Tuesday, November 11, 1997
‘Satellite’ aids street kids with a multimedia extravaganza
ART/MUSIC Show combines talents of poor youth artists, ska
bands
By Vanessa VanderZanden
Daily Bruin Staff
Da Vinci used government grants (or the church’s – or were they
the same?) to paint the Sistine Chapel. Andy Warhol got paid
thousands by actors and musicians to add strokes of color to their
photographs. But talented street kids have no one to front the
bills.
In this cutthroat world, where youths concern themselves with
where to find the next meal before they consider where to find
their next artistic idea, art struggles to survive. However,
through the efforts of Nomads 1800, 2wist and Glue Factory Records,
the concepts at play within the runaways’ minds find
encouragement.
The three groups will be combining their efforts to put on a
multi-media ska show, with performances by Longfellow and Jeffries
Fan Club, at 7 p.m. today in the Ackerman Grand Ballroom in an
event billed as "The Satellite Lounge."
"Basically, they draw on napkins," says Jennifer Kelton of the
nonprofit group Nomads 1800. "Anything they could find to draw on,
they would. One of the biggest problems that they face when they’re
out there is that their work gets stolen."
The art will be projected on a 9-by-12 movie screen behind and
in between the bands, according to Suzette Troche, an event
coordinator from 2wist.
"Not only do we have art on the screen, but we have what we call
the 2wist Kids," Troche says. "They are club kids and they’re in
big, furry platforms and vinyl clothes and have ray guns, and
they’re dancing around on these platforms and getting everybody
really excited about partying."
Not only will the dancing spectacles be cutting some rug, but
they will also be handing out giveaways throughout the evening, as
will the event host, Kelton. These prizes include T-shirts, tattoos
and sets of "The New American Pin-Up Series" post cards which 2wist
has just recently created. The cards reflect images of modern
American females in cutesy ’40s poses, but these souvenir pieces
take nothing away from the displayed work of the hard-luck
youths.
"I think a lot of people are shocked by how many talented youths
are homeless," Troche says. "I, personally, was just blown away by
how incredibly talented these kids are and what they can do with
pencils and paper. Literally, they have no supplies and I think
their work is great to show."
In much the same way that others can be inspired by the work of
the homeless artists, Nomad 1800 and 2wist inspire the youths to
continue their work. The two groups became intertwined over the
summer when working with the Lollapalooza tour to provide an
intriguing Web site. When the show stopped traveling, the groups
continued to take their mighty task to new audiences.
"Lollapalooza funded Nomad to go out and document the art and
lives of run away youths in America," Kelton explains. "My feeling
was that just in terms of works of the youth that it was too
important not to carry on past Lollapalooza."
Trekking up and down the coast, along a route which has come to
be called "The Corridor" by homeless travelers, Kelton collected
works from kids in Los Angeles; San Francisco; Portland, Ore., and
Seattle. Her involvement over the years with Youth Street Outreach
provided her with the experience to call shelters on the path and
ask employees to provide her with names of artistic clients
currently using their services. With the unpredictable lives of the
homeless kids and the unreliability of space at shelters which
operate on little funding, Kelton found her task of tracking
individuals difficult yet undoubtedly rewarding.
"My belief is that art is the strongest way to form a
community," Kelton confides. "Through just documenting their art
and putting it out there, it created a community throughout the
different shelters and through the youths that were doing it and
the adults that were reviewing it on the Web site. It was about an
exchange of ideas. It wasn’t about how you live or where you live,
it was about vision."
These visions often include dark themes, as the artists creating
them usually find their influences stemming from the abusive home
lives from which they escaped. Yet, the UCLA event calls itself
"The Satellite Lounge" to indicate an exchange of information, not
only about the kids’ lives but about their artistic credibility
despite the odds working against them. Kelton has received
appreciative letters and e-mails from the shelters involved
concerning her continuing endeavors in supporting events such as
these.
"The whole point is that when your life hits a point like that,
you’re treated like a criminal," Kelton says. "When I went in and
was interested in talking about vision and about being creative and
about passion, it bridged all of those issues. And they rarely get
to have someone come into their lives on that level. I wish I could
go in and do that every day of my life for people."
Feeling just as connected to the notions of community well-being
surrounding the project, 2wist contributes a good deal to the
event. They put up a Web site, show the youths’ art, and scan their
work while still managing to produce their unrelated interactive,
online pop culture magazine at http://www.2wist.com. The group will
also offer a live audio broadcast of the concert accessible through
the site.
"It should be a lot of fun because everyone all over the world
can hear this event," Troche says. "So, if you scream really loud,
your friends might be able to hear you over the Internet."
That is, if voices can be heard over the loud guitar strummings
and horn sections of the ska bands involved. The music comes via
the Glue Factory record label in support of a new compilation
titled "Take Warning – The Songs of Operation Ivy," which features
tunes covering the underground punk legends. With the popular music
acting as a means of displaying the otherwise brushed-over art of
the homeless youths, the Satellite Lounge hopes to attract as many
UCLA students as possible to entertain and inspire.
"A lot of these kids are out on the street because their parents
and families don’t believe that art is a viable occupation," Troche
notes. "We’re artists, and we’re managing to survive doing art and
it’s okay. So I think it’s great to give these kids exposure and
the opportunity to have a career as an artist."
SHOW: The skankin’ sounds and youth-minded art of "The Satellite
Lounge" will be featured in Ackerman Grand Ballroom at 7 p.m.
today.