Music residency of Katerpillar at Art Villa LA to enhance new Los Feliz Art Mart

Good times scheduled with

Katerpillar

at Art Villa LA in Los Feliz.

live art, craft art, unique artistry,

Total Talent Extravaganza

See you there. Opens at 5:00 P.M.

Saturday, April 23

Proceeds support drug prevention education for families. Keeping children drug free and having fun is the mission of Art Villa LA.

The original design of LA artist, Jose Quevedo, is now featured on the “Drugs Ruin Creativity” T-shirt. Find local businesses to sponsor kids wearing it to promote drug-free living.
Contact us for help.

“– our creative spirits,imprisoned by drugs, unable to sense life, unable to rise up, leaving our cities to fall.”
Artist, Jose Quevedo, interprets his powerful design.

Keep an eye out for these shirts! We want them everywhere!

Kingdom Day Parade Is Served by Mentors Helping Youth Be Creative and Drug-Free

“Strong Support from Narconon Helps Youth Spread the Word that “Drugs Ruin Creativity”

The 25^th Anniversary 2011 Kingdom Day Parade in Los Angeles celebrated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with an emphasis on service. That service took the form of teens and their mentors getting out the word that Dr. King’s dream needs the creative drug-free energy of youth to be realized.

Narconon Professional Drug Prevention (NPDP) specializing in drug prevention training, Narconon Western United States, both LA-based organizations of Narconon International, Southern California Foster Care Mentoring Network and the National Alliance of Faith and Justice headquartered in Washington, D.C., sponsored the anti-drug banners in the televised 2-mile parade that commemorates Dr. King’s date of birth.

Accompanying them skateboarders and break dancers entertained the crowd with their skilled moves. They wore original design tee-shirts.  (Click and scroll to see). The design was created by 23-year-old artist, Jose Quevedo, who took top prize in the anti-drug black Sharpie graffiti art battle sponsored by NPDP (Narconon Professional Drug Prevention) at the popular Crewest Gallery in downtown LA. “Drugs Ruin Creativity,” is the title of a section of the booklet, 10 Things Your Friends May Not Know About Drugs, published by Narconon.

Curtis O. Porter (2nd from left in our pic below) from the Youth Services Bureau of the Department of Health and Human Services announced the shirt will be displayed in his Washington, D.C., office to exemplify positive youth service. As Director of the Youth Development Division of Family and Youth Services, Mr. Porter administers two of the nation’s most important youth mentoring programs. He attended the parade to congratulate the sponsored mentors and meet some of their youth.  He encouraged the work the mentors do to help kids stay off drugs, remain in school and strive to make the dream of Dr. King a reality.

“Hearing these youth say ‘I’ve never done drugs,’ and talk about how drugs would stop them from perfecting their skills was strong testament that when youth are encouraged by adults to freely create, they are greatly proofed against drugs,” says Ms. Teddy Chambers, Executive Director of NPDP. “You could sense how excited they were to be able to spread the word that ‘drugs ruin creativity.’ They are very vocal about not wanting their friends or their families involved in drugs,” Chambers added.

“It is a real honor to work with people who care enough to give of their time to guide our youth into drug-free productive lives,” said Chambers (far left). Some of our LA mentors are pictured here.

Southern California Foster Care Mentoring Network, headed by Dr. Tina Robinson (3rd from left) provides mentoring through 11 affiliate organizations in greater Los Angeles. It utilizes the Pen or Pencil mentoring program developed by the National Alliance of Faith and Justice to break the cradle to prison phenomenon that too often follows when parents are incarcerated. Heidi Lemmon (5th from left) is a co-founder of Venice Boarding School, which appeals to students’ love of skate boarding to keep them on an academic path. She is President of the National Skateboard Association. Man One (center) is founder and owner of Crewest Gallery in Downtown Los Angeles. He has trained dozens of young artists to help them seek a career using their talents. Fresh (far right), has built LA Breakers, a break dance crew that has mentoring as a core element to keep kids drug-free and healthy.See our skate boarders in action.
]]> http://itsfuntobeme.org/2011/01/youth-joined-together-at-25th-annual-kingdom-day-parade-to-promote-drug-free-living/feed/ http://itsfuntobeme.org/2010/12/narconon-anti-drug-black-sharpie-graff-battle-2/ http://itsfuntobeme.org/2010/12/narconon-anti-drug-black-sharpie-graff-battle-2/#comments Mon, 20 Dec 2010 02:03:20 +0000 TeddyC http://itsfuntobeme.org/2010/12/narconon-anti-drug-black-sharpie-graff-battle-2/ Looking at where we are today as we strive to make Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Dream a reality, the progress clearly needs to be sped up and intensified. Narconon Professional Drug Prevention has enlisted The Positive Art of Hip Hop to unleash the energy and creativity of youth to battle an increasingly toxic environment that plagues families already oppressed by injustice and oppression.

