LAUGH Your LIfe Depends On It!

A new friend on Myspace who goes by the name of Marla posted this great bulletin recently that both made us laugh and appreciate having a job that we love to do.

She started off by directing everyone to go out and buy a Johnson and Johnson brand rectal thermometer. It must be J&J. Then go home and change into some comfy clothes and tuck down into your favorite chair. Take out the thermometer and place it somewhere safe so it doesn't get broken and then take out the literature and read the fine print that reads:

'"Every Rectal Thermometer made by Johnson & Johnson is personally tested and then sanitized."

We can all be happy we don't work in the Johnson & Johnson quality control department!

She's a funny gurl and we cannot wait to hear more form her! Thanks Marla!!!

This FreeArt is again paint on plywood but also incorporates used nitrous cartridges. Many hours of laughter and uh, oh yeah, whipped cream.

Location: June Street at Newton Sqaure

Unlock Your Mind

There's a key to everything you just have to be willing to try them all. It's not easy sifting thru them but with patience you can unlock any door. Get out there and try something new today! Talk to someone you never spoke to before, ask someone about their culture and learn something you didn't know, read a book today instead of turning on that idiot box, borrow a book from the library on tree identification and go on a hike. Let's break our routines today and learn something new about ourselves and our neighbors!

Location: Herbert Lane at Hadwen Street

Head Wrap

From Turkey, India, South Africa, Gambia, Russia, Latin America to the USA men and women around the world wear head wraps for religious distinction, cultural identity, sports fanaticism or fashion purposes. What is it about head wraps that can be soooooo beautiful? Love it anyway you wear it!

Location: High St near the Performing Arts School of Worcester

I'm from Worcester: Taking steps to end violence against women and kids - awareness walk / silent auction

We noticed on The "I'm From Worcester" blog that the Central Massachusetts walk-a-thon to end violence against women and children is being held this Sunday April 2008. Registration and entertainment start at 11am, the walk begins at 1pm all at Institute Park. Visit the I'm from Worcester blog entry at the link above or go directly to www.takingsteps.org

In honor of this great event this FreeArt can be found at the gazebo in Institute Park. We hope Taking Steps reaches their $100,000 goal!

WORCESTER WORCESTER WORCESTER WORCESTER...

This lil' offering was made to Worcester and left at one of her most luscious architectural gems, Union Station. That building is just sooooooo lovely. Every time ya go in there yer thankful Worcester had sense to finally save that building and then begin to fantasize loads of people in there all day long making there way into Boston, NYC or even up to Quebec! So glad it is used as much as it is but with the rising gas prices more frequent trains would be nice, but that is an already old topic unfortunately everyone is still moaning about.

Actually if it weren't for the infrequent train service to and from Worcester FreeArtWorcester wouldn't have got fed up and scoured Worcester harder for studio space and left the Boston area. Good things do come out of bad situations. Just have to be patient we guess?

Chilllin' Like A Villian

Oui Oui Ya'll Spring is here!

All the buds are bursting, temperatures are rising and the parks are heavin' with the Peeps of Worcester, great to see ya!

Finally made it over to Newton Hill recently for a quiet one n' watch the sunset. This is really a great spot if you want to sneak away from the crowded parks for a minute. It's cool up there this time of year because the trees are not quite yet in full bloom with all their leaves and you can get an almost 360 degree view of the city through the branches.

Left this Chillin' Zone sign up there and though it will more than likely be used to feed the night time party fires that's okay. Art can be used to fuel all kinds of good times!Props to those who do make fires responsibly with stone rings, Tsk Tsk to those who do not!

And would the City officials PLEASE get the Parks Department out to empty all the trash bins? They are overflowing and the trash is blowing all over the damn place!

Check it: It's Earth Day

If you haven't planned anything specific to do your part in cleaning up today, don't worry you can at least make a game plan today for the rest of the year!

FreeArtWorcester recommends:

1) Subscribe to Worcester's own Christina Roberts' killer blog, My Neighborhood is NOT Your Trashcan. She highlights some of the unacceptable trashy spots in our city and calls on her neighbors and City officials to do something about it!!!! Wooohooooooo, way to go! She also wrote a VERY sweet story about FreeArtWorcester's Lil' Wide Eyed that I'm not sure anyone is gonna be able to beat.

2) Get on over to the Regional Environmental Council of Central Massachusetts website and check out all the things you can do locally to clean up including the 2008 Earth Day Clean Up being held on Saturday May 3rd throughout our fine city. There is also a FREE Household Electronics Recycling Day in Worcester on Saturday May 17th and Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day on Saturday May 31st. Their website has maps of trails throughout the city and you can sign up to be a member and/or volunteer! Don't delay, we MUST do our part!

