Bottle Cap Mural in Bayers Westwood

Bottle Cap Mural in Bayers Westwood

A major project this year was the creation of a community mural on McAlpine Ave in the Bayers Westwood community. This long, drab wall was uninspiring. Terri (the 4Cs director) had wanted to have the Art Bikers tackle this wall since year one of the program! We were determined to make it happen this summer – and it did! We worked with the residents to create a vibrant mural to brighten up this corner. So we...

… collected bottle caps all summer (thanks you 4Cs supporters who collected for us, as well) ...washed them all by hand... with the help of participants sorted the caps into colour coded tubs...had a planning day collecting imagery ideas from the community then took those ideas and combined them into a cohesive design...traced community participants in interesting positions and cut the shapes out of plywood...scraped chipping paint off the wall and prepped the outline...painted and painted more with help from local children and youth.... community participants filled the plywood figures with bottle cap patterns....painted and attached caps and painted and attached caps....had amazing fun... and voila!

Community members are so pleased with this mural and can't wait to see it grow in years to come!

Thank you to all the amazing participants and to our collectors of bottle caps!!

Mask Making at Bayers Westwood

Mask Making at Bayers Westwood

Our main focus this summer in Bayers Westwood, was the big mural project, so we wanted to drop in another time before the end of summer to really sit down with the kids and make some art! We had an amazing day with the community and as you can see from the pics, made absolutely fantastic cardboard masks. The kids were really keen on spending the time to create elaborate constructions full of interesting details and they had lots of fun developing their character through play.

Switch Dartmouth

Switch Dartmouth 2013

Dartmouth held its first Switch event on the most lovely of days! The Art Bikers brought out the Angry Birds game one last time and also facilitated a bike/switch themed printmaking activity. Participants were able to take home their own printing plates and prints, but several left us with an additional print to contribute to our community poster, which we gave to Findlay Center as a momento. It was a pretty busy day, but we managed to snap a few photos!

Mad Hatter Tea Party!

Mad Hatter Tea Party!

It's time to talk of cabbages and kings!.....Or of Art Bikers and awesome community art projects!

The team arrived in character to Point Pleasant Park on a beautiful day and we encouraged the people of Halifax to follow us down the rabbit hole - to make giant tea cups and wonderland toadstools.

We read and acted out the storybook while participants listened and worked away, sharing laughs and solving riddles and making fun things!

Kite Making at ISIS Family Picnic

Kite Making at ISIS Family Picnic

The friendly people at ISIS invited the Art Bikers to attend their annual Family Picnic, which focuses on providing ideas for projects and activities that families can do together at home.
This was the Art Bikers second project with this awesome community this summer. All of the kids are always excited and everyone is eager to participate.
We built kites and decorated them before running down the field trying to catch the wind to make them fly.
Our spirits, like the kites, soared to great heights!

Bike Decorating at Porters Lake

Bike Decorating at Porters Lake

The wonderful people of Porters Lake organized an incredible bike rally for the youth of this community and invited us to come and facilitate a bike and helmet decorating workshop. We originally were trying to follow there theme of "The Wild, Wild East", but as you can see, many different wild and wonderful creatures were created! We had a truly great afternoon with these families making magical creations and then going on a back woods bike trek!

Advice Exchange!

Advice Exchange!

It ended up to be a beautiful day for Pride Parade this year and the Art Bikers took advantage of such a great crowd of people to present a fun and interactive advice exchange booth!
We asked for people to leave their best advice, and feel free to read what others had left and to take some advice that spoke to them. People of all ages really enjoyed browsing through the sage words of their fellow Haligonians!

We managed to snap a few pictures...

Wish You Were Here!

Wish You Were Here!
Art Postcard making at Fuller Terrace Park

We spend a really wonderful day at this lovely little park in the North End of Halifax happily making art postcards to send to someone special...it was a day of making connections!

The families here were so pleased to have us and encouraged us to please come back again soon!

With our new friends, we made art postcards featuring our favorite places in the HRM and sent them to someone special explaining why we wished they were here. Our art was mailed in our magical postbox and sent off into the world! Will anyone write back?!?!

Creature Creations at Cornwallis Park

Creature Creations at Cornwallis Park

The first week of July marked the Art Bikers official launch party and we kicked things off with a 2 day project at Cornwallis Park downtown by the Westin/train station.

This was our first time at this park and found it to be a very pedestrian thoroughfare location, with local business people, sunbathers, traveler tourists, daycares, ESL students and day camps all passing through. We managed to entice more than a few to take part, creating whimsical contributions to our exquisite creatures, which became amazingly fantastical "stand in" panels that we left installed in the park for all to enjoy!

We really enjoyed meeting everyone who came by and we'd like to encourage the folks of HRM to take the time to go see these funny characters and take a few photos! Tag us on Facebook so we can see!
(www.facebook.com/artbikers)

The Sound of Ardmore

The Sound of Ardmore

The park was alive with the sound of music!
Our first project of the summer back at Ardmore park was a jam! We explored instrument making, playing together and recording sounds!
We built our own guitars, shakers, xylophones and drums out of recycled materials and found objects. Then we practiced playing them together using different rhythms and dynamics.
Our recordings are going to be made into a song available for all to hear! Coming soon!

Thanks to everybody who participated!

I's the b'y(ker) that builds the boat...

Boat Building at Sullivans Pond

The Art Bikers ship sunk and left them stranded at Sullivans Pond! Luckily a jolly crew of locals worked together to build a new one! Together we explored nautical pennants, sail painting, wooden hull painting and building! We also shared our origami skills to make a fleet of paper boats!