A decade or so ago, a new phrase entered our language. Children were described as “at-risk youth.” The term referred to students who were at risk of dropping out of schools, succumbing to drugs and/or gangs. It still means that, but today, it is a far greater percentage of youth who fall in this category because of the abundance of drugs, both legal and illegal, the ease of access to drugs, including from medicine cabinets, and the ambivalence that has been expressed regarding the harm that drugs can factually do.

“Ridding communities of the negative effects of substance abuse is a vital component of what we need to do to factually achieve The Dream that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., envisioned decades ago,” says Teddy Chambers, Executive Director of Narconon Professional Drug Prevention and founder of Life Improvement From Education (L.I.F.E.) “A society that fails to guide youth and allow their creative spirit to fall short of the challenges they will face in a world that can be both unjust and oppressive is at serious risk. Drugs and crime invariably roll in where creativity fails to overcome.”

The MLK Anti Drug Kick-Off Event on December 18th enlisted Urban Artists to use their art to help remove the influence of drugs from our communities. The event held at Crewest Gallery, and hosted by well-known LA Urban Artist, Man One, was sponsored by Narconon Professional Drug Prevention, the National Alliance of Faith and Justice and Narconon Western United States.

The winning anti-drug piece was created by Jose Quevedo, a 23-year-old LA urban artist. It will be converted to an original tee and worn by participants in the Kingdom Day Parade, 17th Jan. 2011, to draw attention to the potential of youth art and creativity to overcome the undermining influence of drugs.

“If we can create — The Dream can be achieved.” —
DRUGS RUIN CREATIVITY.

It is a message embraced by the artists who competed. Quevedo said when he won the Battle, “Drugs are bad for the thought and for the self. In order to open the mind, you must be free of corruption.”

Chambers says that more than ever, “the creativity of hip hop” is a vital component to making Dr. King’s dream a reality. She said, “We chose to bring LA’s urban artists into the equation for 2011 because we know how important their creativity is to Dr. King’s dream, and we also know that where drugs proliferate, creativity is ruined.”

Battle Winners were:

Jose Quevedo
Grand Prize:$200 and his “Drugs Ruin Creativity” graff piece will be featured in the Kingdom Day 2011 parade.

Cristian Cardenas
2nd prize $150. Cardenas is also a mentoree of Man One

John Zender and Jose Carlos Meraz
tied for 3rd sharing $100

(left) Gino Montesinos, writer and actor (judge), Heidi Lemmon, President National Skateboard Association (judge), Jose Quevedo, Grand Prize Winner, Teddy Chambers, Exec. Dir. Narconon Professional Drug Prevention, Man One, owner Crewest Gallery (judge).

To see more pictures from the kick-off, click here.

View a video of the winning critique http://drugpreventiontraining.posterous.com/blog

Artsts register FREE.

Visit the site for more info.
]]> http://itsfuntobeme.org/2010/12/graffuti-artists-register-free-slots-limited-all-welcome/feed/ http://itsfuntobeme.org/2010/12/xmas-jenny-and-danny/ http://itsfuntobeme.org/2010/12/xmas-jenny-and-danny/#comments Fri, 03 Dec 2010 07:20:09 +0000 TeddyC http://itsfuntobeme.org/2010/12/xmas-jenny-and-danny/

]]> http://itsfuntobeme.org/2010/12/xmas-jenny-and-danny/feed/ http://itsfuntobeme.org/2010/12/black-sharpie-battle-for-la-artists/ http://itsfuntobeme.org/2010/12/black-sharpie-battle-for-la-artists/#comments Fri, 03 Dec 2010 06:55:30 +0000 TeddyC http://itsfuntobeme.org/2010/12/black-sharpie-battle-for-la-artists/ Win High Exposure If You Are Voted Best Graffiti Artist in LA
Wouldn’t it be so great to have a tee we can wear that really tells it like it is about Drugs. ]]> http://itsfuntobeme.org/2010/12/black-sharpie-battle-for-la-artists/feed/ http://itsfuntobeme.org/2010/12/international-graffiti-art-contest-%c2%ab-it%e2%80%99s-fun-to-be-me/ http://itsfuntobeme.org/2010/12/international-graffiti-art-contest-%c2%ab-it%e2%80%99s-fun-to-be-me/#comments Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:43:28 +0000 TeddyC http://itsfuntobeme.org/2010/12/international-graffiti-art-contest-%c2%ab-it%e2%80%99s-fun-to-be-me/