PARADIGM SHIFT

Mindful Art for the Real Times is going on a break. A trip to India is in order to learn the ancient philosophy of yoga. Variety is the spice of life. Stay tuned for some schemes in the near future! 

Salvage 4 Mart @ Espresso Royale (April, 2008)

Welcome to My Space

Exhibition @ the Middle East Club in Cambridge on 10-26-07 for the Boston One Voice Echo, an event to support peace efforts between the Palestinians and Israelis.

...exhibition theme:

You may call it Mecca, the Holy Land or Bethlehem. Walden Pond if you're a Transcendentalist. Atheist? Agnostic? You have yours, too. It just might be that hidden bench from [your town here] that over looks a dazzling view...where certain things happened that you'd never tell your Mom about. All of these exemplify the sacred spaces where people from all backgrounds congregate, collide, and make attempts to coincide. Despite the collage of footprints amongst our own that blaze trails along our little wedges of sanctity, we still have managed to root some part of ourselves into the soil. As time grows on, this patch of land becomes sentimental. This art exhibit explores the concept of Jerusalem and other "Holy Lands" that people have cultivated as their own. These spaces are not about the land or sea, but the seeds of identity, belonging, and history (ancestral or personal) that we have planted within them. The exhibit brings to the viewer's consciousness a glimpse of the complexities that come with sharing one's own space for the sake of peace.

S*MART @ Boston Convention Center

Salvage for MART is an exhibition designed for Massachusetts Power Shift, a 4-day event on climate change that took place at Boston University (www.masspowershift.org). Salvage for MART showcases environmentally sustainable art created from eco-friendly mediums. Mediums have always been a reflection of the lifestyle and culture in which the art was made. Now in an age where there is a global array of material to choose from, the freedom to create art from innovative yet unsustainable and even toxic materials is a temptation. However, there is a new culture emerging amongst the wasteful, unsustainable culture of the past. As artists in this exhibition choose nature-based mediums over unsustainable products, they set an example for others: they pave the way for a new generation of creative, mindful thinkers who are ready to make the shift to greener lifestyles, and preserve the world for generations to come.

*A warm thanks to all the artists for their generous contributions:  Alex Brown, Scott Cahaly, Allison Gay, Shawna Handke, Elissa Hine, Laura Marotta, Markus Nechay, Alexis Ogg, Yumi Roussin, Boris Savic, Anya Smolnikova, Amy Swart, and Percy Fortini-Wright

What is MART?

If artists carry the power to decide what is beautiful, they also carry the power to decide what matters. MART is not just any art coalition - it is a tool for social change. Here at MART, we aspire to give artists the opportunity to explore their creativity and provide art as an alternative knowledge-producer and awareness-attractor  to issues that concern life on this planet. MART believes artists have the ability to reach out to their viewers on an honest and intuitive level, and compel them to become compassionate, responsible citizens of the world. MART designs exhibitions for conferences and benefits that align with current issues of injustice. We work to create a haven for the local community to exchange ideas, and solutions for change in a stimulating setting: intellectually, creatively, and spiritually. Mindful Art, created for the present moment, the Real Times: a time to heal, to reveal, appeal, and steal from those stuffy galleries and fat ego'd art dealers straight to the hearts of the people. We aim to empower and inspire artists to become catalysts for positive change in their worlds. Art is an indispensable part of any social movement - MART propels this belief into action. And it begins with you. 

"THE REVOLUTION INTRODUCED ME TO ART, AND IN TURN, ART INTRODUCED ME TO THE REVOLUTION!"

~Albert Einstein

*MART began as the art branch of Students4Peace, a grassroots nonprofit in Boston (www.students4peace.org). Special thanks for S4P for planting the seed.