INSIGHT Volume II Issue 3

VOLUME II | ISSUE 3 WWW.ONEFOKUS.ORG/INSIGHT

Founded in the summer of 2003 by Alma Davila-Toro and Atiba T. Edwards, F.O.K.U.S. was created to form diverse communities and support the arts in various ways, including concerts, workshops, art shows, film screenings and our magazine, INSIGHT. We believe the arts enable people to rise above barriers in society as evidenced in the diverse audiences that attend our events.

F.O.K.U.S. brings together art forms, both traditional and non-traditional, to expand the views on what is considered art.

CONTENTS

Volume II | Issue 3 02 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 03 STREET STYLE 04 THE BEAUTY OF IT ALL 06 TO MAKE A CITY BREATHE 16 CARVE ART 20 A MODERN MAN 28 CREATION OUT OF DYSFUNCTION 34 THE RITUAL OF TONGUE 36 MONSTER MASH 44 SHADOW OF A SHADOW 50 REFLECTIONS ON RACE FROM AN OUTSIDER'S PERSPECTIVE 51 THAT HOUSE 52 NYCOMMUTERS 60 MAKING AN IMPRESSION 66 INFINITE PLAYLIST 68 COVER ART: THE KING OF POP

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-CHAPPELL

Maya 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 ALBERT

Jeff 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/INSIGHT CONTACT US! Questions and comments: info@onefokus.org Submission inquiries: insightsubmit@onefokus.org Advertising inquiries: ads@onefokus.org 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. Opinions expressed in articles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of F.O.K.U.S. or its subsidaries.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Volume II | Issue 3

I'm a 1984 baby. I never witnessed the moonwalk live on T.V. or watched the premiere of Thriller. But Michael Jackson captured my attention in the same way that he captured so many before me. As a preschooler, I fondly remember my teacher playing Michael Jackson’s Bad on the record player as my preschool buddies and I danced ourselves into afternoon naptime.

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

With an extraordinary career that spanned 45 years, Michael Jackson was the epitome of art. From his timeless tunes to his signature dance moves, Michael’s musical genius captivated millions around the world, creating indelible memories.

To commemorate the life of the King of Pop, we reached out to Justin Bua to provide the cover of this issue. Atiba T. Edwards also unveils the first Infinite Playlist, a collection of MJ songs that don’t get as much airplay.

This issue features a sit down with Anthony “Fascious” Martinez who talks about his one-man play Penumbra and the power of the arts in telling his own personal story. Markus Ward caught up with modern furniture designer Hugh Acton in a sophisticated Q&A called “A Modern Man.” Like the varying opinions on Michael as a person and as an artist, this issue also presents varying opinions on the statement “Art is…,” as we feature art from from acrylic on canvas to comic books and much more.

Art is…Michael Jackson

Maya Pope-Chappell

02 | INSIGHT

Photo by Mikey Wydra

STREET STYLE

“BIG FUN!” – Jermaine Jagger, Brooklyn NY

THE BEAUTY OF IT ALL A.L. “Toni” Anderson

A good friend of mine has many artistic talents. I know she enjoys writing; we took more than one writing class together over the years. We joined at least three book clubs together, and her love for words is as great as mine. Her love for the arts, however, has far exceeded mine on many levels. She collects masks and drawings and she makes quilts, none of which holds more than a passing interest for me.

Recently my friend started talking about making jewelry and taking jewelry-making classes. To myself, I thought this was the same passing fancy that we all had in high school, when we used copper wire and African beads and designed our own earrings (none of which I can find now).

It was not until I saw a display she had put together outside of an acquaintance’s store that I realized how serious she was about this. Her love for things 4 | INSIGHT

artistic has turned into a thing of beauty – or many things of beauty. I could see that she had been working painstakingly on her craft for a while. Not just talking about it, but being about it. It was as though the beauty I always knew she had on the inside had manifested itself in her jewelry.

My friend asked me to help her come up with a name unique to her jewelry-making business, one that would also be appropriate as she branches out into other endeavors. I am still thinking about that one, and it is never far from my mind. I am reminded of a certain character in 70s television who referred to himself as an “artiste.” She is that, and more. Her business cards say “craftswoman” but I am not quite sure that fully covers it.

I hope I am lucky enough to help her come up with the winning name, one that reflects not only her many talents, but

the beauty of all that she does and is.

