500 Attend Arts To End Violence Block Party

On Saturday, S.O.S. kicked off its Arts to End Violence festival with a block party to celebrate all the over 40 pieces of art we have collected from young people and professional artists in our neighborhood and beyond. Over 500 people came out to…

1 week ago
1 week ago
Block Party Tomorrow!

Block Party Tomorrow!

1 week ago
An initiative of Save Our Streets Crown Heights (S.O.S.), Arts to End Violence is a festival and contest that brings together some of the many artistic expressions of peace in our neighborhood and beyond in order to spread the message of nonviolence. Over 40 pieces of art, submitted by young and old, professional and novice, explore topics including the cyclical nature of violence, media and stereotyping, gang culture, and ultimately a shared vision and hope for peace in our streets. The result is a collection of art that works to unravel the dangerous web that produces and perpetuates gun violence in our neighborhood.  During the Arts to End Violence festival week, and throughout the summer, this art will be displayed publicly in Crown Heights in order to stimulate conversations about nonviolence and community building and to demonstrate the creativity and the beauty that thrives in the Crown Heights neighborhoods.   Save Our Streets Crown Heights’ (S.O.S.) mission is to reduce gun violence in Crown Heights. The S.O.S. outreach team de-escalates confrontations on the spot in the streets and mediates disputes among groups and individuals before they erupt in violence. When a shooting incident occurs, S.O.S. outreach workers respond immediately to reduce the likelihood of retaliatory violence and, within 72 hours, organize a street response by neighborhood residents to demonstrate their rejection of violence. Outreach workers also counsel and mentor a caseload of young men and women who are assessed to be at high risk for involvement in gun violence. S.O.S. organizes community events that bring residents, merchants, clergy, and institutional leaders together to strengthen the sense of community in Crown Heights. At the end of 2011, shootings were down 38% from the previous year in our target area.   For more info on S.O.S. and Arts to End Violence, please call our office at 718-773-6886 or see our websites at www.soscrownheights.org or artstoendviolence.tumblr.com. 

An initiative of Save Our Streets Crown Heights (S.O.S.), Arts to End Violence is a festival and contest that brings together some of the many artistic expressions of peace in our neighborhood and beyond in order to spread the message of nonviolence. Over 40 pieces of art, submitted by young and old, professional and novice, explore topics including the cyclical nature of violence, media and stereotyping, gang culture, and ultimately a shared vision and hope for peace in our streets. The result is a collection of art that works to unravel the dangerous web that produces and perpetuates gun violence in our neighborhood.  During the Arts to End Violence festival week, and throughout the summer, this art will be displayed publicly in Crown Heights in order to stimulate conversations about nonviolence and community building and to demonstrate the creativity and the beauty that thrives in the Crown Heights neighborhoods.
 
Save Our Streets Crown Heights’ (S.O.S.) mission is to reduce gun violence in Crown Heights. The S.O.S. outreach team de-escalates confrontations on the spot in the streets and mediates disputes among groups and individuals before they erupt in violence. When a shooting incident occurs, S.O.S. outreach workers respond immediately to reduce the likelihood of retaliatory violence and, within 72 hours, organize a street response by neighborhood residents to demonstrate their rejection of violence. Outreach workers also counsel and mentor a caseload of young men and women who are assessed to be at high risk for involvement in gun violence. S.O.S. organizes community events that bring residents, merchants, clergy, and institutional leaders together to strengthen the sense of community in Crown Heights. At the end of 2011, shootings were down 38% from the previous year in our target area.
 
For more info on S.O.S. and Arts to End Violence, please call our office at 718-773-6886 or see our websites at www.soscrownheights.org or artstoendviolence.tumblr.com. 

2 weeks ago

“Homage to Bela” by Randy Wilkins

Homage to Bela raises the question, who is truly the victim of gun violence? Is it just the criminal and the victim or is everyone affected by the crime? On a cold winter day, a myriad of community members fall victim to a young African American male shot dead in cold blood on a New York City street.  As if attendants to a funeral, the victims stand quietly looking upon the aftermath of the crime. While blood continues to flow on the sidewalk, there is something eerily recognizable about the shooter and his target. Homage to Bela explores the idea of how large the impact of gun violence truly is and how it hits much closer to home than we choose to believe.

http://pamsson.com

2 weeks ago

"Winter in America" by Hank Willis Thomas and Kambui Olujimi

WINTER IN AMERICA is a collaboration between Hank Willis Thomas and Kambui Olujimi based on the events leading up to the murder of Songha Thomas Willis on February 2, 2000 outside Club Evolutions in Philadelphia, PA. The story is derived from an interview with Todd Rose, the main eye-witness to the crime, and notes taken by Leslie Willis, the victim’s mother, during the ensuing murder trial. The stop-motion film technique is employed to animate the G.I. Joe action figures the artists once used to create similar narratives in during childhood.  The packaging for the action figures reads, “for children ages 5+.” Among the many elements the artists intend to highlight with this project is the breeding of a culture of violent thoughts for young boys who are invited to author violent scenarios before they can even read.

http://hankwillisthomas.com

http://kambuiolujimi.com/

2 weeks ago

Second Annual Save Our Streets Arts To End Violence Festival

May 19th -24th in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY.

