Hi Friends,
It’s been an amazing run from mid-July to mid-September.
In our 2nd year, we doubled the size of NYC Bodypainting Day, we had our first Amsterdam Bodypainting Day, I came home to the “desnudas” situation and I recently finished 3 days of painting at Electric Zoo.
I look forward to another year of standing up for free artistic expression and expanding Bodypainting Day to more cities!
None of this could have happened without your support and participation. Below is a short recap of what we accomplished over the summer…Enjoy!
NYC Bodypainting Day
Once again, the positive energy and vibe was overwhelming. The theme “What the World Needs Now…” inspired so much amazing art. We marched to the UN, rode 2 double-decker buses stopping at Rockefeller Center, the Public Library and Washington Square Park where we had a spontaneous dance party under the Arch.
With 70 artists painting 100 nude models of all shapes and sizes, everybody who participated had their own story. For models, getting nude and painted in public takes a lot of courage. For many artists it was their first time painting a fully nude body. Here are a few highlights, but everyone was an important part of the event.
Thank you to Young Naturists America for helping in so many ways. Once again Felicity was one of the models and Jordan raced through the streets to keep us on schedule (Obama was at the UN and we had a last minute march route change).
A special thanks to Kryolan who once again donated all of the beautiful body paint.
I had the honor of painting Nicolette Barischoff in her wheelchair. Nicci lives with cerebral palsy and is a nude activist.
Two of the three Skin Wars judges (Craig Tracy and Robin Barcus Slonina) joined us (I guess RuPaul doesn’t paint). Pashur joined us and painted a model in her 8th month of pregnancy. We were joined by Kitty Campbell, a transgender model. Abby Ellin from the NY Observer both modeled and covered the story. Artist Jeff Spindel painted Dotti, a model with diabetes with an insulin pump attached to her body. Several NYC street artists joined us including Matthew Burrows. Once again, everyone who participated was a highlight.
And thank you New York City! The NYPD’s 17th Precinct was very helpful and the Parks Department once again provided us with a great space. The media was incredibly positive. Ironically the NY Post made a great video of the event and then was very critical of my recent painting in Times Square.
Amsterdam Bodypainting Day
Many cities in Europe have public nudity laws, but only Amsterdam would issue us a permit (including Paris, London, Barcelona and Berlin). So hats off to Amsterdam! 15 artists painted 20 models at Rembrandtplein Square, including volunteers from the public.
Artist Gregory Jackson Haley skated into the event fully nude and self-painted. I painted Cynthia Fleischmann before she painted Kiki, who flew in from NYC.
Photographer Tom Mac from New York also joined us. And speaking of traveling, Anete Vanaga came from Latvia to paint at both NYC and Amsterdam Bodypainting Day.
The march was over 2 kilometers through historic streets and yes, people did stare. When we all posed in front of a coffee shop, the owner quickly closed the gate!
The destination for our after-party was the awesome and gracious GO Gallery, Thank you to Farud Cambatta and Oscar van der Voorn for treating us to food and drink. Liliana Hopman also treated us to a black light performance.
Desnudas
I was still in Europe when the story of the topless girls in Times Square exploded in the press. I was surprised to see the quick elevation of continual coverage and strong responses by Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo.
It was disappointing that with all of the behavioral issues with the mascots in Times Square, that it was topless women that created a call for action. Topless has been legal in NY State since 1992, yet the Mayor called it “inappropriate.” This is a setback to all that we’ve accomplished. I was eager to return to remind people that not only is topless legal, but for the sake of art, full nudity is legal for both men and women in New York City.