A. L. “Toni� Anderson is a life-long lover of reading and writing. She currently works for the City of Oakland, CA, where she spends much of her day editing documents, putting her English degree to use.

TO MAKE A CITY BREATHE S.I.R Pierre

At the opening of the classic Black Star and Common collaboration “Respiration,” a haunting voice beckons, “escuchela, la ciudad respirando” (listen, the city is breathing). On the track, the rappers discuss the reciprocal nature of city life, how residents bring the city to life as the city shapes the lives of its residents.

This concept, that cities are living organisms, always intrigued me.

Listen…Volume 1: Death is the first in a series of illustrated novels that show the ways residents of New York City make it breathe.

Volume 1 explores the literal and metaphoric deaths that occur daily within the city, each chapter examining a night in the life of its characters. Detective Sean Hogan suffers the death of his reality when he finds his mistress in bed with another man; a young couple, trapped by a Nor’Easter, face the death of their relationship; Young Gabriel faces the death of his sexual identity; Sincere, a burgeoning journalist, witnesses the death of opportunity that leads to the current status of a young prostitute; another character, stranded in Queens, faces the death of his dignity as he searches for a public restroom.

Featuring unique artwork, the stories are interconnected, each chapter taking place in different boroughs. Between chapters, Bubsy the narrator details the themes of the upcoming chapter and 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, artwork, video and more.

6 | INSIGHT

S.I.R Pierre

AN EXCERPT FROM LISTEN…VOLUME 1: DEATH “I’ll 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 mind and he wouldn’t stop. I heard the screams and took care of things.”

Floating between hues of consciousness, she wants to tell him how much she hates Sandra, how much more she values his love than Randy’s physical gifts, how much she yearns to have Sean for herself, how she regrets ever having Elena, the shame of being his secret concubine.

Her thoughts and counter arguments escape in a barrage of mumbled screams through the gag and vomit. Why isn’t she nodding? She doesn’t want it? She doesn’t think I’ll kill her? Was he that important to her? The emotional baggage she has been carrying for so long tumbles through her sockets in a deluge of tears.

She’s crying again? I don’t believe this bitch would rather die than carry this lie out with me.

“Keep crying bitch! You won’t be doing much of anything in a little while.” Blood streaks along the knife’s blade as he removes it from his back pocket. When she sees this, she’ll know I’m serious. She’ll have to go along after that. “I always knew you spic bitches were good for nothing more than a fuck, but I fell for you… bitch, I put my career on the line for you…you betrayed me…with a fucking nigger? In my house? My fuckin’ house bitch!” The knife approaches her chest, indenting the flesh of her left breast before the pressure is relieved. I can’t believe she would rather die with him than live with me. Her body starving for fresh oxygen, her eyes begin closing to slits as the room becomes quiet.

Elena’s 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 her surge piercing her left breast, cracking her chest bone and puncturing her heart.

10 | INSIGHT

CARVE ART Brad Fehl

Brad Fehl

AMERICAN MORNING PUMPKIN (pgs. 16-17) The American Morning pumpkin was commissioned by CNN for The American Morning Show in October 2008. The show is shot in New York City and overlooks Columbus Circle, so I was inspired by what was around and before me – man-made structures and nature in the midst of all the concrete and steel. With the skyscrapers and the Empire State Building as a major symbol, what better way to define an American Morning than to have a sunrise complement the composition? I’ve experimented with different types of pumpkins over the years and found that foam works best for carving. The spiderwebs on both sides were the final touch to pull the whole thing together, balancing the piece and giving viewers more to take in (and get scared by!).

SCARY TREE WITH PUMPKIN (right) Halloween can be about dark starry nights, trees that transform from 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 life and tell their stories. Nothing more natural than combining these inspirations and carving a scary tree holding a pumpkin, where the pumpkin itself might be scary or terrified 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 other forms of mixed media. Contact him at bfehl2002@yahoo.com.

18 | INSIGHT

A MODERN MAN

An Interview with Hugh Acton

by Markus Ward

Modern design in furniture seemed to arise as a resistance to the highly decorative, baroque, wooden antiques we now see in old paintings and estate sales. As the world moved towards a more industrial society in the mid 1850's, new techniques and materials were available to designers.

