THE STREETS - Issue Three

the streets

Issue Three Fall 2016

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TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S EDITOR'S LETTER

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PHOTOGRAPHER PERSPECTIVES

8 Xin Wang - New York City 18 Benoit Auguste - Paris 30 Kofie Obeng - New York City 38 Meredith M Howard - New York City INTERSECTIONS 58 Just a Pinch of South 64 Refugees Welcome 72 Home

80 Moreland Mural Project 96 Black Cat Tips

Cover photo by Benoit Auguste Editor and Creative Director: Meredith M Howard Creative and Digital Assistant: Eva Howard Special thanks to Jim Meadows and Anne Meadows Contributors: Xin Wang Benoit Auguste Kofie Obeng Elizabeth Bloodworth

Cameron Harrington Randy Lovelace Lauren Pallotta Stumberg Andrei Fedianov

Contact THE STREETS: info@thestreetsmag.com Follow us on Instagram @thestreetsmagazine All work is copyrighted to the photographer, artist or author. No part of this magazine may be used without permission of THE STREETS.

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Editor's letter

"I must admit that I am not a member of the ugly school. I have a great regard for certain notions of beauty...Some photographers think that by taking pictures of human misery they are addressing a serious problem. I do not think that misery is more profound than happiness." - Saul Leiter (photographer) In 2011, fashion bloggers gave me permission to take pictures of the people I had been eyeing for years. For me, it wasn't photography as much as it was documenting clothes. I was dabbling in this new hobby when two things happened (seemingly by coincidence) that made me want to dive in further. During a trip to New York, I journeyed to Lincoln Center where I had heard the fashion shows were being held. As I walked up the stairs to the courtyard and saw the crowds of stylish people, I got chills. I had found my people - and they were standing around just waiting to be photographed. It was heaven.

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2011

Editor's letter

That same year, I wandered into an exhibit of photographs by Henri Cartier-Bresson. I looked around and thought, "What is this?" I was totally unaware of the whole genre of street photography. I was inspired by the life and emotion as well as artistic form that he captured in his photographs. Up until then I had been taking posed shots.

candid moment became everything.

All of a sudden, the

2011 I share Saul Leiter's attraction to beauty - "certain notions of beauty." (If you look at his photographs, you will notice his idea of beauty was always layered.) Henri Cartier-Bresson's photographs are beautiful as well, but they often depict the misery that Leiter eschewed. Some of his most memorable photos were taken during war. Can we enjoy photos of misery? On the other hand, can we enjoy photos of beauty while misery exists?

(If this is getting too philosophical for you, feel free to skip to the pictures.)

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Editor's letter

"I believe there's such a thing as a search for beauty - a delight in the nice things in the world. And I don't think one should have to apologize for it...Some people, I think, are very attracted to what is not very attractive. What is miserable, what is wretched...I recently heard someone talk about the idea that happiness is an absurd ideal." - Saul Leiter Issue Three of THE STREETS contains photographs of both beauty and misery. Refugees are fleeing their countries at the same time that fashion shows are occurring in other parts of the globe. And I have noticed over the past five years as I have photographed people at New York Fashion Week, my thoughts have changed from - "I wonder where she bought those shoes"to - "I wonder what she's thinking". I see the whole gamut of emotions on their faces - anger, excitement, fear, stress, sadness - and it makes me wonder about their lives.

The flip side is true as well. You may notice that the refugees in the midst of their troubles are drawn to beauty - or are drawing beauty, as the case may be (page 69). And you may notice that even in the stories of the refugees, there is much beauty to be found.

Beauty in the photographs, beauty in the acts of kindness, and beauty in the hope that is offered from one human being to another.

Ideally, beauty is a representation of something deeper. And my hope is that a beautiful representation of suffering will build a bridge for the message without diminishing the reality of the raw emotions.

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Editor's letter

"It's quite possible that my work represents a search for the beauty in the most prosaic and ordinary places. One doesn't have to be in some faraway dreamland in order find beauty."

- Saul Leiter We conclude this issue with two artists who are particularly community minded in the way they approach their creative projects. By contributing their murals and mementos to the streets of Atlanta, they are bringing smiles to our faces and beauty to our day.

As always, we welcome your perspective on these or any other issues. Email us at info@thestreetsmag.com and let us know what is happening on your street.

