News
August 30, 2007
Meet The Art-On-The-Move Artists, Part 1
[NOTE: This is the first of three press releases featuring the artists whose work will appear on the sides of Capital Area Transit buses as part of the City of Raleigh Arts Commission’s Art-On-The-Move public art project. This press release profiles four of the selected artists. The other two press releases in the series are listed below.]
Part 2 | Part 3
Everyday people, Raleigh’s own urban dance, “a symphony” of colorful paint strokes, and flowers along a greenway trail in the Capital City are among the images that will be placed on the sides of Capital Area Transit (CAT) buses. Art-On-The-Move is a new public art project sponsored by the City of Raleigh Arts Commission (CORAC) in partnership with Capital Area Transit (CAT). Artwork from 12 artists has been selected to be emblazoned on the sides of CAT buses traveling throughout Raleigh.
Art-On-The-Move will roll out on Saturday, Sept. 22, in conjunction with Visual Art Exchange’s Street Painting Festival and “World Car Free Day.” A bus ‘christening’ will take place at 6 p.m. in Moore Square in downtown Raleigh. Mayor Charles Meeker and other City officials will be in attendance.
The 12 artists whose work has been chosen to appear on CAT buses either live, work or attend school in Raleigh. Included in this exclusive group of area artists are Patrick FitzGerald, Fabrizio Bianchi, Timothy Postell and Rebecca Rousseau. The following is information about their winning artwork that will be placed on the sides of CAT buses:
Patrick FitzGerald (larger version of his winning submission, size: 1 MB)
Mr. FitzGerald’s artwork is a collection of drawings of everyday folks – more specifically, people Mr. FitzGerald thinks he knows. It is simply (and appropriately) entitled, “People I Think I Know.”
“This is an ongoing series I have been working on for the past few years,” Mr. FitzGerald said. “These drawings are based on people I see around me and ‘people I think I know.’ These drawings are glimpses of the dreams, troubles and feelings of everyday individuals around us. It is my hope that the drawings are enjoyable to look at and that they encourage the viewer to create a story about these characters and what their life is like.”
Mr. FitzGerald is an associate professor in the Art and Design Department at N.C. State University’s College of Design. His artwork ranges from 3D animation to hand-drawn imagery. Mr. FitzGerald has a master’s of fine arts degree in Painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Detroit.
You can learn more about Mr. FitzGerald and his artwork by visiting http://www4.ncsu.edu/~pfitz/.
Fabrizio Bianchi (larger version, size: 1 MB)
Mr. Bianchi’s colorful artwork, “Urban Dance”, features the Capital City’s acorn glowing against a radiant sky, bicyclists and people doing an exercise dance.
“Colors can motivate the senses, they can inform the lesser known and stimulate the mind, they can draw emotions and raise questions, (and) they can also unite the public and help us appreciate the world around us,” Mr. Bianchi said. “I wanted the Raleigh area to experience this world of color with my design called “Urban Design,” which is based on a Central American textile art form called a mola.
“The bright bold colors and interesting shapes and patterns used in this mola design encompass different groups of people participating in healthy and exciting lifestyles revolving around the solar-looking acorn representing Raleigh’s Moore Square,” added Mr. Bianchi, a graphics operator for Credit Suisse in Raleigh.
Mr. Bianchi has a master’s of fine arts degree in Painting with honors from the University of New Mexico and a bachelor’s of fine arts degree in Painting from East Carolina University. He has created artwork for shows and commissions and has taught art classes to different age groups and levels. To learn more about his work, visit http://www.absolutearts.com/portfolios/f/farbos/
Timothy Postell (larger version, size: 1 MB)
Mr. Postell calls his art piece “Modern Dance in Blue”. He describes it as a “symphony of lines, marks, splashes and drips of colors inside the four edges of a canvas.”
“Each stroke of paint is comprised of all the elements making up the environment I am in at that moment in time,” he said. “It’s the atmosphere around me, the music playing, the light, the temperature, the wind and even the sound of breath and heart beat in my ears as I work.
“Each session is different in many ways,” Mr. Postell added. “One night I may dance with the canvas and the next night the canvas and I may collide like two freight trains head on. Each painting is a non-objective representation of existing in the moment and coexisting with chaos. Inside of chaos, we find ourselves.”
Mr. Postell has a master’s degree from Hoffberger School of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. There, he studied under the guidance of internationally known artist Grace Hartigan, founder and director of Hoffberger School of Painting. Mr. Postell is a full-time artist with a studio at Artspace in downtown Raleigh. He also teaches art at Durham Technical Community College. His paintings range in different styles, including abstraction, narrative, symbolism and landscapes. To learn more about his work, visit www.postellart.com
Rebecca Rousseau (larger version, size: 1 MB)
In her artwork entitled “The Nature of Raleigh”, Ms. Rousseau pays tribute to Raleighites’ love of nature, especially the city’s highly acclaimed greenway system.
“Raleigh’s greenways are a true treasure available to all our citizens,” Ms. Rousseau said. “The people of Raleigh are proud of their environmental awareness and go to great lengths to assure that greenery is preserved. So why not celebrate this by wrapping Raleigh buses with vibrant reminders of the colorful joy that can be experienced here.”
Ms. Rousseau has done a solo art exhibit at Pullen Arts Center in Raleigh and group shows in the area at the N.C. State Fair, Visual Art Exchange Front Gallery, and the N.C. Women’s Artist Show.
Her artwork is on display at four area retail stores: Cat Banjos, Eclectic Garden and Garden of Envy, all in Raleigh; and Knockabout in Cary. In addition to being a working artist, Ms. Rousseau teaches art to children and adults. To learn more about Ms. Rousseau’s art career and artwork, visit www.rebeccarousseau.com.
Artists Selections
A panel comprised of community members and representatives from the City of Raleigh Arts Commission and Capital Area Transit reviewed all artwork submitted for Art-On-The-Move prior to making final selections. The panel’s recommended selections of work submitted by 12 artists were reviewed and approved by the Arts Commission and the Raleigh Transit Authority.
The eight other artists whose art will be placed on the sides of CAT buses are Bart Cusick, Paul Friedrich, Matthew Kershaw, Keith Norval, Anna Podris, Marianne Prince, Robert Schrag and Mary Storms. The artwork will appear on the CAT buses for a period of up to one year.
Art-On-The-Move is a 30th anniversary public art project of the City of Raleigh Arts Commission. For more information, contact Belva Parker, the Arts Commission’s 30th anniversary coordinator, at 890-3610 or email Belva.Parker@ci.raleigh.nc.us.
Established in 1977, the City of Raleigh Arts Commission holds the distinction of being the first municipal arts commission created in North Carolina. Serving as the official advisory body and advocate for the arts to the Raleigh City Council, the Commission’s myriad activities encourage, support, and promote the arts in the Capital City.
Prepared by:
John Boyette
Public Affairs Specialist
Public Affairs Department
For More Information Contact:
June Guralnick
Arts Commission, Executive Director
City Manager Department
222 West Hargett Street, Room 504
Raleigh, NC 27601
919-890-3610
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