W.E. A.L.L. B.E.: Tha Artivist DO What It Do at W & L Univ. in Lexington,Va.

Monday, October 30, 2006

Tha Artivist DO What It Do at W & L Univ. in Lexington,Va.

Artastic Greetings To Fans Of All Things R2C2H2,
This has been my second trip in a year's time to a college situated in Virginia...I love driving through eastern Tennessee and Virginia this time of the year because of the beautiful scenery...It's very refreshing and calming to see the trees with multicolored leaves sitting atop the peaks and valleys of the Appalachians...This time I had the pleasure of seeing an old yet young friend of mine from my Wash U. Days on Oct. 18 and 19...Margo McClinton, a former residential director at Wash U. in St. Louis got up the nerve to bring yours truly to conservative Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va. where she now serves as the Director of Student Activities...Those two days marked the first time I have seen this captivating woman in five years...Margo was one of the first people to buy some art from yours truly...W. & L. is the U.S.'s 9th oldest college...It's architecture is definitely slavery I mean colonial style circa Thomas Jefferson not George Jefferson...In alot ways despite the fact it was fall/autumn the place lacked color (if you know what I mean) but, what it lacked in color it made up for in the enthusiasm and curiosity of some of the students I had the pleasure of meeting...It was very spiritually rejuvenating to be able share some of my passion and knowledge with a receptive audience...I felt like a tenured college professor and now I know what to $charge$ the next time I do one of these academic excursions...It was a thirteen hour drive to get to Lexington from Memphis,Tn, but it was worth the ride it took to find good conversation and to see Margo's beautiful self again after 5 years...Yeah it was also good to see 2pac again as well...2Pac as in Margo's lucky pet dog not the rapper...

Me with the gorgeous Margo looking the same way I saw her five years ago...Timeless Beauty.

The Official W & L Press Release

The Elrod Commons at Washington and Lee University presents Common Grounds every Wednesday from 7 – 9 pm. The event turns the living room into a coffeehouse featuring musicians and artists. This year we have had musicians from as far as Florida and as close as Lexington. Students are also encouraged to perform. This past Wednesday, October 18^th Tom Goss played guitar and piano. In addition there was an workshop led by artist Ronald Cortez Herd II a.k.a. R2C2H2 a.k.a. 'The Artivist’.

Admirers and locals alike talking about the unforgettable night with R2C2H2 Tha Artivist and his many talents

He shared that:

“MY JOB AS AN ARTIVIST (ARTIST + ACTIVIST) IS TO ACTIVELY PROMOTE UNDERSTANDING, LOVE AND APPRECIATION FOR THE CREATIVE ARTS AS WELL AS FOR CREATIVE PEOPLE...I USE MY ART IN PARTICULAR TO BREAK DOWN ALL TYPES OF WALLS AND BARRIERS THAT PEOPLE PUT UP EITHER TO JUSTIFY THEIR HATRED, PREJUDICE AND INDIFFERENCE OR BECAUSE OF THEIR IGNORANCE AND NAIVETE TOWARDS CERTAIN ISSUES AND TOPICS CONCERNING PEOPLE, HISTORY AND CULTURE (S)...ONE OF MY MAIN OBJECTIVES IN MY PROFESSION IS TO TEACH THE WORLD HOW TO LOVE NOT JUST TOLERATE BLACK PEOPLE AND OTHER BEAUTIFUL BEINGS AND THINGS!!! IF I REACH JUST ONE HUE-MAN BEING THAN MY ENTIRE EXISTENCE IN ALL ITS MEANING WILL BE TOTALLY JUSTIFIED!!!

Tha Artivist working his magic...
My art is one created through the use and motivation of three of my main passions: my love of art, my love of music and my love of history in particular African and African American History. I love to tell stories through the use of symbols. I think four of my biggest influences, Jacob Lawrence, El Greco, Miles Davis and Paul Gaugin, have taught and convinced me that interesting stories can be told in a visually expressive and highly original individual style without the use of the written word. These artists among the countless others that I admire like Picasso, Charles White, Van Gogh, William H. Johnson, Romare Bearden, Lois Jones, Archibald Motley, George Hunt, Jean Michel Basquiat to musicians John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Run DMC, Louis Armstrong, Robert Johnson, Howling Wolf, Billie Holiday, Robert Johnson, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington and 2pac remind me through their prolific outputs that research is one of the most important ingredients in forming your own artistic voice. Before I create a series of related artworks I dive deeply into the subject(s) of my choice through the use of books, movies (documentaries), music and discussions with people who are connected to the subject(s). These tasks take me countless hours to perform, but I honestly feel that me taking the time to collect and analyze the information have made me a better artist as well as a better human being. In this way I feel artists are like synthesizers, taking in all foreign information and materials mixing it with the artists’ experiences and knowledge and then compressing it into a product made in the artists’ likeness or image based on the artists’ own ideas and philosophies. All great art to me seems to be those works that have substance and tell unwritten as well as written stories that are to be retold and reinterpreted for years to come. Hopefully my dedication to my art will continue to lead me in this direction.”