By the middle of the 20th century the idea of mass-produced furniture was a reality and allowed unlimited creativity. Designers now embraced metal, plywood, and other modern materials and used them in designs that embraced simplicity and sparseness. Many of the iconic pieces of modern design date back to the 1950's, yet the blatant minimalism and sleek appearance still make them look as though they are made for a future world not yet realized. Modernism has become the haute design of this new world with furniture stores such as Design Within Reach bringing these pieces back to life with the designer and back story at the forefront.

Hugh Acton is one of these designers who has thrived in modernist design for over half a century. One of his earliest design pieces, a bench, is a modernist icon that represents the mix between nature and machine. Using thin slats of wood and steel legs with no joints, the piece seemed to control the wood and respect it.

I spoke with Acton about his feelings towards modernism, the inspiration behind his work, and how he finds creativity in having restrictions as well as complete freedom in his work.

20 | INSIGHT

An Interview with Hugh Acton

Markus Ward: Modernism was such a niche culture, but now it has become more mainstream. How do you feel about America's adoption of modernism half a century after its creation?

Hugh Acton: A good design project has value because it seems to answer a problem from one decade to another.

Those problems do not change.

These pieces have a shelf life that seems to outlast that of

“

on.

MW: So the basis of your work is paring down the excesses of design in furniture?

HA: Yes, first you have to clarify the purpose [of the piece] and that's very philosophical.

In a way it's very Socratic. To eliminate the unnecessary and find the reason for life, and that's what modern design does.

IN A WAY IT'S VERY SOCRATIC. TO ELIMINATE THE UNNECESSARY AND FIND THE REASON FOR LIFE, AND THAT'S WHAT MODERN DESIGN DOES the designer. Almost all of the products reissued by Design Within Reach were made by someone who is long gone. I feel like the shelf life of these products haven't even reached half life. So if you design a good product, it is applicable forever. Keep design simple, keep the production simple, and it seems to just go on and 22 | INSIGHT

”

MW: Do you see the modernism movement of the 1950’s as an offensive type of design attacking the traditional, conservative Americana of that decade?

HA: All modern design is the elimination of the superfluous, and trying to be direct in solving a problem. Modern design is nothing more to me than

An Interview with Hugh Acton

doing things right.

MW: Did you view your design as somewhat of a challenge against the frills and pillows of the suburban life?

HA: (Hugh interrupts, smiling) The fluffy life is almost all illusionary. The trouble with it is that the house is so fluffed they make no room for art.

You must understand what good art is. Take for instance a lamp. Most people want to make a lamp a sculpture but they're confusing the purpose of the lamp with art. So for me what you do is paint all the walls white. Make the house cold and inhuman and then humanize it with art. Make it so simple that it begs for art.

MW: When designing a new piece, what is the inspiration behind the materials you use or the small design details?

HA: All of my pieces have a sort of common denominator of connections. The studs in my uprights [shelving units] are the same studs that run

through my bench. An inspiration for my furniture is to find economy in common denominators such as material.

MW: Was there ever an epochal piece of design or architecture that inspired you?

HA: (Hugh gives a long pause) Umm. Well I liked Harry Bertoia [renowned modern furniture designer and sculptor]. He did wire chairs and he also did sculptures. He's a little like I am today only his work is much better. He also did fountains with puddling brass and hanging metal that rang when the wind blew through.

Well when you heat brass it's a heavy metal, and he died very young because of his sculpturing activity. Nothing in particular about his work inspired me just the fact that he was such a good furniture designer and could do these sculptures.

The latitude of his genius was amazing and he never limited himself.

MW: Your furniture has such INSIGHT | 23

An Interview with Hugh Acton

simple lines and joints while you could say your sculpture is the opposite of that. Did you enjoy working without those restrictions?

HA: It’s like what I was saying about Bertoia. He made very simple furniture, but high technological use. He also did sculpture work, which was very loose. So what happens is if your creative the creativity it takes to have the common denominators to make a whole furniture line are the same common denominators that go into your sculpture. I use the same crushing technique, the same materials but the reality and dimensions is unlike any other.

MW: I guess your admiration of Bertoia and his versatility can illustrate your turn towards your current endeavor, which is metal sculpture and jewelry production.

HA: The important thing was I still wanted to keep busy. It was so easy for me to play with sculpture. I had some old 26 | INSIGHT

copper laying around and I started bending it and someone said, “Hey, that's nice can you make me one?” And pretty soon I have people all over wanting my copper sculpture.

