Ian Downing – Keith Haring

Keith Haring's "Growing from Growing from Growing" piece

Keith Haring is an artist who started to become famous in such a queer way; by making chalk drawings in the New York City subway system. As childish as it sounds, it’s not something anyone could do (and not just because you could get arrested for it). Keith Haring just LOVED to draw. He’s loved drawing since he was a kid; back in his native town of Reading, Pennsylvania. And he didn’t go to school to learn how to draw; his dad taught him!

Now you may be wondering: “Why did he just walk up to a subway ad one day and draw on it?” . Well, Haring used to study at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where he developed a variety of art exhibitions which he would present in art exhibition sites and performances, at a club called: “Club 57″. So this one day in 1980, Haring was walking down the subways of New York and spotted a few empty ad boards, and saw it as an opportunity to project his art onto a wider audience. So apparently, he must have had some white chalk with him, and decided to start drawing on the black, blank boards. Eventually, he kept drawing and drawing and DRAWING until he covered many ad boards with his art.

His art would be all over the New York City subway system, and people became familiar with it. They would even stop and watch him drawing if they were lucky enough to find him “on-the-job”. The subway was even dubbed his own little “laboratory” (which  doesn’t sound as bad as it seems).

After monopolizing the entire New York City subway system with his art, Haring decided to open art exhibitions; which he did for the next 9 years (1980-1989), in which he achieved international fame for. He’s had art exhibitions in places like the Westbeth Painter’s Space in New York, the Tony Shafrazi Gallery in Soho, and many more. But besides just this, he ended up doing some international-leveled pieces of art. He designed billboards in Times Square, New York; watch designs for the watch company “Swatch”, and even an advertising campaign for “Absolut Vodka”.

But Haring grew a little bored with the big stuff, and on April of 1986, he opened a Pop Art store in Soho selling clothing and other items with his own designs on them. He also decided to give the store his own touch by painting it’s interior in an abstract black and white fashion. People criticized this action, but Haring ignored them. He wanted his art to be available to the world; something which other artists probably did not agree with.

Haring worked on many other projects which had intentions of projecting a social message to the world. Unfortunately, this all ended in 1990 when he died of AIDS. But as a result, his art was donated to organizations to help raise funds for AIDS. The singer Madonna cared so much, that in his memory, she donated all the money made from her “Blonde Ambition Word Tour” to AIDS charities. Some of his art even appears briefly in the song “One” by the band “U2” in a tour which took place during 1997 and 1998.

By: Ian Downing

The World Through Keith Haring’s Eyes

Before entering any art gallery I was very focused on my surroundings and how different it was from the usual neighborhoods I go to. Chelsea was covered with art work, from the floors to the walls to the sides of buildings, I really liked that the art work made on the street related a lot to society’s issues.

I took a picture of a spray painted gun with the words “art is my weapon” inside of it. In my opinion the artist was trying to tell his audience that instead of using words, or fists to fight for what he believes in he uses art to help people understand his story. I found that really relevant to our society and government today.

The neighborhood was full of very unique and random art, everything was full of life and everyone looking at the different paintings were so interested in what the artist was thinking while she/he was creating their art piece. I saw many people asking whoever they were with what they think of the art work.

The most interesting thing I saw in the neighborhood was coming across Olek’s shopping cart entirely crocheted. On the side of the cart it says “don’t steal from the public” I think she chose that quote with that particular object because she wants to tell other people who are in the public is for everyone, and since shopping carts get stolen frequently she used that object.

The Keith Haring art gallery in Chelsea’s  Pace Print Gallery  was very interesting and colorful. It was the first art gallery I’ve ever been to in Chelsea. Keith Haring’s paintings were so beautiful and like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I thought it was awesome how even a pair of heels had Keith Haring’s art work, I found them very unique and very vintage. I felt like no other artist would even think of doing something like this.

There was a Keith Haring piece in particular that made me wonder a lot about what he was really trying to tell the audience. The painting was of a big dog like figure and inside of the dog there was people on leashes, and people pushing each other, I thought that the main message was that humans treat each other like animals, without respect.

Overall Chelsea was beautiful place to be in when it comes to the art, the people, the nature and the environment. Chelsea is a wonder place to relax and think about life, and the best place to explore different art work.

by Christy Hernandez

Life of Keith Haring.

Keith Haring was an artist who was born on May 4, 1959 in Pennsylvania.  Upon graduation from high school in 1976, Haring enrolled in the Ivy school of professional art in Pittsburgh, a commercial arts school . He soon realized that he had little interest in becoming a commercial graphic artist and, after two semesters , dropped out. Later that same years, he moved to New York City and enrolled  in the School of Visual Arts.

As a student at SVA, Haring experimented with performance, video, installation and collage, while always maintaining a strong commitment to drawing. When he noticed the unused advertising panels covered with matte black paper in a subway station. He began to create drawings in white chalk upon these blank paper panels throughout the subway system. In the early of 80s, Haring produced hundreds of these public drawings in rapid rhythmic lines, sometimes creating as many as forty “subway drawings” in one day.And he devoted much of his time to public works, which often carried social messages.

Haring was diagnosed with AIDS in 1988. In 1989, he established the Keith Haring Foundation, its mission being to provide funding and imagery to AIDS organizations and children’s programs, and to expand the audience for Haring’s work through exhibitions, publications and the licensing of his images. During a brief but intense career that spanned the 1980s, Haring’s work was featured in over 100 solo and group exhibitions. In 1986 alone, he was the subject of more than 40 newspaper and magazine articles. Keith Haring died of AIDS related complications at the age of 31 on February 16, 1990. Since his death, Haring has been the subject of several international retrospectives. The work of Keith Haring can be seen today in the exhibitions and collections of major museums around the world.

By Haichatou.