Thanks Christina!!!!

Bloggers Unite for Human Rights May 15 2008

From the Bloggers Unite website:

"Bloggers Unite is an initiative designed to harness the power of the blogosphere to make the world a better place. By challenging bloggers to blog about a particular social cause on a single day, a single voice can be joined with thousands of others to help make a real positive difference; from raising awareness for cancer, to an effort to better education systems or support 3rd world countries."

3 challenges Bloggers Unite held throughout 2007 encouraged blog entries about organ donation, acts of kindness and bloggers against abuse. The next Bloggers Unite challenge will be held on May 15th 2008 and will be centered around human rights.

Keep checkin' in, FreeArtWorcester promises to participate in this event with FreeArt out in Worcester on that day and a blog entry so you can find them! Spread the word and if you blog hope to see you participate!

Kingfisher

This is one more design taken from Mexican ceramic stamps. According to a Wikipedia entry on the bird:

"Kingfishers live in both woodland and wetland habitats. Kingfishers that live near water hunt small fish by diving. They also eat crayfish, frogs, and insects. Wood kingfishers eat reptiles. Kingfishers of all three families beat their prey to death, either by whipping it against a tree or by dropping it on a stone.

They are able to see well both in air and under water while swimming. they use mask like goggles just like humans do. if they didn't, they would go blind from all the bacteria floating in the water. Their eyes also have evolved an egg-shaped lens able to focus in the two different environments."

Animals that use tools are pretty fascinating. C'mon using a tree to beat their prey to death and eyes like goggles to see underwater, that's incredible. There's actually a cool article in last months National Geographic about scientists hwo study animals so we can borrow their ingenious characteristics in applications such as car design and robotics. Check it!

Location: Clement and Main Sts.

Play with Me, Lil' Wide-Eyed

Lil' Wide-Eyed looks awfully surprised. Has Lil' Wide-Eyed been caught out or seen something a lil' shocking? It's your turn to make up the story behind this FreeArt character. Just click on the comments link and leave a story about what you think is behind the surprised lil' face. Please keep stories suitable for all ages. The best one will be picked and featured here....

Location: Austin and Russell Streets

No, down here.....

Say No in Blue

This is a much smaller version of the previous "Say No" (in green and red) thrown up at Holy Cross College. This one has been left at Carlisle and Lovell Streets.

Give a shout!

Introducing Miss Bunni

Like most bunny rabbits Miss Bunni likes to burrow so she's often found hangin' out in subway stations. That's where we first met her. She's likes it down there because there are all kinds of street musicians playing music to shake ya booty to. Plus there are artists throwin' up their artwork on trains, on the walls or just leaving FreeArt on benches for Peeps to notice and claim. She's kinda shy so she keeps a low profile and never has her photo taken. She's cool with this lil' portrait though. So if you take this one home, hope it reminds you that there is stuff goin' on even underneath yo feet!

Location: Abbott and Pleasant Streets

FreeArt Ingredients

In case you were wondering, the majority of the FreeArt made thus far is latex interior paint on plywood sourced from local suppliers here in Worcester.

The paints are mis-tints sold at a discount ($5 a gallon) and the plywood pieces are offcuts from larger pieces Peeps bought and didn't need the rest so they left them behind at the shop! The plywood was purchased at a serious discount or was handed over for free! (Thank you again kind businesses of Worcester!) Some of the plywood was quite large so it was cut down into smaller pieces so there could be MORE FreeArt made from it. Sweet eh?!

Also if you are wondering about the interior paint in an exterior environment don't worry. If you are feeling protective cut one of these FreeArt works down from the post it has been tied to and give it a nice loving home. Spread the Love, it belongs to everyone and no one can sell it to us.

Wavvy Girly

You caught a glimpse of her, she disappeared and you cannot get her outta ya head...

Location: Woodland and Oberlin

Hexagrammum Mysticum

Mystical Hexagon. In chemistry a hexagon makes a benzene ring, some snow flake structures are made up of them and the shape can fill an entire surface plane.

They make great patterns and are also the basis for star shapes. You'll start to see more of them for sure as they are a bit addicting. ;)

Location: Lovell and Maywood Streets

Bicycle Alley Responds....

"WE ARE BICYCLE ALLEY AND THE LANDLORD PAINTED HIS BUILDING!!!

NOT US!!!!!!!!!!!!!SORRY."

April 15, 2008 3:06 PM

FreeArtWorcester says:
Well then please hand over the award to him.

PEACE

and the "You've Disappointed Worcester Award" goes to......

