Look Back to BRIC "Art Into Music"

So I just realized as I am getting ready for the show at Superchief show that I never put up the final images from the BRIC Arts Media House show I created an Installation for in February... there is some great press coverage on it from Fecal Face and Juxtapoz from the show and the opening.  Many thanks to the trio at BRIC of Jenny Gerow, Elizabeth Ferrer, and Eric Araujo for making it all happen, and Space Meow for performing live inside the piece at the opening.  The Juggs Band with Kareem Bunton will be performing at the close on April 27th.  Here are pics of the final product and the opening.

TONIGHT! Feb 19th "Art Into Music" @ BRIC in Brooklyn, New York City

So tonight I am in a group show at an AMAZZZZIINNGGGG art institution called BRIC Arts Media House on Fulton Street in Brooklyn's Fort Greene (my favorite place in the world) neighborhood.  I am so honored and feel so blessed to be a part of this show and to be given the opportunity to come back to NYC to give back to the city that raised me after a long journey of transformation and change.  The piece I created is in fact called "Gratitude and Transformation(s)", fittingly enough as I have been hoping and praying for an opportunity to give back to this place, especially this area of Brooklyn where I spent so many important years, for a long time.  Many thanks to Elizabeth Ferrer and Jenny Gerow at BRIC, and huge thanks to Eric Araujo, whom I have known through this art life struggle since 2006, for getting the ball rolling and getting me into this historic event at BRIC.  I am one lucky cat and I went Hard.  As they say in the Bay Area, I WENT HELLA HARD! Hahahahha. The piece took about a week to create.  It is made with mostly reclaimed and repurposed materials from Brooklyn and Queens and truly is a living act of gratitude to this place.

Also a special performance by my friends Space Meow will occur on the stage built into the installation.  I have been looking forward to working with Space Meow for some time now and it is going to be EPIC!   They go on at 9pm.   At the end of the show my good friend Kareem Bunton's awesome blues rock band The Juggs will also perform and they always throw down!

The Opening is tonight, Wednesday Feb. 19th, from 7-9:30 pm.  BRIC is at 647 Fulton Street and will be awesome.  We will be heading to Frank's Lounge afterward for an intimate after party with the artists and friends and such!  Gonna be awesome so swing by.  The show will run through April 27th so make sure to check it out if you are in the area.   Here are some photos of the production of my site specific installation, I can't wait to drop the images with the Space Meow set up on the stage...also the press release is attached at the end of this blog post.

Also I got the chance to hang out with Ken South Rock's Ken Minami and Adam Amram last week as well as Matt Reilly from Japanther.  Here are some photos of their forest cave in Bushwick with treehouses, mini ramp, silk screen set up, and all...It's been an amazing trip.  I'll be back in a few days with a NYC wrap up!

BRIC ART INTO MUSIC PR 021414_FINAL

Thanks for tuning in!- JFAIII

Back at SFO headed to JFK...Traveling and Watching.

So here I sit, back at SFO. 9 months ago I was literally sitting in the same part fo the same terminal getting ready to embark on my amazing trip to Japan.The photo above is from "Bright on Time" with my buddy Kyok Chan.  It is now 8:24 PST and I will be flying into JFK at 7:50 EST should everything go according to plan.  I just ate some sushi, forwent the fries and burger, no soda but instead green tea, and here I sit not wasting my time staring off into space nor blankly looking at instagram.  And to think all of this was in no way possible less than three years ago. Why?

Three years ago I couldn't even get to the airport without being loaded on any number of alcoholic beverages and an array drugs.  I couldn't sit in the airport, nor on the plane without ingesting a continuos flow of booze to numb the inherent fear that I lived in and keep the detox in all of its demonic glory far far away.  I never honestly knew that there was a different "way to fly" back then, and more importantly didn't understand that this was not a way to live but rather a way to die.

This is from Twist's Mid Career Survey at BAM.

So now here I sit, typing to you the reader, thinking about my first steps when I arrive in the city that raised me.  Mike's Coffee Shop or John's Donut?  How will I react to the cold?  Where will I stay tomorrow night, Pete's house or Mikey's?  The issues needing solutions that arise today are in no way even close to ones I once faced, and amazingly enough every single decision I make now brings me further along in a life that I could have never imagined.  The life I live today is truly beyond my wildest dreams and I sometimes have to stop and breath it in to make sure I am not dreaming.

That's my dog Sammie Doodle in North Carolina at the homestead

Tonight D Young V, Hugh Leeman, and Eddie Colla have a spectacular group show at 111 Minna.  A triumph in its own right because 111 Minna does not play when it comes to their art shows.  They are fortunate to be there and 111 Minna is fortunate to have them.  Chris Burch just had his show in St. Louis open a couple weeks ago and big ups to him and all of the Screwed Arts Crew.  Also Mike Giant is having a spectacular opening tonight at Fecal Face Gallery, and I wish I could be there to meet him and hang with John and Rachel and everyone there.  Lots of amazing things happening, but I am so blessed and so grateful to go home and show Brooklyn that I am ready and willing to give back something great to its history of art and culture.  BRIC here I come, Eric Araujo and I are going to make a truly memorable installation piece.  This year is really off with a bang and I hope to see everyone I know doing like a Raekwon and "Striving for Perfection".

Over and Out!  -John Felix Arnold III 02/07/2014

It's insane that this picture is from REAL LIFE!!!! This is the in the 2KM long Okuno-in graveyard on Koyasan Mountain in Japan.  These are statues that pray for the sould of dead children.  This place is magic.  Life is amazing.

Eric Araujo Presents "Hole Up" Tonight at Littlefield : Brooklyn : NY

Littlefield 622 Degraw St. Brooklyn, NY

Opening 6-9pm

Eric Araujo is one of the most solid individuals I have ever met.  I don't say that lightly.  He is highly intelligent, driven, has his feet planted firmly on the ground, and makes incredibly well executed, thought provoking, and interesting art.  I met him at SFAI during my one year of grad school there, and we immediately became friends due to our mutual inability to understand the West Coast given our native East Coast upbringings (LOL).  We have remained friends and peers in this crazy art world, and he was instrumental in helping orchestrate the show "Eat Peter to Feed Paul" with Christopher Burch in myself in Brooklyn this past March 1st.  So with that being said, he has a brilliant show opening tonight at one of my favorite Brooklyn destinations, Julie Kim's Littlefield venue and art space.  Big congrats goes out to Eric for this show and I look forward to seeing it unveiled this evening.  Eric is going to go many places in lands afar with his no bullshit work ethic, forward moving attitude, and incredible bubbling talent.  And just as a heads up about the guy, I don't usually say this but its important to me, the dude can draw his ass off!!! I am not sure if he is going to have drawings in this show, but for the record, dude can truly use a pencil and paper!  Good luck with all of your future endeavors sir.  All the info for the show is explained and listed int he press release below.  Also check out his site at http://ericaraujo.com/archivesite/home.html