ONTARIO, CA, May 31, 2011 – The crowd gathered recently at Westwood College in Ontario would agree that a recent exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles featuring street art is proof that it’s becoming a socially accepted form of art. Westwood College was the location host of 10th Blackbook Sessions, a free and public art event and contest featuring professional artists showing off their skills and sharing inspiring stories. More than 750 people attended the event, many of them students who submitted artwork for the Blackbook Sessions art contest.
Through a series of enrichment programs, Blackbook Sessions introduces professional artists to students from elementary school through college. The group plans events featuring artists who share their talents through demonstrations and also interact with the crowd sharing personal accounts of their experiences in the art world and how street artists today can do incredible things for their communities.
“We want young artists to know that if they excel in this art form, they can make a true profession out of it and they can be an asset to their communities,” said Eric Martinez, founder, Blackbook Sessions. “We also want kids to know success of any kind takes dedication and commitment and a solid education and training will help bring all the pieces together for a budding artist.”
The 10th Blackbook Sessions event included a series of participatory workshops and art demonstrations by well-known graffiti, comic book, fine art and computer artists including Jeff Mcmillan, Jeff Soto, MURAL, Munk One and MAXX242 to name a few. The highlight of the day however, was the display and judging of winners of the Blackbook Sessions10 art contest.
Roughly 50 artists ages nine to 25, brought their work to the event for judging. Awards were provided to the top three artists in three age categories and the Director’s Choice award went to the overall winner.
The Directors Choice award winner and the winner of the 18-25 year old category now have the opportunity to receive a scholarship to Westwood College for the school of design’s visual communications program. This scholarship will be funded by both Blackbook Sessions and Westwood College. The two organizations have previously awarded two other scholarships to winning students.
Also throughout the day, attendees had the chance to interact with 20 artists who painted on canvases and a 6’8” x 30’ graffiti wall. The final artwork painted on canvases will be auctioned off at a later silent auction event with proceeds supporting future
Blackbook Sessions.
Numerous companies support the mission of the Black Book Sessions through sponsorships and donations of time and resources including Hybrid Apparel, Art Supply Warehouse, Hart and Huntington, The Wild Ones, Famous Stars and Straps, Tilly's, SGX Media and Stussy.
For more information about Black Book Sessions, or to see photos from the event, visit www.facebook.com/blackbookworld. For more information about Westwood College, visit www.westwood.edu.