanted to capture the peripheryo their surroundings, what we see when we flter and detachwhats around us rom any context.


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Using an improvisational method, I apply the paint with alter-native tools such as palette knives and spatulas. Tis techniquegives the canvas a highly textured sur ace as layers o paint areapplied to build the image. While painting, Im constantly adapt-ing and looking or new directions to move the painting. Tedevelopment o the picture mirrors the evolution o landscapeas paint accumulates, pushing against and building upon theprevious layers. Te painting is in a constant state o change andgrowth until completion.

MAKING AN IMPRESSIONMichael Sorgatz

(right)Shoreline

Acrylic on canvas12" x 16

Michael Sorgatz is an artist, graphic designer and founder of the website www. Artin-Brooklyn.com . To see more of his artwork, visit www.MikeSorgatz.com .


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Michael Sorgatz


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Michael Sorga

Across the Lake Acrylic on canvas16" x 20"

Image Details


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Michael Sorgatz


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Michael Sorga

Image Details

Cherry rees Acrylic on canvas24" x 30"


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Infnite Playlist was an idea

Ive had or a while but it onlystarted taking shape in thepast ew months. Te variousincarnations were scrapped because I never elt the songstold a story through themusical selection. So without

urther delay, this is the inau-

gural version. Infnite Playlistis a compilation o songs thatare connected by a commontheme.

Te frst chapter is titled Te King and I , in honor o the lateMichael Jackson. I rememberwatching Triller or thefrst time and begging mymom to get me the red leather jacket. Eventually, she decidedto listen to me and bought the jacket. I thought I was coolerthan the Fonz in my jacket.

Enjoy the compilation o 15songs rom Mike (not yson,Jordan, but Jackson) thatnormally aren't the go-totracks people play when they break out the glitter glove and

edora.

INFINI E PLAYLIS : Chapter 1Te King and I Atiba . Edwards


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Infnite Playlist: Chapter 1

Te King and I

1. Childhood (HIStory Continues)

2. Music and Me (Music and Me)

3. Te Love You Save (Te Jackson 5's ABC)

4. Say Say Say w/ Paul McCartney (Paul McCartney's Pipes o Peace)

5. Working Day and Night (Of the Wall)

6. Baby Be Mine (Triller)7. Just Good Friends eat. Stevie Wonder (Bad)

8. Maria (Got o Be Tere)

9. Tis ime Around eat. Te Notorious B.I.G. (HIStory Continues)

10. In Te Closet (Dangerous)

11. Morphine (Blood on the Dance Floor)

12. Privacy (Invincible)

13. One Day In Your Li e (Forever, Michael)

14. Ben (Ben)

15. HIStory (HIStory Continues)

(le t)Painting by Riz22


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Te King of Pop Acrylic on canvas18" x 24"

As a tribute to the legendMichael Jackson, Buahas completed his mostinspired piece to date:

The King of Pop. Grow -ing up as a B-boy in NewYork City's Upper WestSide, Bua, like others whogrew up during the birthof hip-hop, was not onlyinspired by Michael's style,but viewed him as an iconwho greatly contributed tothe acceptance of the hip-hop culture by mainstream

America. In Bua's words,

Michael not only broughtdance to the streets butunited the people throughhis music and moves.

In his painting, Michaelis depicted on stage, the place he felt most at home, striking a classicMichael Jackson pose. Bua references Michael's glowing socks from Off the Wall , as well as the trademark gloved hand and armband. I wanted topaint Michael to preserve the side of him most young people today over-look, his talent. Michael was the greatest performer ever. He will alwayslive through his music, his performances, and hopefully now my painting.We love you Michael.

For more information, please visit www.justinbua.com .

COVER AR : HE KING OF POPJustin Bua


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INSIGHT Magazine | Issue #19