Then, of course, the jewelry was something I did for my wife and then again someone asked and then I'm making jewelry for everybody. Next thing I know I was making hundreds of thousands of frames for my daughter (who is a renowned jewelry maker with 65 galleries dealing her products).

Now I have someone making those frames for me so that’s cotton caked my life. You do these things to amuse yourself and they become a work of art.

And art has a life of its own.

MW: Would you say there is an abstract expressionist quality to your work?

HA: When you make a sculpture you have a certain relationship with the material. You find there is a communication between you and what you are doing. Mentally [the piece] is

An Interview with Hugh Acton

telling you don't do anymore.

MW: Like Jackson Pollack [seminal abstract expressionist painter] with his canvases.

There's this chaos and then it's over.

HA: Yes, but I usually like to keep them around for a little bit to see if they want me to do anything else. Some of them say they aren't comfortable and I try to make them more comfortable. There is a communication.

MW: Your home contains mostly your own work both furniture and art. Would you say you design for yourself or some hypothetical consumer?

HA: Well...both. Originally, my work, it answered solutions that satisfied some of my own

requirements and once I designed something that worked the way I wanted it to it was applicable to a variety of uses.

Once I answered my needs I found that my needs seem to have a certain universal possibility that wasn't answered.

Each of my shelves have pieces that can modify and drop down so the consumer can move and utilize it to their needs.

MW: So each one of your pieces is unique?

HA: I couldn't replicate them if I wanted to.

Markus Ward is a freelance writer and undergraduate student at Michigan State University. He resides in East Lansing, MI. Email him at wardmar3@ msu.edu.

INSIGHT | 27

CREATION OUT OF DYSFUNCTION Levester Williams

I grew up in a “dysfunctional” family plagued by drugs, violence, greed and abandonment. My parents were not around, drugs captivated and distorted the mind-sets of my relatives, and there was no hope given to me as a child growing up in a poverty stricken environment. These factors have inspired my artwork, an expression of my feelings about family values in today’s society. Through my artwork, I hope to give the viewer a glimpse of the importance of family in one’s life and how it should be treated with the utmost care.

Levester Williams is an undergraduate student majoring in Fine Art at the University of Michigan. To comment on his artwork, email him directly at penguinv@umich.edu.

(right) Avarice Acrylic on canvas

28 | INSIGHT

writing

(above) LifeHeldByAGamble Oil on canvas

30 | INSIGHT

(pgs. 32-33) Reachfulight Oil on canvas

INSIGHT | 31

32 | INSIGHT

INSIGHT | 33

THE RITUAL OF TONGUE Adam Falkner

Crowded ‘round a bottle trading chalk like teenage lipstick for the first time since the first time we misplaced virginity like lost and found house keys.

Today’s lesson: The pull-off parking lot on First Street in June, the smell of rum and too much perfume on collar bones bent like promise, like a summer we hadn’t met yet. We found midnight in our mouths on accident, on car hood, tongue clock-worked slow around warm half-moons of flesh and words we thought would make us grown as locker room, as man up body armor.

Grown as goose-chested, belt-notched back-and-forth nothings about everything that mattered at 16 like pussy and your name in the same sentence, like finish line tape made of good story and rumor, like war scar raised above head and nothing more. That shit was funny when we held manhood in our palms like lightening to prove its nectar in our spit 34 | INSIGHT

Adam Falkner

on First Street. We were shorthand notes of our broken fathers, learning the brail of body in the dark like Tennessee river licking grit from stone, and nothing more. Which is why when we never spoke about the streetlight or the dent in the hood of my father’s car or how scared we were of their letter-jacket boyfriends until now, crowded ‘round a bottle some 10 years later trading chalk like teenage lipstick for the first time since the first time we had a hunch there was something more, and it feels good to be home, to be accident to 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. Contact him at agfalk@gmail.com or friend him at www.myspace.com/afalkner.

