Q & A with Joshua Rosado, AFH Design Winner!

Joshua Rosado is one of three winners in the state-wide design contest sponsored by Mission Hill Main Streets. His bike rack will be installed along Huntington Avenue at Brigham Circle in the Spring of 2010.

Introduce yourself.
My name is Joshua Rosado. I am a senior at Snowden International High School and I've been working in Sculpture Studio at Artists For Humanity for three and a half years.

Describe your overall design process.
The first thing I had in mind was a lock. I tried a few initial designs that didn’t work out so well. Then, I looked to my side and I saw this little keychain lock and I thought to myself, “How about we expand it into a big lock?” My mentor (AFH Sculptor mentor, Nick Rodrigues) and I brainstormed different possibilities. Out of this discussion, we came up with the idea of making the design vandal-proof by using bars instead of a solid frame; the bars also had a second function for attaching the U-Locks to secure bikes to the racks.

(Click for enlarged image)

What was the construction process like? How long did it take and what did it involve?
In the beginning, the process involved a lot of phone calls to different companies to get pricing for cutting metals. We worked out of my mentor’s studio off site because Artists For Humanity didn’t have all the necessary equipment to sculpt it—such as huge torch blowers, proper saws to cut through metal, huge grinders and welding equipment. There were only about 6 hours a week where we were able to work on it. Overall, the construction process took about 1.5 to 2 months to complete. It was like putting the pieces of a puzzle together. There are three separate sections that had to be attached to make one: the middle (rib cage), the back (key and ring) and the front (big U). The key and the U were both connected to a plate; the plates connected to the sides of the ribs; then the ribs were welded to a metal base. The construction process involved precise measurements, cutting the metal, bending the metal at the right degree and welding everything together.

What was your greatest challenge in this project?
My greatest challenge in this project was the welding because too much heat applied to the metal causes it to warp. This was tricky and hard to control. Luckily, my mentor was there to help me and he showed me a few techniques to prevent the warping.

What was the best thing you gained from this experience?
The pride—knowing that I was able to accomplish building a piece like this and knowing that it will be on display for all of Boston to see. This accomplishment, all by the age of 18, makes me have more appreciation toward my talent and my craft.

What are your future goals with art?
I want to be known for my art worldwide. I would like to be known as the architect with various designs other than buildings, such as public works of art. I would also like to be known as a worldwide graffiti artist and paint in different countries.

AFH Video Studio inspires Alice Tran

In her own words, AFH teen Alice Tran traces the art and power of making videos

Video can be a valuable tool for young people in many ways; it can be used as a means of self-expression or to deliver important messages. Making videos can start out as a hobby then lead to a potential future career.

There are many different types of videos. Some people make videos for fun and some do it for a living. A video can be homemade or created in a real studio. Many teenagers like to make videos of themselves or with their friends doing various activities, such as skateboarding, dancing, or singing. Some even make their own tutorials for something they know really well and want to teach others about; those videos could be about just anything—from how to animate an object in Adobe Flash to how to properly wield a butterfly knife.

Videos play a big role in our world—if you look on YouTube or Veoh, there are billions of videos of random things made by young people. Many of the social networking sites which target young people, such as Facebook and MySpace, provide video-uploading applications because they know that people like to share and view videos made by others.

Young people might make videos to get recognition for what they can do and they use networking sites to show those videos because they know that those sites are a great source of publicity. In today’s society, they often look for recognition or fame; some may even pull the most outrageous stunts just to get it. Video has clearly become one of those tools used to showcase what young people can do and give them their so-called “15 minutes of fame.”

Even cell phones, which have come a long way since they first debuted, have the option to record videos if they feature a camera.

The question should be: how can video not be a valuable tool for young people?

Check out this video Alice created with the entire Video Studio:

Q + A with Massiel Grullon, a Merida design Winner

Massiel Grullon
Number of years at Artists For Humanity: Six years


What AFH studios have you worked in? Painting and Graphics studio.

Dream job: My dream job is to make art, travel the world, and put my artwork in famous galleries

What were the major influences on your winning designs?
What influenced me was the peacock. It is one of the most beautiful birds.

How do you feel when you heard that your designs were winners in the competition?
Honestly I didn't think I was going to win. I was surprised. But It made me gain confidence as an artist.

What will you do with your rug when it is produced? Put it in my living room for all to see!

What do you want to do next?
I'm preparing to go to Montserrat College of Art next fall.

top and right are two of Massiel's three winning designs she submitted in the Merida rug competition. One of her designs will be made into a Merida rug.

Merida Rug design talk with winner Alland Torchon

Alland Torchon
Time at Artists For Humanity : One year

What studios have you worked in? Painting and Graphics

Dream Job: Graphic designer, graphic novelist, game designer, musician, movie writer/director.

