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Applying for a visa is long-winded, demanding extensive documentation that usually requires a lawyer. First-time applicants can spend anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 on the entire procedure. The majority goes towards legal costs, a $1,015 to $1,055 filing fee (which recently increased by more than 120 percent from $460) and if time is tight, a $2,805 premium processing fee, a 12 percent increase from $2,500 previously.

Herrensauna resident Salome told Resident Advisor that she spent $5,500 on her O-1, $3,000 of which was taken up by application fees, lawyers and union costs. Two months after filing her application and ten days before her trip stateside, she was asked to submit ten additional recommendation letters, which required expedited processing. "Can you imagine how stressful that was? In the end, I made it but believe me, it was days of panicking and stressing the hell out," she said.

Artists tend to shoulder these staggering costs themselves, placing those without savings at a disadvantage. The government's strict eligibility criteria, which insists on proof of international recognition, is another challenge for niche names who lack a global footprint. If acts are signed with a booking agency, the company can pay upfront as loans against future earnings, but for unrepresented talents who aren't well-off and don't have much media buzz, this exclusionary visa policy can be an automatic disqualifier.

"Foreign nationals feel daunted by the visa process, often to the point where they give up on touring the US altogether," said Sigmund. "By the time we speak with prospective clients, many have already written off the possibility of coming stateside." If the process was less intimidating, more artists would actively pursue touring the US, he continued. Last year, Surefire booked 100 tours for international artists, out of which 18 required visas.

It's rare for independent promoters, clubs and festivals to chip in. "We don't have the space or ammo to foot the bill for the visa fees on top of performance fees, lodging, flights, etc." said Jacob Hopes, talent buyer and chief production manager at Chicago's Podlasie Club, which only hosts overseas artists with existing visas.

#artist visa #immigration #resident advisor #music talent #dj #o-1 visa #music festivals #nightlife #clubbing #dance music #edm

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Not everyone made it to the top floors of Oceanwide Plaza — the abandoned billion-dollar development of luxury high-rises in downtown Los Angeles — but the graffiti artist called SEK was determined to get there. Dressed in his usual hoodie, and with a paint-splattered satchel over his shoulder, he slipped onto the property through one of many openings in the surrounding fence, and began heading up 52 floors.

That was in early February, when local graffiti artists first began hitting the construction site’s three towers after becoming newly aware that the property was mostly unguarded. In that first week, the buildings would be smothered in paint, as taggers left their names and acronyms in elaborate shapes and colors: “Hopess,” “Tang,” “Eels,” “6FT,” “Ska,” “DWP,” “420,” “Libre,” “Serb,” “Sweets,” “Thrash” and hundreds more. Others painted cartoon pandas and left statements of purpose (e.g., “Forever Living Krazy!”).

That night at the top of the main tower, SEK found a spot to leave his name spelled out in bubble letters painted in silver, red and black. Splashing his mark onto the glass of what was once destined to be someone’s luxury penthouse condo was part of a collision of class and culture in the heart of Los Angeles, steps away from the Crypto.com Arena, home to the star-studded Grammy Awards and the L.A. Lakers.

At 35, SEK has been a graffiti artist for nearly 20 years, and he spoke on the condition of anonymity. Graffiti is considered vandalism in the California Penal Code, and always carries the risk of prosecution. “Graffiti has taught me that there’s no waiting for permission. You just have to take chances and express yourself by any means necessary,” SEK said later in the first of two interviews, one on the phone and another during a walk through downtown L.A. His handiwork on the tower is documented on his personal Instagram account and in abundant drone footage of the buildings posted on YouTube.

#graffiti #sek #la graffiti #la street art #urbanart #streetart #graffiti art #shepard fairey #skeam #los angeles

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Landlords wanting to attract young professionals once scrubbed off the rebellious scrawls. That was before graffiti moved from countercultural to mainstream. Now building owners are willing to pay for it.

From Berlin to London to Miami, the wider acceptance of graffiti has attracted developers looking to expand into trendy areas, companies wanting to relocate to hipper neighborhoods and brands seeking creative ways to advertise their products.

But that attention to once overlooked neighborhoods has pushed up rents, leaving artists, fans and local officials with a quandary: What happens after the street art that brought character becomes commodified?