INSIGHT | 35

MONSTER MASH Big Mike Amaral

(right) Beat Fink Acrylic, airbrush, sign painters 1-Shot on canvas board 14" x 18"

This piece of Beat Fink, the Beatnik monster playing bongo skull drums, features traditional style combined with the psychedelic monster feeling of a 60s Creepy Magazine Advertisement. An interesting thing about this artwork is that a friend who owns an auto body shop gave me the Sign Painters 1-Shot that was used for the background of this painting. The 1-Shot had been sitting on a shelf in the back room since the late 60's. It took a little chipping and peeling, but under the skin was a whole lot of fresh antique paint. (pg. 38) Tattoo Parlor Acrylic and airbrush on canvas 16" x 20"

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

36 | INSIGHT

Name of Author

writing

writing

Big Mike Amaral

(pg. 39) Tiki Drink Fink Acrylic and airbrush on canvas 16" x 20"

Nothing says kustom kulture or lowbrow like a nice tall Tiki mug filled 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 growing up such as Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, Pizz, and Stanley Mouse. I added my own style of “obsessive detailing” to the painting as opposed to the old school style of keeping it rather loose. (left) Surfenstein Acrylic and airbrush on canvas 16" x 20"

This painting features everyone's favorite monster, Frankenstein, doing the thing he loves doing the most, surfing. He completes his set then paddles off into the horizon. Any surfer or Frankenstein enthusiast will tell you, “He's out there man.”

INSIGHT | 41

Big Mike Amaral

(left) Sunbeam Zombie Acrylic on canvas 11" x 14"

Many people have written me telling me how sick or cool this painting is, but they usually end off the letter by telling me how they remember the comforting smell of a freshly opened loaf of Sunbeam, or how they recall the image of the Sunbeam girl painted on the side of the local convenience store. Even though this painting gives off the terror and excitement of a violent zombie invasion, the iconic imagery of the Sunbeam girl provides a very warming sense of nostalgia that we can all relate to. It really takes you 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.

INSIGHT | 43

SHADOW OF A SHADOW An Interview with Fascious

by Maya Pope-Chappell

Combining poetry, hip-hop theater, and dance, Anthony “Fascious” Martinez recently debuted the revised version of his one-man musical called Penumbra at The New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC), an annual multi-arts event. Described by one woman as “Shakespeare on speed,” Fascious started working on the play at 16 but has spent the past year revising the original script with Director Shidan Majidi. Using various aesthetics to share his story, Fascious discovered that art was not only a means of expression, but a means through which he would discover his manhood, attempt reconciliation with his estranged father, and express feelings from the stage that he couldn't share face to face.

I sat down with Fascious just before his debut at FringeNYC to talk about Penumbra and the power of the arts.

Maya Pope-Chappell: Why did you choose an obscure word like Penumbra as the title of your play?

Fascious: Penumbra, meaning a shadow of a shadow, has a lot to do with ancestry and present individuality. For me, it has a lot to do with my family and identifying who I am as a person in the context of my life. [It is also] a shadow of four plays that I’m writing about my life.

44 | INSIGHT

MPC: In the play, you deal with the balance between masculinity and femininity and what those terms have meant in your life. How did you come to understand manhood?

F: My father was in jail from when I was eight to 13, which is a key time for puberty so I kind of had to discover what I believed manhood was through a woman. And kinda understand what it means to be a woman first and then build on my manhood. [In

An Interview with Fascious

46 | INSIGHT

An Interview with Fascious

Penumbra], I analyze specifically my relationship with my father and grandfather and my mother and grandmother and the parallels and the differences I've been able to take from them.

me. As one who's gone to jail and had to live the life he lived growing up, it doesn’t allow him or many men to express themselves in a way that is sensitive or seems soft in any way.

MPC: Being that Penumbra is so personal for you, what is the toughest part of the play to perform?

We [my father and I] go through this serious incident that's described in the play, where my father was shot at six times by an off duty correctional officer right in front of me, my little sister and my

MPC: What were your parent’s reactions to the play?

When I first did the play, my mom attended and my older sister who I hadn’t met until I was 21. I’ve never cried on stage. Ever. I get to this one part in the play where I’m talking about my dad and I couldn’t hold it. She [my mother] really connected to

“

...HE DIDN'T CRY. NOT ONCE. NOT IN FRONT OF ME.

uncle. It was in broad daylight in a park in front of a lot of little kids. One big point that’s made is that throughout the process when my father’s shot and when we’re going to the hospital afterwards, he didn’t cry. Not once. Not in front of

”

the piece and speaks to me about it, which is really helpful.

