User:Mlf2182/Artolution

Artolution Artolution is an international community-based arts organization. The name Arolution is suggesting a revolution and a solution with and through the arts. Each piece that Artolution works on is designed with a purpose to break down barriers and murals expose social issues and provide color in otherwise bland landscapes. Artolution creates public art pieces around the world that focus on local issues and engage residents to help, providing an outlet for discussion and creativity. Artolution works with communities who have experienced conflict, sometimes focused on bridging the gap between groups on opposite sides.

Artolution is co-directed by two lead artists, Max Frieder and Joel Bergner. Max is an artist and educator from Colorado whose first international public art project was in Israel and Palestine after the first Gaza war in 2009. Max was the recipient of the Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Arts in November 2014 and was the World of Children Hero Award's Crisis Award recipient in April 2018. Joel Bergner (aka Joel Artista) is a muralist/ street artist and educator who creates large-scale works of art with the participation of young people and communities around the world.

Artolution has ties to local artists around the world that are trained to carry on projects once Joel and Max leave the community. Arolution's connections with local artists results in a more sustainable model and allows for lasting impact on communities. ...

Projects Artolution's co-directors, Joel and Max, have traveled to over 30 countries to work on the organization's various projects. Projects have focused largely on refugees around the world, most recently Artolution worked with those impacted by the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh. Artolution worked in the Balukhlai refugee camp, the largest refugee camp in the world with nearly 600,000 refugees. Artolution was the first organization to bring community-based public arts projects to the Balukhali camps in Bangladesh. With Artolution, children in the Balukhali camps tell their stories and find a creative outlet, forgetting about their traumas and imagining a brighter future.

Artolution worked with Syrian refugees in the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan. The project in Azraq refugee camp allowed children to see their dreams come to life in art. Artolution has worked within the U.S. in juvenile detention centers and with youth in New York City and Washington D.C. Artolution has also traveled to areas of Kenya, India, and Brazil.

While all focused on community building and collaboration, projects have more specific themes such as trauma relief or raising awareness about gender equality or environmental sustainability among others. The 'Foundstrument Soundstrument' project created by Max Frieder is centered around environmental sustainability; participants collect and decorate trash and local recycled materials to creative an interactive percussion instrument, demonstrating the possibility to reuse.