CORRECTION: Bicycle Alley has informed FreeArtWorcester that the graffiti was painted over by their landlord see comments below and the next blog entry.


Bicycle Alley!!!!! booooohoooooo.

They receive this Official FreeArtWorcester Award for painting over the beautiful graffiti work on the once Java Hut side of the building. FreeArtWorcester understands that they have taken over that side and they can do whatever they want with it but damn, give us all a break. It was THE most gorgeous example of legally thrown up graffiti in the city! It made fighting traffic to get to that part of the city worth it. C'mon! Now the only way to really redeem yo self if you care Bicycle Alley, is to get those artists back out and do a mad bike themed piece up there, then we'd understand. Otherwise the word on the street is peeps are no longer gonna bring their bike to your shop. Sad, but true.

What's up with things in the last week or so in this town? Java Hut closes, two weekends ago things fell apart at the carnival down at Frankin and Fosters Streets and Worcester's Finest shot pepper balls to disperse crowds of kids WTF?! Then State Rep. John Benienda (D-Worcester) proproses and William Breault who chairs the Main South Public Safety Alliance supports stiffer marijuana laws in Worcester...I will not even begin a rant about this because we got to keep it positive despite all the disappointments. There are 8 new FreeArtWorcester pieces out there this week, grab one now and get the smile back on yo face!

Location: Bicycle Alley

Kaaaazap!

You have looked upon the eyes of FreeArtWorcester and are now under its spell, go forth and spread giggles, love and art!

Location: Worcester Youth Center, 326 Chandler Street

Gracias

Confession: this is not an original. The image is of a mask taken from Mexican pottery stamps found while doing some research on Aztec imagery. It's too good not to reproduce and wanted to give a shout out to our Latin population here in Worcester.

Location: Lowell and Main Streets

Amoeba Love

According to the amoeba entry on wikipedia, "Early naturalists referred to Amoeba as the Proteus animalcule after the Greek god Proteus who could change his shape....He can foretell the future, but, in a mytheme familiar from several cultures, will change his shape to avoid having to; he will answer only to someone who is capable of capturing him. From this feature of Proteus comes the adjective protean, with the general meaning of "versatile", "mutable", "capable of assuming many forms": "Protean" has positive connotations of flexibility, versatility and adaptability."

FreeArtWorcester isn't claiming to be a god or goddess of any sorts but more often than not would describe itself as an shape-shifter or and amoeba. :)

Location: Loudin and Woodland Streets

"Watching television is like taking black spray paint to your third eye." - Bill Hicks

16 years without a TV and still not bored! So many people complain that there isn't anything good on television but continue to pay the outrageous monthly fees to have the ol' idiot box in their home, Why? Makes no sense!

There are 1000s of things you can do other than watching TV like reading a book, drawing n painting, build a tree house (not the prefab Home Depot kind!), sit in the park and people watch and maybe even have a conversation with a stranger, volunteer at the local youth center, plant a tree or grow your own vegetables, discuss politics, go out and get people to vote...ANYTHING. Don't sit and get fat, get up stretch your legs, feel better and give back to your community.

Also in FreeArtWorcester's opinion the best TV shows are HBO's The Wire and of course Comedy Central's The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. You can rent The Wire from Netflix and watch The Daily Show and Colbert online all on your computer! Therefore never having to have that ugly box in your living room!

Location: Holy Cross College, outside Fenwick Hall

What Peeps are sayin' elsewhere online

On Flickr:
red army photography says:
"You have some amazing stuff!! I'm feeling inspired now!! May have to go out and get some paint and plywood!!"

osanpo7 says:
"you should do bolt ups...yeah i actually like boards alot. this ones pretty good.
im sure home depot has got what you need. i'd be down for a collab if you're ever intrested"


On www.my5senses.blogspot.com:
"Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Newer Blogs You Should Check Out

Since I really haven't been inspired to write lately I figured I would hip you people to a couple new Worcester related blogs that have been piquing my interest.

Paulie's Point of View
If you have been reading many of the Worcester based blogs that have popped up over the past year you are familiar with Paulie adding his 2 cents in the comments section of many of our local web pages. It's good to hear a voice who really gets what city living is all about and it is really good to hear someone demand a good urban quality of life in Worcester. As Paulie points out most of our city leaders do not live in the urban core. A good urban experience isn't just going to happen here, it needs to be demanded. Paulie seems to be doing that.

Free Art Worcester
This blog is friggin awesome! The idea: Make art and leave it around Worcester for whomever wants it in what appears so far to be very strategic places. It would be awesome if they made it like an online art scavenger hunt and put clues in their entries. Critics may argue that the art isn't of the highest quality, but hey it's free. I don't think that this blog is about high quality art however, I think it's about making something interesting happen in Worcester, which is more than most are doing. I hope to stumble upon something at some point."