My father seen it on DVD and he responded but he didn’t get into details about it. I say a lot in the play and I think that’s kind of why I did it to say ‘look dad, there’s something I want INSIGHT | 47

An Interview with Fascious

to sit down and speak to you about’ but that didn’t happen.

I know whenever we’ve tried to get into serious discussions, even back when I was in high school, we would start to talk and then we would be quiet because it was about to get emotional. He would stop and change the subject and we would never finish our conver-

“

resonate when the person hears it. I don’t want to exploit anybody but at the same time, I’m trying to be as true as I can. And sometimes it’s brutal truth. But then there’s multiple perspectives to every story so it’s just tough. My truth may vary according to who's listening to it. I just feel like this is a story that I have to tell and I

I WAS OPENING UP IN A WAY THAT I'VE NEVER OPENED UP PERSONALLY. AND ART DOES THAT…IT'S LIKE GOING THROUGH THERAPY EVERY TIME YOU'RE ON STAGE

sation. He’s never addressed it directly which is kinda what I wanted.

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

What is that like?

Every aspect of my life is tough because it’s my life that I’m sharing and these people are alive. Every line that I write in my play, I have to be cognizant of how it will 48 | INSIGHT

”

feel empowered through being able to share it.

MPC: Why did you choose art to express your story?

Taking on these different aesthetics [hip-hop, poetry, theater and dance], clashing them together and using them to tell my story has really helped me develop as a person and as an artist. Truthfully, art is a lot of what saved my life. I

An Interview with Fascious

was opening up in a way that I've never opened up personally. And art does that. You tell strangers what you wouldn't tell family members. It’s like going through therapy every

time you're on stage.

For more info about Penumbra or upcoming shows, check out www.Fascious.com.

INSIGHT | 49

Reflections on Race from an Outsider's Perspective Ayodele Alli

It would be easy if issues of race were in just black and white At least we wouldn't have to bother with color It's telling, visions of a better world like when I lived in an elementary school world confronting convention, ignoring color lines and loving the amalgamation of pink, blue, yellow, brown or lack there off

resenting a perspective you might be unfamiliar with None of us are all knowing, but to be blinded is not bliss Just ask a patient with glaucoma.

That's the beauty of crayola And even when I became aware, I wasn't conscious Till 14 years old in America made me realize racism existed Wanting to ignore the signs but the prejudicial encounters persisted

Be it white or the Asiatic black man theory, not really down with that Racism has never been just about hate but the effects of it It’s not just about skin but the divisions caused by it It’s about privilege and those who are to blind to see it It’s about those who dream America and those who actually live it

And at this very point in this very poem, I'll rather not reminisce Or re-present story lines you might be familiar with I am more interested in rep50 | INSIGHT

So only with dialog can we raise the veil of ignorance and better understand each other, because to over-stand you or vice versa would mean supremacy and I beg to differ

With a distinctive inflection and unique content my work represents an intrinsic outlet. For more on ayo's work visit www.ayoinmotion.com.

THAT HOUSE Mary DeYoe

Usually it started small, then a glass would hit down on the table, hard and quiver the milk in our Kix. Certain kinds of yelling are worse than others.

When they cried we could hear it because it dripped through the kitchen ceiling – which was also the floor of their bedroom.

The other kind, meaner, was like a hollow boom, ricocheting off the walls – like the way the door did after Dad slammed it open so hard that it skipped the springing doorstop, and left a handle imprint – perfect and round, or like the time he dodged a vase of roses, and glass burst inches from the molding then skidded like marbles across the floor.

After which Dad smacked

his hands Goddammit! and pretended I wasn’t in the room.

And I think he knew that I was pretending to do the same, because so rarely was our silence ever breached.

Now, the walls in that house are tempting like the body.

When no one’s around I’ll look behind the maps and portraits and faded school art; and I’ll marvel at the damage.

Like lifting up a t-shirt to study shadowy skin between ribs, I’ll study every inch of deterioration, and I’ll study every piece of flaking paint Mary DeYoe works at the University of Michigan Museum of Art and currently lives in Ann Arbor. She’s also a photographer so check out her photos on www.flickr.com/photos/marydeyoe.

INSIGHT | 51

NYCOMMUTERS Clay Williams

Clay Williams

Everyday in New York City, we travel – commuting past hundreds or even thousands of people a day. But we never really catch a glimpse or get a sense of who they are and what surrounds them.

