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July
2009 Marthalicia
Matarrita Although it may seem cliché to say that art can be a healing element for people, Angela's guest Marthalicia Mataritta, a New York City born painter is a living testament to this sentiment. As a youth, she and her two brothers grew up in an unstable fashion with their ailing mother and the family moved between New York City and Pennsylvania, then between the Dominican Republic and back to New York City, where they lived in cramped quarters and finally in a homeless shelter. Children are resilient however and Marthalicia and her brothers were no exception. They used art and music to distract them from all of the negative events that resulted from their nomadic lifestyle. So strong was Marthalicia's passion for art, that her natural talent and enthusiasm won her the opportunity to attend the reputable La Guardia High School for Music, Art and Performing Arts and thereafter, with a military scholarship she attended college to finalize her formal studies in Visual Arts. Today, Marthalicia
is the mother of an energetic four year old boy and a busy live painter,
who engages in art battles. Art battle competitions are an exciting part
of New York City's dynamic art and music scene and for skilled painters
like Marthalicia who are both talented and expeditious with their craft,
the rewards can be tremendous and an artist's popularity can soar in a
relatively short amount of time. The story of Marthalcia Matarrita is
an inspiration to her fellow artists and to people who are facing adversity
in their lives. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Janet
Braun Reinitz & Jane Weissman How often have you passed by an awe-inspiring or visually captivating wall mural and wondered who created it, or what its significance or social relevance might be? Perhaps you never realized there was much more to its creation than mere brushes on bricks. This week Initiative Radio brings an encore presentation of Angela McKenzie's interview with Janet Braun Reinitz and Jane Weissman, co-authors of the book “On The Wall: Four Decades of Community Murals in New York City” (University Press of Mississippi). Ms. Braun Reinitz is herself a community mural artist and president of New York City's community-based and artist run mural organization called Artmakers. Ms. Weissman is an environmental organizer. She has worked for NYC Greenmarkets, was Director of Green Thumb, New York's community garden program, and directs Artists in the Gardens, which places murals and sculptures in community gardens. In addition to being two of NYC’s strongest mural enthusiasts, these two women have a unique and kindred connection to the history and legacy of community muraling throughout some of New York’s most culturally rich neighborhoods in Brooklyn, The East Village, Harlem, and beyond. Discover the implicit connection between community muraling and political activism and such issues as environmentalism, housing and gentrification, city infrastructure. Learn also how community murals differ from graffiti or “aerosol” art. Join us for
this enlightening discussion, as we learn more about the social genesis
and implicit relevance of this ephemeral and often under-appreciated art
form. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Atlantic
Records was a fledgling enterprise, Ahmet Ertegun agreed to sign young
Virginia native Ruth Brown as the label's first female act. During her
ten years with Atlantic Ruth gave the company a string of R&B hits
but was unceremoniously dropped in year ten. Ruth Brown is truly a pioneer
who cleared the path for other legends such as Ray Charles and Aretha
Franklin. She lived well into her seventies and before her passing guest
host Deardra Shuler was fortunate to speak with her via telephone to learn
about her music career during the time of the Jim Crow laws up until her
21st century Broadway appearance in Hairspray the musical.
Laura
O'Reilly Laura O'Reilly is the unofficial ambassador for the New York City transit system. The young singer created and sported earrings out of the MetroCard which is used to pay passage for rides on the system and during a meeting with the female British rapper Lady Sovereign, Sovereign took note of the earrings and gave Laura the moniker Miz Metro. Miz Metro
is a very busy singer, songwriter and multimedia artist who still makes
time for charitable works through the initiative Fighting For Futures.
Her goal is to use her popularity to help raise funds to build primary
schools in Cambodia for children with limited access to education because
they spend countless hours selling merchandise in the streets of Cambodia
to help support their families.
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