Meredith

Editor and Creative Director

This is me photographing a model in New York.

(You can see how my photo turned out on Page 46) Photograph taken by Elizabeth Bloodworth.

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Xin Wang

I met Xin when we were both taking pictures outside of the one of the fashion shows in New York. In between shots, we talked about camera equipment and her life in China. Xin moved to New York from China one year ago. "New York suits me better, "she said.

When we were finished at that show, she tried to talk me into going with her to Pier 94 to find the Alexander Wang show. She didn't want to go alone (it was dark), but I wanted to eat dinner. So, she bravely set out on an adventure and I set out to eat pizza. I am glad we got to reconnect over the results of her photographic quests.

- Meredith A model from the Alexander Wang show

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What are some differences between the United States and China?

Xin Wang There are tons of differences between these two countries. First of all, people - they look different. Yeah, obviously. And here, people dress at their free will. If they want to be hippie, be it. Back in China, people judge a lot. There are even certain rules of not to show too much skin instructed by our parents...But the more time I have spent in the United States, I have gradually learned to just be myself, which is good.

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How did you get into photography?

Xin Wang

I learned some photography skill back in school when I was studying my advertising courses. Then in 2012, I got my first DSLR and from then on I started to take things more seriously. I've always loved to take pictures of beautiful everything - literally, everything. And pictures are the best way to save memories. But I'm still learning. Getting to know more people in this industry has helped a lot.

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What is your favorite street and why?

My favorite street in New York? Everyone of them is beautiful. Even though I have been living here for a year now, I still haven't gotten enough of it yet. Beautiful city!

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Xin Wang

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Xin Wang

Follow Xin Wang on Instagram @sinx1002 17

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Benoit Auguste

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How long have you lived in Paris and what are three words to describe the city?

I've lived in Paris for 13 years. So, in three words - the first I think of is Freedom, in all ways.

The other is Magical. In a sense that it's not all about reality. There is everything a little something more than just reality. And...Intense, because the city is older, bigger, and stronger than you; it pushes you in a very high rhythm.

Freedom

Intense

Magical 21

How did you get into photography?

I got into photography when I realized that I wasn't made for sitting in an office and tried to find a job that required you to physically go out and see the World with a capital W.

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What is your favorite thing to do?

My favorite thing to do is... when I think I didn't take any awesome photos that day, and miracle, I discover when I edit them that one photo I took is great.

That is a fantastic feeling.

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How do you get access to backstage at fashion shows?

You can only get access through the media that hires you. But not to all shows. Some brands have their shows in venues that are too small to allow access to photographers.

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What is the atmosphere backstage before, during, and after a show?

Before the show, you are waiting outside with your fellow colleagues, waiting for the person in charge of the list to check the names and accreditations.

So, if it's the beginning of the day you are super excited and can't wait to enter. If it's the end of the day, you try to forget you are tired and focus on the chance you have to see the clothes before everyone else.

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Then you enter.

You photograph the models in the hands of the make-up staff. And when they are dressed you have a very few minutes to photograph all the looks before the show begins. During the show you can be either backstage or somewhere near the runway. It depends on the brand philosophy about all that. I like to be backstage during the show because most models wear two outfits so if they ask you to leave before the show starts, you may photograph just half the collection. And after the show, well, you're in the metro leading to the next one. The fashion week doesn't really leave you time to think too much.

"The fashion week doesn't really leave you time to think too much."

What is the one new fashion trend you have noticed recently?

This is the continuation of the previous answer indeed. It's hard to notice trends when you keep running. So, if we talk about the women's fashion week, I particularly love the large and high shoulders I see in a lot of the shows. Strong women, icons. I like it. Also, I pay more attention to the shapes than to the colors. That's why I like the Paris fashion week actually. Most of what I see is already in black and white and all the shades of grey. Then it's all about the light.

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What is your favorite street and why?

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My favorite street in Paris I'm not going to say which one it is because it's a secret. BUT I can tell you that it's a pedestrian street, paved, going up a little bit, not very long, but surrounded by buildings that make you think you are in medieval Paris.

I like it because it's more than just a way of walking in space, but also in time.

See...

Magical!

Follow Benoit Auguste on Instagram @onandoffduty 29

Kofie Obeng "The Officers and the Gentleman" 30

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Where do you live and what are three words to describe your city?