THANKS!

Nailed It - red n green

This one has been left outside the VooDoo Club at 90 Commercial Street. Gotta do more with nails they are so much fun! The repeating rectangles are reminiscent of railroad ties...hear the sound of the whistle blowin' now, gotta roll....

Siamese Beauty Death Mask

Found these cookie cutter beauties in the Dollar Store a few months back n finally got around to using them in a piece. Always thought these grooming doll heads were an absurd/grotesque children's toy. Strange connotations about appearance, beauty, femininity to push on a child at a young age, so surreal. Well, makes for a great piece hard to let this one go. Ah-well hope someone enjoys it too.

Location:
Prospect and Normal Streets

Geometric Graphics

shapes and composition...hope the CC Lowell staff didn't mind it being left on one of their easels. Cheeky, but it had to be done ;)

Blue Toothy

Meet Blue Toothy he's a little dopey but he's happy, hungry and very sweet, kinda like Cookie Monster.

Out of all the FreeArt made this week this is a favorite. Perhaps a series of characters will be coming soon....Would you like that?

Stars n Spikes

A little spikey/starry goodness for ya. It's all fun n games but no one
is loosing an eye!

Hello? (look over here Worcester!)

It's been a busy week creating lots of new FreeArt to distribute over the next week. So keep yer peepers open, you never know where these will turn up! Hint: they'll be spreading out farther and wider across the city of Worcester. :)

This one here is having fun with text/characters. It will be displayed vertical as Asian text is read from top to bottom. But as you see these are not really characters and it says "Hello?" when you hold it horizontally.

Just havin' fun, hope you dig it!
Give a shout!

Location:
DCU Center, outside

Thoreau'n it Down in the Streets of Worcester!

Here are 4 new FreeArtworks that were made during the last few rainy days...

These 4 welcoming little houses are made of scrap plywood and house paint. Each house is green with red trim and features black chairs painted on 3 sides and on the 4th side is the following quote by Henry David Thoreau:

"I had three chairs; one for solitude, two for friendship and three for society."

FreeArtWorcester highly recommends reading both of Thoreau's books "Walden" and "Civil Disobedience" if you haven't already. Both books are wonderful examples of American free thinking.

Locations:
1 Bancroft Tower on Bancroft Hill
1 Morgan Park on Indian Lake off 122A
1 Bean Counter 113 Highland St.
1 Worcester Art Museum, outside

Los Angeles Graffiti Threatened

Today the Associated Press put an article on the wire about a graffiti project that was originally consented by Los Angeles County officials that is now being threatened with whitewash. FreeArtWorcester thought this would be the perfect opportunity to start the discussion here in Worcester about graffiti/street art.

Okay so this mural was given the go ahead by city government which was put up at no charge by local artists and now that it is up, the officials are questioning some of the murals content and are threatening to whitewash it. Why is it that when people start to have a little bit of fun in this country "officials" want to pull the plug?! It makes no sense and is frustrating!!!! 

Hundreds of artists came out and gave their time and creativity to give something back to the LA community (who showed up with their kids to watch) and make a horrible concrete waterway canyon more interesting and much more pleasant to live with. Why is it that people cannot exercise their right to freedom of expression in public spaces without being harassed by the "officials", yet it is okay for the "officials" to decide the zoning laws etc. and allow billboards and advertisements to be placed all over the place?!!!! Advertisements that try to tempt you AND your kids to buy stuff like beer and liquor with images of half dressed women. Some people find THAT offensive but apparently it is okay because someone PAID for it and is making money off it. This all seems to say, "If you have money you can put up anything you like, if you don't your a menace to society".

The photo above was taken in Europe by FreeArtWorcester. It is a small section of a mural put up on the side of a cafe. It's such a pleasant surprise to walk around a corner in a city and see street art work. When it does happen and it brings such a big smile to ones face. I mean look at the brilliant graffiti on the side of Java Hut (sadly now closed) in Webster Square! It's so much fun driving by that building and seeing that mural. Hopefully Bicycle Alley won't whitewash it!

Give us a shout!

Google Maps FreeArtWorcester

Hey Hey Ya'll!

If you haven't noticed, the FreeArtWorcester blog now features an interactive Google Map so you can view the locations where FreeArt has been left on the streets of Worcester!

Pure artistic geekdom.

Worcester IndyMedia Feature Article on FreeArtWorcester

FreeArtWorcester is feelin' the LOOVVEE, right back at ya!