Instead of trying to see it all and overload our senses with who and what’s around us, we filter it out, except for what lies in front of us. Our focus is preoccupied with our electronic devices or even thoughts of work or home, simply oblivious to the world around us. This was my inspiration for the photos of commuters traveling on the New York City subway. I wanted to capture the periphery of their surroundings, what we see when we filter and detach what’s around us from any context.

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

ESCALATING (right) Following the idea of the people in the periphery, the passenger ahead of me leaving the station is fading out of the frame. He's nothing but a pair of legs in the distance.

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

GRASPING (pgs. 58-59) On a crowded train during the height of rush hour, a disembodied hand grips a pole directly in my line of sight. The fact that there's another 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 his photos at www.ultraclay.com.

54 | INSIGHT

MAKING AN IMPRESSION Michael Sorgatz

Using an improvisational method, I apply the paint with alternative tools such as palette knives and spatulas. This technique gives the canvas a highly textured surface as layers of paint are applied to build the image. While painting, I’m constantly adapting and looking for new directions to move the painting. The development of the picture mirrors the evolution of landscape as paint accumulates, pushing against and building upon the previous layers. The painting is in a constant state of change and growth until completion.

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

(right) Shoreline Acrylic on canvas 12" x 16"

60 | INSIGHT

Michael Sorgatz

62 | INSIGHT

Michael Sorgatz

Image Details

Across the Lake Acrylic on canvas 16" x 20"

INSIGHT | 63

Michael Sorgatz

64 | INSIGHT

Michael Sorgatz

Image Details

Cherry Trees Acrylic on canvas 24" x 30"

INSIGHT | 65

INFINITE PLAYLIST: Chapter 1 The King and I Atiba T. Edwards

Infinite Playlist was an idea I’ve had for a while but it only started taking shape in the past few months. The various incarnations were scrapped because I never felt the songs told a story through the musical selection. So without further delay, this is the inaugural version. Infinite Playlist is a compilation of songs that are connected by a common theme.

The first chapter is titled The King and I, in honor of the late Michael Jackson. I remember watching “Thriller” for the first time and begging my mom to get me the red leather jacket. Eventually, she decided to listen to me and bought the jacket. I thought I was cooler than the Fonz in my jacket.

Enjoy the compilation of 15 songs from Mike (not Tyson, Jordan, but Jackson) that normally aren't the go-to tracks people play when they break out the glitter glove and fedora.

66 | INSIGHT

Infinite Playlist: Chapter 1

The King and I 1. Childhood (HIStory Continues) 2. Music and Me (Music and Me) 3. The Love You Save (The Jackson 5's ABC) 4. Say Say Say w/ Paul McCartney (Paul McCartney's Pipes of Peace) 5. Working Day and Night (Off the Wall) 6. Baby Be Mine (Thriller) 7. Just Good Friends feat. Stevie Wonder (Bad) 8. Maria (Got To Be There) 9. This Time Around feat. The Notorious B.I.G. (HIStory Continues) 10. In The Closet (Dangerous) 11. Morphine (Blood on the Dance Floor) 12. Privacy (Invincible) 13. One Day In Your Life (Forever, Michael) 14. Ben (Ben) 15. HIStory (HIStory Continues)

(left) Painting by Riz22

INSIGHT | 67

COVER ART: THE KING OF POP Justin Bua

The King of Pop Acrylic on canvas 18" x 24"

As a tribute to the legend Michael Jackson, Bua has completed his most inspired piece to date: “The King of Pop.” Growing up as a B-boy in New York City's Upper West Side, Bua, like others who grew up during the birth of hip-hop, was not only inspired by Michael's style, but viewed him as an icon who greatly contributed to the acceptance of the hiphop culture by mainstream America. In Bua's words, “Michael not only brought dance to the streets but united the people through his music and moves.”

In his painting, Michael is depicted on stage, the place he felt most at home, striking a classic Michael Jackson pose. Bua references Michael's glowing socks from Off the Wall, as well as the trademark gloved hand and armband. “I wanted to paint Michael to preserve the side of him most young people today overlook, his talent. Michael was the greatest performer ever. He will always live through his music, his performances, and hopefully now my painting.

We love you Michael.”

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

68 | INSIGHT