Kofie Obeng

Electric

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I live in Brooklyn.

Diverse

Alive

What are your favorite things to do?

If there's a Manchester United soccer game on television, there's a 99% chance I am watching it.

Other than that I normally bike around with my camera, trying to see all I can.

Kofie Obeng

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How did you get into photography?

It started when I first moved to Brooklyn about five years ago, but it didn't last (only about two months). I re-engaged this summer, and it has been a great decision.

What is your favorite street and why?

I shot mostly in Soho (Spring and Prince streets) this summer because it was close to where I work. With my recent re-location to Williamsburg, I plan on shooting more in Brooklyn.

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Who or what inspires your style of photography?

I am fascinated by people - their faces in particular.

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Kofie Obeng

What is the secret to a good street photograph?

Just go shoot Follow Kofi Obeng on Instagram @kofieackachie and at www.viewbug.com 37

Meredith M Howard

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What are your favorite things to do?

Organizing photos for THE STREETS is one of the most fun things I've ever done. Sorting through a group of submitted photos for the first time - looking for the ones with "magic" - is better than Christmas.

Then, I get to figure out the best layout for the series so the reader will see the "magic", too. It's a creative puzzle.

I love to learn. I can feel light bulbs going off in my brain when I learn new things, so it's a little addicting. I'm constantly listening to Creativelive or Tim Ferris podcasts while I edit photos. I start a new book almost every day (don't ask how many I finish). And I seek out obscure magazines with quirky photography and layouts.

I love hanging out with my husband and two girls.

And, of course, I love going to New York for Fashion Week.

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How did you get into photography?

My dad gave me his old camera and said, "I think you would like photography." At the time, I was into painting, so I thought taking pictures was a little like cheating. I thought it would be too easy.

Around 2010, I started looking at street style blogs and was fascinated by the photographers that would walk up to strangers to take their photograph. (I don't know how I missed the decades of street photography that came before this.) I decided to try it. It is much harder than it looks - but so exciting.

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Who or what inspires your style of photography?

People with great personal style inspire me. They are the reason I started taking pictures. Garance Dore was the first photographer I ever followed - and she was just learning photography at the time, So it was interesting to watch her grow. And she captures the most beautiful lifestyle photos that feel candid and intimate.

I try to learn composition from Henri Cartier-Bresson, layers and color from Saul Leiter, humor from Elliot Erwitt, and guts from Bruce Davidson. I read every bit of Eric Kim's blog on street photography. Oh, and Ray Gun magazine. It's quirky and almost like a treasure hunt. They didn't make it easy to read. But that's what makes it fun. It's out of print, so I buy old copies on Ebay.

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What is your favorite street and why?

Hmmm...that's a tough one. I came up with the question, and I don't think I can narrow it down to just one.

My favorite street is downtown and lined with beautifully designed old low-rise buildings.

Maybe a little industrial rust and graffiti thrown in.

Cobblestone is a plus. And then if an interesting person would just wander down this street, I would take her picture.

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Layers. A good street photograph usually has several layers - foreground, middle and background along with emotion. All arranged in an artful way. It's a lot to consider. I'm still working on it.

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You can't make decisions based on fear.

That goes for photography as well as life.

Fear will stand in the way of your best photographs.

What is the secret to a good street photograph?

A good street photograph has magic. It might be the magic of the moment or the magic of the composition. Often a good photograph will show us a new way of seeing something familiar or a familiar way of seeing something new.

And you have to listen to that little voice that says - "Take the picture" - even if you don't know why you are taking it at the time.

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Click HERE to see this photo in action

Follow Meredith M Howard on Ins tagr am @m ered ith_ m_ how ard 55

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Intersections Intersections Intersections "Culture is the intersection between people and dealing with the journey of life itself."

- Wendell Pierce Actor

Intersections Intersections Intersections 57

Just A Pinch of South

Meredith M Howard interviewed Elizabeth Bloodworth (whom she has known since she was three years old) on her

obsession with old cars and signs and on being a Southerner in New York City

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MMH: Tell me why you started taking pictures of old cars and old signs.

EB: My mother was an antique collector, so I grew up hanging out at antique stores and

flea markets. You know that show American Pickers? We literally had pickers show up at my house. My mom would go out and there would be this man with this huge truck full of stuff and he would show her a couple of things and she would buy them. And my mother never knew a stranger. She was one of the friendliest, open people you could imagine. So, that's what I grew up exposed to.

