San Francisco recently had a ‘art walk’ in early October which went hand-in-hand with the opening of the annual Open Studios, a series of art showings in various parts of the city showcasing artists’ work in the San Francisco and greater San Francisco area. Below are a few shots of the work of James Prigoff, who is apparently now in his seventies.
James is an author, photographer and lecturer on the subject of worldwide urban murals and is one of the most important photographers of aerosol art on the international scene. He started worldwide documentation of murals in the late 1960’s. His interest would eventually lead him to aerosol art (graffiti). His personal photographs comprise one of the most extensive collections of aerosol art in the world. During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, Prigoff documented many aerosol art movements (from their infancy) across the United States and abroad.
Important photographs from his collection appear in the book Spraycan Art published by Thames and Hudson in 1987, which he co-authored with photographer Henry Chalfant.
The book joined the ranks of the films Wild Style and Style Wars and the bookSubway Art in triggering the birth of additional aerosol art movements throughout the world.
He co-authored the books Painting the Towns- Murals of California and Walls of Heritage – Walls of Pride- History of African American Murals with Robin Dunitz. He was pleased to include works by BLADE, NOC, KASE 2, QUIK, A-ONE, VULCAN, SPON, E-ZONE and DIZNEY in this now critically acclaimed book. He has also written the forewords for the books Graffiti LA by Steve Grody AndGraffiti New York by Eric Felisbret (DEAL CIA). Prigoff is still actively documenting public art today.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.