Everyone is welcome. 
May 19th:: Arts Festival for Children and Families
Food, face painting and entertainment.
Kingston Ave between Dean and Bergen 1:00pm - 6:00pm

May 22nd:: Pop Up Art Display
Come check out the art that was submitted to the Arts To End Violence Contest.
Utica and Eastern Parkway 5:00pm

May 23rd:: Art Showcase
Live music. See the art. Meet the Artists. Celebrate in your neighborhood.
Ron Taylor Gallery and Greater Restoration Baptist Church
1160 & 1156 St. Johns between Kingston and Albany 6:30pm - 9:00pm

May 24th:: Film Night
Watch the films from the Arts To End Violence Contest. Event is in Partnership with the Kings County cinema Society.
LaunchPad 721 Franklin Ave 7:00pm

2 weeks ago
“Stop the Violence” by Janet Griffith I created a quilt (machine-quilted) that combines photos from the march on October 20, 2011, with memorabilia from the shootings of two young men on my block of Hampton Place. It is dedicated in the memory of those two young men, who came from good families and lived on a good block but their lives were stolen by gun violence.

“Stop the Violence” by Janet Griffith

I created a quilt (machine-quilted) that combines photos from the march on October 20, 2011, with memorabilia from the shootings of two young men on my block of Hampton Place. It is dedicated in the memory of those two young men, who came from good families and lived on a good block but their lives were stolen by gun violence.

2 weeks ago
“End Violence Make Peace” By Noah Boulton, age 12 The flower represents the world right now; it is bent because there is too much violence in the world. When the world goes wrong, people start doing things that they don’t want to do. The sky represents humankind because humans all want to fall apart some times. But when they hold in their anger for too long it can sometimes make them violent. I believe we should end violence by sharing our feelings more freely

“End Violence Make Peace” By Noah Boulton, age 12

The flower represents the world right now; it is bent because there is too much violence in the world. When the world goes wrong, people start doing things that they don’t want to do. The sky represents humankind because humans all want to fall apart some times. But when they hold in their anger for too long it can sometimes make them violent. I believe we should end violence by sharing our feelings more freely

2 weeks ago
“National Trayvon Day” by Leon Tillman, age 26

“National Trayvon Day” by Leon Tillman, age 26

2 weeks ago
“Start the Fun End The Guns” by Saundra English This piece is supposed to show how life could be (for children mostly) without the use of guns and gun violence.  I was just trying to convey that the world would be a brighter place without guns.

“Start the Fun End The Guns” by Saundra English

This piece is supposed to show how life could be (for children mostly) without the use of guns and gun violence.  I was just trying to convey that the world would be a brighter place without guns.

2 weeks ago
by Joel Clements, age 12 “My art is really talking about violence compared to the animated world, and how killing would effect a murderer’s future. One is about Goku from Dragon Ball Z Kai and the other is a short story on what would happen to a criminal’s future. What my pictures are saying is that some criminals should have a prediction of their future and the other picture is about Goku as Super Saiyan telling that our real world is more dangerous and violent then their action events seen on TV”

by Joel Clements, age 12

“My art is really talking about violence compared to the animated world, and how killing would effect a murderer’s future.

One is about Goku from Dragon Ball Z Kai and the other is a short story on what would happen to a criminal’s future. What my pictures are saying is that some criminals should have a prediction of their future and the other picture is about Goku as Super Saiyan telling that our real world is more dangerous and violent then their action events seen on TV”

2 weeks ago

“Stop the Violence” by Peter Moore

The work is an illustration of an abductive storm. Innocent lives start on the yellow brick road of hope, that ultimately leads to death. Generations of victims of profiling, manipulative corrupt law practices, systematic oppression, is the underwhip of injustices that fuels the present day violence.

3 weeks ago
“Universal Peace” by Keshani Whint

“Universal Peace” by Keshani Whint

3 weeks ago
“What Now?” By Jamel Shabazz “The photograph is entitled ” What now ?” and it represents 2 warring gang members seated at a chess table with pieces that are both black, making it impossible to play the game, this image is my way of saying to gang members that Black on Black violence must end.” http://www.jamelshabazz.com/

“What Now?” By Jamel Shabazz

“The photograph is entitled ” What now ?” and it represents 2 warring gang members seated at a chess table with pieces that are both black, making it impossible to play the game, this image is my way of saying to gang members that Black on Black violence must end.”

http://www.jamelshabazz.com/

1 month ago