#gentrification #streetart #graffiti #graffiti art #mural #murales #mural art #urbanart #shoreditch #london street art #wynwood #miami street art #street art miami #stret art berlin #friedrichshain #kreuzberg

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Urban Squash Cleveland (USC), nestled in Ohio City, is a youth development program for 4th through 12th graders that provides free tutoring, homework help, enrichment activities, support after high school, and coaching in squash, a fast-paced racquet sport. Squash is a racquet sport played in a small, four-walled court most often with two people or four in a doubles. The ball is unique in that it is rubber and does not bounce much and needs to be warmed up before play. The sport is fast moving, easy to learn, and tactical. It has been referred to as physical chess.

“I think the most important thing for people to understand is that even though squash is a bit weird, and most people are like, ‘What, the vegetable?’, it’s a really welcoming sport,” said Kai, now a senior who has been part of the program since 5th grade. 

While the sport is important, the priority at USC is academics and character building. USC is part of the Squash and Education Alliance (SEA), an international network of organizations providing year-round, long-term support to young people through teaching them squash. USC board president Joe Juster said, “It’s all about giving kids an opportunity. And all of this is just in service of that. You can change one kid’s life a whole lot.” Juster is clear on his goals for USC: “I want to graduate eight kids a year, ten kids a year, and have them all be admitted to their first-choice school. That can be anything from community college to Harvard, but I want to put them on that path. I’m a firm believer in the value of a college education — all that it can mean in terms of an enriched life and a certain level of financial security.” 

#squash #urban youth #youth empowerment #sports empowerment #youth sports #cleveland #ohio #urban squash cleveland

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The conversation around street art In Thailand is deeply intertwined with issues of freedom of expression and censorship. With laws that tread a fine line between protecting cultural values and suppressing dissent, street artists find themselves at the heart of a legal debate. This article delves into the legal perspectives surrounding street art in Thailand, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for artists in this dynamic field.

#thailand #streetart #graffiti #graffiti art

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A visitor to Tunis is immediately taken in by the city's graffiti-covered walls, adorned with colourful sketches and slogans in French, English and Arabic.

The country's graffiti scene has evolved and flourished since the political uprising in 2011, which led to the fall of Tunisia's long-standing dictator, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and brought in a new political and cultural era.

The political slogans on the walls became more outspoken, and artists took on new daring projects.

While there has always been graffiti in Tunisia, many of the bolder and bigger paintings emerged after 2011.

Despite graffiti being illegal under Tunisian law, it seems authorities have allowed various artworks to remain up across the country, with some becoming fixtures of Tunisia's urban landscape.

On Djerba island, authorities allowed a youth project to turn a part of the old neighbourhood of Houmt Souk into a walk-through gallery of graffiti by local artists.

The project, now called Djerba Hood, has become a popular tourist attraction.

Graffiti’s reputation as a simple act of vandalism started changing and people’s views shifted in support of the messages it carries and the colour and life it can bring to otherwise dull architecture.

Sociologist and street art specialist Eya Ben Mansour says Tunisians have always used the walls of the public space as a canvas for their thoughts.

“We find the first roots in the nineties with writings on prisons’ walls,” Ms Ben Mansour told The National.

#graffiti #graffiti art #tunisia #urbanart #artivism #djerba hood

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The Urban Youth Racing School is focused on getting underprivileged kids interested in STEM careers by teaching them about motorsports.

For the last 26 years, the Fishtown-based UYRS has been teaching students about engineering and technology by framing it around racing cars and drones. Founder and executive director Anthony Martin wants kids who are underrepresented in the racing industry to know they can successfully pursue whatever career path they choose.

#urban youth racing school #fishtown #philadelphia #pennsylvania #STEM #motorsports #uyrs #anthony martin #urban youth

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Youth mental health in urban environments is significantly better when more nature is incorporated into city design. 

A new study from University of Waterloo researchers suggests that forest bathing, the simple method of being calm and quiet amongst the trees, observing nature around you while breathing deeply, can help youth de-stress and boost health and well-being.

The study was the first ever to collect on-site, real-time survey data from adolescents about their emotional responses to various urban environments like a transit hub, residential streets, trails, parks, and waterways. Natural urban spaces were consistently related to significantly higher scores in positive outcomes.

