I am proud and honored to have been asked to participate in an exhibition of previous awardees from the VSA Emerging Artists Program in the Kennedy Center’s Hall of Nations with sponsorship from Volkswagen Group of America. This exhibition will be showcased as part of the celebrations for the 25th Anniversary of the ADA and 40th Anniversary of VSA and will open on Friday, July 10, 2015. This exhibition will include the work of up to 20 artists who will represent the past 13 years of the VSA Emerging Young Artist Program. I was an awardee in 2009. Curated by Stephanie Moore. She has chosen Daffy Goes to Waterbury with a Ninja Turtle and SECR Toilet to be part of the exhibition that will run somewhere from June-August.
Stephanie Moore is currently the Executive Director of The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design in Asheville, NC. Moore was previously the Director of Visual Arts for VSA, an affiliate of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, for 18 years. While in this post she was responsible for providing the overall direction and production of all visual arts exhibitions and activities at a national level. Moore established the VSA emerging artist program supported by Volkswagen Group of America in 2002 and curated over 40 exhibitions including Revealing Culture, a groundbreaking exhibition held at the Smithsonian Institution’s International Gallery and designed by Michael Graves & Associates. Moore holds a BA in art history and studio art from James Madison University and an MA in museum studies/nonprofit management and the art of underrepresented cultures from George Washington University.
Since 2002, VSA and Volkswagen Group of America have teamed up to recognize and showcase the work of emerging young artists living with disabilities, ages 16-25, who are currently residing in the United States. This collaboration creates opportunities for these artists at a critical time when many are making the life-defining choice to pursue arts-based careers. VSA and Volkswagen are committed to sustainability and investing in the future of young artists living with disabilities.
Skate Park Krusty is off to Tokyo, Japan! I’m super excited to announce that my art piece was chosen for Art Olympia – アートオリンピア 2015, an exclusive international art competition. Artworks from approximately 240 artists were selected from three major cities – Tokyo, New York and Paris. All of us who were chosen to participate will undergo the final review in Tokyo by a panel of judges invited from around the world. The exhibition is tentatively scheduled for June 13 – 28, 2015 at the Toshima City Government Office Building in Ikebukuro, Tokyo.
There are two rounds to this contest. The first round is regional, conducted in New York, Paris and Tokyo. 80 pieces (60 open category/20 students) from each regional market base were selected to proceed to the final round in Tokyo. Art Olympia aims to promote global cultural exchanges through art. is an open art competition held as a biennial event with the goal of discovering talented artists around the world and supporting their activities. The judging will be conducted by domestic and foreign art experts as jurors. My art piece was selected for this amazing competition, Skate Park Krusty, from my Obsessions & Meditations series. This piece was made with acrylic, craypas, paint pen, and archival glitter on canvas – 24” x 24” unframed.
With three entry bases in Tokyo, New York, and Paris, Art Olympia is a public art contest open to artists from all over the world with the goal of discovering talent. Established as a biennale, the contest will be held every two years. Prizes will be distributed to the winners to help them advance their path and their creative scope. Using a fair and transparent judging process to determine the winners, Art Olympia aims to achieve an international and multidimensional approach in judging. A universal point system is used and applicants will know their standing, points and ranking.
Having been selected for this prestigious international art competition has officially propelled me into the global art circuit. I’m so proud to participate in this incredible contest and exhibition in Tokyo, it validates for me that my work has mass appeal and crosses cultural borders. I’m really happy that people are able to connect with a part of me through my artwork, and as a globally recognized artist, I now have the opportunity to touch art aficionados all over the world.
My work is on display in Miami now through March 2015 at the uber cool McCormick Place in the Miami Downtown Arts District. I have (5) works hanging in the art gallery there and I’m very excited to have work showing in Miami for a 3-month long exhibit. McCormick Place is a multifaceted arts space located in the heart of Downtown Miami. The space consists of a gallery and special events space and also houses artist studios and creative start-ups throughout the building. The venue features indoor and outdoor areas for cocktail receptions, performances, and exhibitions.
The Downtown area is the Southern neighbor to Wynwood and has its own blossoming art district. Home to the Perez Art Museum, the Downtown art scene is a whole new look and feel of local artists with smaller galleries and venues, and the businesses that exhibit and support the arts such as the MegaYacht SeaFair docked in Downtown at Bayfront Park, 100 Chopin Plaza in Miami – the world’s first mobile megayacht venue and one of the ten largest privately owned yachts in the United States. Groundbreaking in scale, ingenuity and style, the yacht – which remains dockside during each event, pairs international fine art, jewelry and collectibles with dining and cocktails at Bayfront Park in Downtown, Miami. The SeaFair hosts the 6th Edition of MIA, the Miami International Art Fair from Jan.15-19, 2015.
When I toured the art gallery at McCormick Place, I loved hearing the story and history of the building and learning about how it all evolved. The original building I was told was constructed in 1924, and was first a US Customs Warehouse serving as storage of confiscated goods and look-out post for the nefarious characters coming into Miami via the Biscayne Bay and the Miami River. The property was purchased in 1970 by Edward J McCormick, Sr. and dedicated to his father, Dr. James McCormick. Now, three generations later, Sean McCormick is not only reviving this venue but the Downtown area, creating the epicenter for the cultural crossroads of Miami.
I am happy to have artwork on exhibit at the McCormick Place Art Gallery. My team and I are looking forward to the monthly Downtown Art Walks & Gallery Nights, hoping to make new friends in the Miami market, always open to new opportunities and of course acquiring new collectors.
I am proud to announce the launch of Truck’N With Vito!, a Cultural Awareness Campaign. I transformed an ordinary van into a mobile art gallery and I am spreading the word through my art that Autism is a magical gift of secret resources of creativity and inspiration. The event is called TRUCK’N WITH VITO! and we’re launching on Saturday, May 24th at the exclusive Umbrella Arts Gallery in New York’s East Village, located at 317 East 9th Street. The gallery is known for its rare shows of extreme talent and is bringing my art showcase and cultural awareness project into the limelight. Umbrella Arts is a place of discovery, movement and change and they are committed to keeping the artistic spirit alive in the community, I’m very proud and excited about this project.
The exhibition will kick-off on May 24th at Umbrella Arts Gallery and my mobile project TRUCK’N WITH VITO! will travel on wheels to be seen all over Manhattan and Brooklyn at Bushwick Open Studios, The Howl Festival, The Dumbo Arts Festival and in New York’s East Village. The exhibition is taking place from May 24th through July 31, 2014 – the opening reception at Umbrella Arts on May 24th will showcase small, intimate paintings that I made on the road and in my New Haven, Connecticut art studio. View the fundraising campaign here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/truck-n-with-vito – we invite the public to join the movement and help to continue TRUCK’N WITH VITO! going and spreading the word about Autism and artistic talent.
During this traveling exhibition, the Artmobile will make stops at Fountain Gallery, LAND Gallery, the Bushwick Open Studios, and the HOWL Festival in Tompkins Square Park. Additional stops in the Summer of 2014 include the SoNo Arts Festival in Norwalk, CT. In the Fall, we will visit the DUMBO Arts Festival, the IAM Festival, OpSail, Envision Fest, LAMP, the SOFA Fair, and in The Wynwood Arts District during Art Basel Miami Beach at Spectrum Art Fair this December 3-7, 2014, as well as METRO Curates in January 2015.
Welcome to Vito’s blog! Please check back soon for more exciting things coming from Vito!
