The intersection and merger of diverse artistic and sub-group aesthetics and influences plays a major roll in the contemporary iteration of what we call street culture. Beyond the music, graphic, and even transportation choices, there is also a balance between the authentic and the watered down. This comes, primarily, from tensions related to work with corporate entities.
Andy Howell, as an artist and a skateboarder (among may other things), has traversed many of the rocky trails that define the mingling of the corporate world and the street arts. Working with companies as diverse as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, DC Shoes and Rossignol, along with his own New Deal and Element, Howell has created and collaborated on some highly visible art works. Over his career he is credited with creating the first line of baggy jeans just for skaters, Big Deals, and has been featured as a fine artist in countless gallery shows and magazines.
In 2007, Howell drew upon his experiences and founded Artsprojek International, LTD. The company provides career services, from artist management to exhibit management, for artists grappling with the difficulties of the institutional art world. This is a natural extension for Howell, whose career has deftly bridged mediums, sponsors and intentions. From DIY to full artistic production, the trajectory of Andy Howell’s career follows the path of the growth and progression of action sports and street arts.
This November the various components of Howell’s career will come together in his first solo museum exhibition on American soil. Celebrating the various influences, medium and friendships that have spurred and pushed Howell, 43,000 Limbs-The Art and Life of Andy Howell, will open at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido, CA. In that light, the exhibition will highlight the connection between Howell’s visual art with the worlds of graffiti, skateboarding, hip-hop and punk that form the basis for his creative lifestyle.
Last week, we had the opportunity to chat with Howell about art and museums.
www.andyhowell.com