#forest bathing #urban youth #mental health #health and wellness

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Envision vibrant urban classrooms, alive with the natural rhythm of nature, allowing students to emerge as custodians of Michigan’s aquatic treasures. Picture the educational landscape transformed beyond traditional confines, dismantling barriers between the urban sprawl and the unconcealed wonders of the wild. In an extraordinary collaboration involving the Michigan Wildlife Council, Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and Real Times Media, a Detroit-based English Language Arts teacher is helping reshape the educational narrative. This groundbreaking initiative unfolds as a vibrant ecosystem, where students actively participate in raising salmon from eggs to release, presenting a hands-on approach that transcends textbooks and lectures.

Monica DeGarmo, an English Language Arts Teacher at the Academy of the Americas High School, is pioneering this unique wildlife education initiative.  DeGarmo ‘s journey into wildlife education began unexpectedly during a field trip to the Belle Isle Water Festival in Fall 2022. The catalyst? A student-led impromptu search for crawdads during a canoeing adventure on Lake Okonoka. DeGarmo shares her experience, stating, ” For context, this is a student who was often unmotivated in class and out of nowhere, being in nature shined a whole new light on who he is as a person and the wealth of knowledge and skills that he had to share. He was in his element. I think one of the most exciting things about being a teacher is building relationships with your students and finding creative ways to make what we’re learning interesting and relevant to them.”

#Monica DeGarmo #detroit #urban youth #michigan #wilderness #esl #esl teacher #lake okonoka #wildlife education

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Located in the heart of Woodland, Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer (TANA) is more than just an art gallery. Co-founded by the Chicano artists Malaquias Montoya and Carlos Francisco Jackson, TANA aims to provide local artists and youth with resources to express themselves through art and culture. 

TANA was founded as a “collaborative partnership between the Chicana/o Studies Program at the University of California, Davis and the greater Woodland community,” according to their website.

Montoya stated that his motivation for starting a Latinx and Chicanx workshop space in Woodland came from his own experiences of being surrounded by workshops in Oakland during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Local youth would frequent these workshops to create art that expressed their activism for social issues while also bonding with community members. He noted that silkscreening was the most popular.

#artivism #urbanart #silkscreen #urban youth #youth empowerment #chicano #latinx #tana #woodland #oakland

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The San Diego American Indian Health Center is easy to see from the street in Bankers Hill, with beautiful Native American artwork on the face of the building.

But right next door is another part of the organization that's harder to find — their youth outreach center.

It's been providing critical programming for decades and bridging the gap between generations in San Diego’s native community.

“We are considered 'urban Indians' because we all live in the urban area of San Diego. There are 18 reservations that surround San Diego but they are Kumeyaay,” said 89-year-old Randy Edmonds.

The elder said the youth center is a space for Native Americans of all nations to connect with their roots.

He and his family belong to the Kiowa tribe of Oklahoma. His son Larry helps lead some of the youth programs.

“(We're) having them learn their language. We get them involved in art. We have some classes in beading, moccasins, talking circles,” Larry said. “A lot of Natives will come in and get involved in a circle and talk about the things that they go through, and how we can help them in their lives.”

#urban kids #native americans #indigenous youth #american indians #indigenous americans #san diego #california #native american youth #urban indians #randy edmonds #kumeyaay #kiowa

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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A new art installation at the Hawaii State Arm Museum is showing the strength of homeless youth in the state.

The exhibit is called “Not All Backpacks Carry the Same Weight.”

It features 60 backpacks designed by youth who are struggling with homelessness. On the bags are written phrases, colors and adornments reflecting the artists’ personal journeys, struggles and dreams.

The exhibit was created through the Residential Youth Services & Empowerment program, also known as “RYSE,” and done in collaboration with Moanalua High School’s English honors classes.

It was also led by international artist Fatiha Kheddaoui and Dominique Meyer Gere.

Organizers said the exhibit aims to shed light on the urgent issue of youth homelessness in the community.

The installation began Saturday and runs through June 5.

#hawaii #homeless youth #homelessness #not all backpacks carry the same weight #art exhibit #honolulu #art installation #hawaii state arm museum #ryse #residential youth services & empowerment #moanalua #fatiha kheddaoui #domninique meyer gere #artivism #art therapy

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(CBS DETROIT) - As Cinco de Mayo celebrations come to a close in Detroit, an art exhibit remains open in Mexicantown until May 12.