What were the major influences on your winning designs?
I had no idea what my rug design would look like until my mentor Claudia told us about the chain of life and using the bumble bee as an example. The bumble bee plays its role and is an important link in the chain to sustaining life. I thought to my self, the bee is quite small, so i began to think about other small yet crucial pieces that would sustain our existence. It was only a matter of time until i came across microscopic life forms.

How did you feel when you heard that your designs were winners in the competition? I was surprised and elated when i discovered my design was a winner. Although I knew Kelsey and Massiel would win i didn't think would stand among them, but I'm glad things turned out the way they did.

What will you do with the rug when it is produced?
I will keep my rug in my room, not as a piece of furniture but as a trophy of accomplishment.

What do you want to do next?
I will continue with my art and pursuit of knowledge.


Above are Alland's three design entries for the Merida Contest. One will be made into a rug.

Kelsey Arbona talks about Merida Rug Design

Above are two of the three designs by Kelsey submitted to Merida. One will be made into a Merida rug.

Kelsey Arbona has apprenticed for almost 2 years at AFH
in the Painting and Graphics studios.

Kelsey's dream job: Graphic Designer

What were the major influences on your winning designs?
Since we were asked to portray our beliefs of the definition of sustainability through our rug design I thought about what makes the world go round. There are a million small actions that are necessary to keep the world going in a positive direction. I thought about a story I had heard in environmental class about forest fires. When they are not extinguished by firefighters, the acorns are allowed to release their seeds through the fire's heat. This gives forests the opportunity to regrow and flourish into a new environment. My rug design was influenced by this one event which shows sustainability in a small process that keeps the world on a positive balance.

How did you feel when you heard that your designs were winners in the competition?
I was ecstatic! To learn that my design was chosen by Merida, a major rug company, gives me a sense of accomplishment. It's always wonderful to hear when a client likes your designs.

What will you do with the rug when it is produced?
The rusty wooden floors in my room could use a little sprucing up! It will either spread on my bedroom floor or be hung on one of the walls.

What do you want to do next?
I will graduate from high school and expand my mind in all the possibilities design has to offer through college. After learning about the rug-making process, I would love to have more opportunities to work with different materials in design.

AFH hot funky tables at hip MXYPLYZKY in NYC

A shout out to New Yorkers and anyone planning to be in the Big Apple in the next 6 weeks. Artists For Humanity is debuting our "hot" ReVision funky table line now through Jan 30, at MXYPLYZYK in Greenwich Village.

Here's the "back story" ...MXYPLYZYK owner stopped by AFH's first-ever booth at the August New York International Gift Fair and sha-zam.. he was taken with AFH youth artists, the AFH mission and the sustainable design. The result was a purchase of AFH ReVision tables and stools for one of New York's hot, hip gift emporiums.

Check out www.mxyplyzyk.com For the curious, the name MXYPLYZYK was inspired by a character in the early Superman comics! Now don't you want to see AFH featured in a MXYPLYZYK window display and go inside to see the colorful hand-made Round Stool, made from reclaimed magazines and sealed in water resistant, easy to clean and environmentally friendly resin? ReVision stools are on sale for $250/ea.

For more about AFH, www.afhboston.com MXYPLYZYK is at 125 Greenwich Avenue (W13th Street) Tell your friends!

3 AFH Youth Win Merida Rug Design Competition

Back in October, Merida - a Boston based natural textiles company, challenged AFH art apprentices to design a rug based on 'what sustainability means to them.' After just two months spent learning about Merida's rug design and production, AFH teens got creative..first translating "sustainability" into words and then using the latest graphic design technology to interpret their ideas into final designs for submission. Next up, a panel of respected interior, graphic, and product designers studied the entries and selected three winners. The smiling winners are: AFH youth apprentices Kelsey Arbona, Massiel Grullon, and Alland Torchon. (photo by AFH's Mary Nguyen) They will each be rewarded with a 5'x8' tufted area rug based on their own winning design.

Along with producing and manufacturing these special AFH-designed rugs, Merida will make a $5,000 donation to AFH. Most exciting, the winning designs will be sold through Merida's e-commerce web site, www.MeridaHome.com in early 2010.

The AFH winners and their designs will be showcased at "For the Love of Art," AFH's Annual Holiday Open House on December 15, 3:00pm - 7:00pm at the AFH EpiCenter.

For more information: follow the link here.

and coverage from Stuff Magazine.

Pictured is one of the winning designs by Massiel Grullon. Hers and all the winning designs will be shown at our Open House. Come and check out these winning eco-friendly designs to celebrate art, sustainability, and the holiday season!