It was a great turnout with individuals, families and local artists stopping by to participate.

This was a new community area for the Art Bikers and everyone was excited to have us there..."Thank you so much for coming to our community and making it even more beautiful!"

Avast Dartmouth...we'll be back!!

Glen Gardeners...

Garden Banners at Glen Garden, Fairview

This year we are happy to be working with ISIS, introducing the Art Bikers to a whole new community of friends! Our first project was to create family banners to mark the plots at this sweet, street-side community garden. This is an amazing neighborhood of mostly new immigrants who don't yet speak english, and for many it was their first time using paint! It's amazing how art builds bridges between us all!

Bike Fest

BIKE FEST - Why do you like your bike?

Sunday June 2nd was our first day as a team "in the field"! We loaded our carts with supplies and set up at Bike Fest at the Commons oval. We had a blast helping kids and adults alike decorate their helmets...and snapping portraits of participants in our funky little photobooth!

A reminder to check out more photos on our facebook page www.facebook.com/artbikers

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WHEELS: Open Studio with the Art Bikers

WHEELS: Open Studio with the Art Bikers

The Art Bikers would like to thank everyone who participated in our art project!

Through the month of May we invited people to transform bike wheels into wondrous works of art. We also hosted our first open studio, where people could explore their creativity with the teams support and wide variety of materials.

We spent the day weaving, painting, collaging, decorating, singing, listening to live harp and meeting new friends! What a great way to kick of the Art Biker season!
Here are some of the creations:

And here is almost all of them installed in our front entryway!

We welcome you to come and view the artwork at the 4Cs Foundation office at 5663 Cornwallis St

Welcome 2013 Art Bikers!

WELCOME 2013 ART BIKERS!

presenting....the 2013 Art Bikers....
A sextet of vastly skilled and highly enthusiastic humanoid individualists, ready to unleash their repertoire of fun theatre, music and art activities throughout the HRM.

We are pleased to present:

Maggie Pearson
Art Style: crafty & comical/fabrics
Favourite Things: chips & quilts
Hobbies: book reading & bike riding
I love Halifax because: This is where I arrived
My bikes name is: Whitey
Secret Superpower: raising the bread

Eric Diolola
Art Style: mixed media/graphics/sound design
I love: beaches & breakfast
I love Halifax because: the outdoors
My bikes name is: Betty
Supah Powah: making scribbles

Patrick Peachey
Art Style: theatre/film/3d projects
I love: crazy art projects
Hobbies: nerding it up & READING
I love Halifax because: well...the ocean!
My bikes name is: Bonapart
My Superpower: storytelling

Sandy Escobar
Art Style: drawing/large paintings/theatre design/illustration
I love: long deep conversations, blanket forts, cheesecake & neon colours
Hobbies: sketching in my sketchbook & telling terrible jokes
I love Halifax because: of all the great communities, cool neighbourhoods & friendly people
My bikes name is: Herman
Secret Superpower: vision

Jacob Sutton (returning & Sr. Art Biker)
Art Style: spraypainting
Hobbies: making beats to DJ & playing drums
I love Halifax because: it's so beautiful and always inspires me for whatever I'm working on
My bikes name is: Senior Adventure Time
Secret Superpower: cross dimensional awareness & astral projection

Tara Grude (returning Program Coordinator)
Art Style: I've got my hands in EVERYTHING but I produce a line of scarves
I love: adventures (and everything is)Hobbies: cooking Pinteresting recipes, vintage shopping & house walks
I love Halifax because: of it's lovely people and oceanside splendour
My bikes name is : she's also a Betty
My Superpower: bringing fun opportunities for kids!

Invitation to Participate!

As part of Bike Week Art Crawl 2013, we want to create a bicycle-theme installation at the 4Cs office with your help! We are transforming bike rims into wheels of colour and texture. We are inviting you to use your creativity to transform a bicycle wheel using any type of materials. Your wheel will become part of a large installation outside the Art Bikers studio in the entryway to the 4Cs Foundation.

How to participate:

Use your own rim and materials and when ready, drop off to the 4Cs office (on or before Saturday June 2, noon-6pm)
OR
Join the Art Bikers at the studio on Saturday June 2, noon-6pm to transform your wheel and help with the installation.

If you need a bicycle rim, we have some for pick up at the 4Cs office starting May 1st - while supplies last!

For more information or to arrange a pick up or drop off:
Tara Grude at artbikers@gmail.com or 422-4805
The 4Cs Foundation office is located at Suite 104 5663 Cornwallis St, Halifax

For more information on Bike Week 2013 and the Art Crawl:
http://www.halifax.ca/bikeweek/scheduleofevents.html
brendan.sutcliffe@gmail.com

Coming soon...Art Bikers 2013!

Coming soon...ART BIKERS 2013!

Thank you to all the amazing people who applied to be an Art Biker. We are grateful to have had so many talented people to meet. Creating a diverse and skilled team is always a complex process - but every organization should be this luckily to have a deep pool of gifted, talented and passionate candidates to choose from. We look forward to introducing you to the Art Bikers 2013 in May.

Looking ahead to a few projects we are planning for this season, we are asking the our friends and supporters collect the following (clean) items: plastic bottle caps, coloured plastic bags (no beige bags), tin cans (clean, all sizes, labels removed) and bike wheels/rims/whole bikes (any size).

Please drop off to our studio space at the 4Cs Foundation office, Suite 104, 5663 Cornwallis Street, or call us to make arrangements for us to come pick up your donations.

Thank you and see you soon!