Displayed in the Mexicantown Galleria, a celebration of refugee art and culture is recognized with youth refugee art.

"I think it is very, very important that the community understands who is in their state, who is in their city," says Kayla Park, community engagement manager with Samaritas.

She says the youth exhibit displays over 50 pieces of art sharing the stories of young refugees. Some of the work displayed is created by refugees from places like Honduras, El Salvador, and in Shakil Aramna's case, Afghanistan.

#mexicantown galleria #refugee #art #youth refugees #detroit #michigan #youth art exhibit #art exhibit #youth empowerment #cinco de mayo #samaritas #kayla park #honduras #el salvador #afghanistan #artivism #art therapy

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LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- More than 300 students from more than 35 states submitted essays and various forms of artwork for the second annual Bring the Noise scholarship contest and exhibition. This year's focus was all about mental health and students submitted work that explored how they, as Asian American teens, can establish healthy self-journeys.

"To be able to say, 'I'm going to take off my mask and show my true self unapologetically,' is something that I'm just very proud that this generation of young people are able to do," said Tommy Chang, one of judges of the contest. "Something that I know growing up in America in the 80s and 90s I didn't have that instinct."

Submissions included essays, artwork and videos of students singing and dancing. Out of all of the submissions, 10 students were awarded a cash prize scholarship, totaling $10,000 given to the winners. Students said they hope their art can have an impact.

#asian american #youth empowerment #mental health #long beach #california #tommy chang #teens #teenager #artivism #art therapy #mental wellness #mental wellbeing #bring the noise #scholarship

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DENVER — File under “only in Colorado:” Denver youth submitted artistic designs for skis, then worked with local nonprofit Arts Street and other organizations to make their artistic visions come to life. Youth not only learned how to create an actual pair of skis — they then made their own pair and decorated them, all for an auction benefit that will fund the next set of Arts Street students.

Tutugirl Bamba, 19, one of eight participating youth, learned about Arts Street from her brother. She shared how amazing it is to know that someone may buying a pair of skis with her design printed on them.

#arts street #skis #ski making #denver #colorado #youth empowerment #rocky mountains #skiing #owen hildreth #community skis #colorado fuel cell center #custom skis #build your own skis

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Catisha McGuire lives in Knoxville and teaches younger generations how to channel negative emotions.  She said the gun was an outlet for that student.

"Obviously, the gun was too accessible to him," McGuire said. "He needed that for some purpose or reason and he's somehow picked up on that, that is something acceptable, which it should be not acceptable for that to even be thought of — bringing it to school."

McGuire is the oldest of five kids and was raised by a single mother, and she said her upbringing had its challenges. She said they leaned on a community that gave them support.

This is why she decided to find a way to give back to society. Since she believes that art helps, she started teaching younger generations.

"Poetry is one of the main ways I've been working with children, youth, for like 20 years," McGuire said. "Oh, it helps to just pour out every emotion that you feel is negative. Get everything that you think that how people may have stepped over your boundaries, get that out on paper."

#catisha mcguire #knoxville #tennessee #artivism #art therapy #youth empowerment #artivist #gun violence #youth violence #poetry #art #arte #poems #spoken word

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Antwoine Washington did not have much stability as a boy growing up in Pontiac, Michigan. He bounced from house to house, living with aunts and cousins while relying on his grandmother for support.

Washington used drawing to get through life’s darker periods. Reproducing his favorite cartoon characters — from Tiny Toons to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — soon flourished into a desire to perfect his craft.

Art’s power to heal and enlighten also inspired Washington to co-launch the Museum of Creative Human Art (MOCHA), a Cleveland nonprofit giving marginalized youth a safe space to create, learn and even start a career in the industry.

Washington founded MOCHA with friend and fellow Detroit native Michael Russell. The pair hung out as boys, working out together and playing basketball at the local community center. After reconnecting in Cleveland, they integrated Russell’s background in advising Black youth with Washington’s arts expertise to build a home for underserved students and young adults.

#ohio news #cleveland #ohio #artivism #artivist #artivista #artivismo #museum of creative human art #art therapy #urban youth #youth empowerment #illustration #drawing #black youth