HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I have a feeling it’s going to be a very new year. As many of you know, for the past 27 years my motto has been: “So Many Bad Guys So Little Time.” I’ve made over 90 street posters of ugly old white guys in suits and ties whom I believe have abused their power in the name of representative democracy. Well, if it isn’t the bad guys, it must be Time that’s caught up with me. Because for the past several months Deb and I have been up to something a little different. Ever since our friends Tom Harding and Dorothy Garcia of the non-profit, ArtAidsArt.org, saw “Watching, Waiting, and Dreaming,” they have been after me to paint a portrait of Nelson Mandela to turn into posters for people living in the townships of South Africa.

INTRODUCING THE MANDELA POSTER PROJECT!

We knew for some time that Mandela was not in good health, and that the 20th anniversary of his historic election as President of South Africa was coming right up. So, I’ve finally done it, twice. The “WALKING” poster references Mandela’s autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom.” “DANCING” references his “Madiba Shuffle,” the little dance he’d do at every public function.

OUR INDIEGOGOFUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN WITH ARTAIDSART.ORG

With ArtAidsArt.org we’ve joined forces to launch an INDIEGOGO campaign to raise funds for 6,000 “WALKING,” and “DANCING,” posters to be sent to eKhaya eKasi Art & Education Center in Khayelitsha, one of South Africa’s largest townships, near Cape Town. They’ll be handed out to anyone who wants one, for free! Plus, as a reminder to make good use of the lessons Mandela’s soulful life have taught us, we’re hoping to raise enough funds to spread the posters around the Bay Area, Seattle, Chicago, New York, and Washington DC over the coming months. His brilliant, fervent application of real politic, and his abiding spirit of inclusion despite the hardships he suffered fighting his country’s harsh rule of Apartheid, are an ongoing inspiration to us all.

PERKS PERKS AND MORE PERKS (COURTESY OF INDIEGOGO)!

In return for your tax-deductible contributions to non-profit ArtAidsArt.org, through INDIEGOGO, you’ll be able to choose among some awesome “perks,” like Mandela stickers, signed posters, fine-art limited edition prints, and more… Any funds we raisebeyond our goal will go to support the incredible work that eKhaya eKasi Art & Education Center does in service to the people of Khayelitsha, such as HIV-AIDS testing, and literacy and entrepreneurship programs that encourage self-expression and self-support.

Did I mention it’s tax-deductible? Please click here and help us reach our goal. With your support, I’m looking forward to getting back to “night work” with our great, very irregular, “Guerrilla National Guard” of volunteers around the US!