This the front porch of the house in Atlanta where Elizabeth grew up.

It is also the house in which her father grew up.

It is only appropriate that Coke is being served... in a glass bottle, of course.

I didn't particularly like the things she was into, but I think it gave me an appreciation for old

things. She was drawn to 1800's British china and Southern American primitive antiques like farm tables. My natural affinity was for 20th century rustic stuff. Things that were kind of rusty and crusty and damaged or just old. Also, a lot of stuff with words and graphics. So, when I was probably 12 or 13, I started collecting drinking signs - Coke, Seven-up, Tab. That's what I was interested in from a collecting perspective. But if you live in New York City in a small apartment with roommates, you're not going to be collecting those things physically. So, when I started taking pictures for fun sort of as an artistic expression, that's what I've been drawn to.

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My very first car was a 1966 Plymouth Valiant, which had been my mother's car.

It had no air conditioning, no radio.

The gas gauge didn't work.

And I loved it.

MMH: Why did you start taking pictures of old cars?

EB: I visited my friend in California, and I think because of the weather, cars just last longer

and many more people collect old cars...So, there's just an amazing proliferation of old cars.

Also, people in southern California - or at least in Venice, California - they park on the street...

And the trees are not that tall and the streets are wide, so it sort of gives you the perfect distance to take a picture. And there's not too much shade. So, I take them in New York City, but often you're fighting the light in a particular way that makes it harder to capture.

MMH: What is your thought process when you frame your photograph of a car?

EB: I like it when it's a solo car. I just like that look, because it makes it stand out. And then

I think about lighting. Sometimes if it's the wrong time of day and the lighting is not right, you're kind of fighting the light. I've found I have to take four or five pictures to get a good one.

So, I take the first one and I'm excited. And then for the second one I'm thinking more about the framing and composition...With cars, I tend to frame them low and centered - straight on.

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MMH: How do you frame a sign in your photograph?

EB: It depends on the kind of sign...I tend to do of my framing where things are low - in the

bottom 3rd. In general, I think that's probably a theme of mine. Because there's a difference between an interesting subject and an interesting photograph...Sometimes you get caught up in "Oh, that's such a cool thing" that you don't take a very good picture...Am I at an interesting angle? What's behind it? Are there power lines that are interrupting it or are the power lines actually adding something to the framing - pointing at it - so you're ending up with interesting shapes all around.

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MMH: Explain the name of your blog.

EB: So, my blog is "Just a Pinch of South" - it's like a little bit of southern that

kind of adds more - especially when you're living in a different context. It's like you know a secret language being a Southerner. Like I know which fork to use, because my mom taught me that. It's a bit of an immigrant experience being in New York - not fully - but there's a little bit of that..So, just a pinch of south. You don't pour a whole bag of salt into your biscuits. Just a pinch of salt and it flavors the whole thing. The other imagery is the twist of lime in a gin and tonic. So much better with a twist of lime. I don't really want to drink a glass of lime juice. You can actually have a gin and tonic without a lime, but the lime is like the secret sauce.

And I think Southernness can be like that - sort of gives an extra perspective. Has its own identity in the US. And I think there are groups of people that have that little extra secret sauce.

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MMH: What's the secret to being a good New Yorker?

EB: I don't know that there's one secret. You have to know what you're getting into. So,

maybe that's a secret. This is a place where people are driven and determined and if you're not those things, it's going to be really hard...If you're not willing to walk fast and go hard after something, it's going to be really hard to be here, because you're going to be at a different pace than everyone else. Everyone is here to do something. The waiter of the table at this restaurant - she's got a dream that brought her to New York. She didn't come here to be a waiter...It's kind of exciting to be around a bunch of intense people, but it's also a tough place.

Like sometimes you will go up against New York and New York will win. You will be trying to do something and New York is just not letting you do it. Whether that's professionally or it's just a day trying to buy something and you think, "I cannot make this happen."..I have these days for work when I have to lug heavy stuff and the cab costs $25 and it takes me 30 minutes to go 60 blocks and it's like - "New York, you win." And then there are days when New York gives you gifts. I think that's more extreme than most places.

And New York has it's own identity. It's almost like it's a person...I've lived in Washington DC and it's a place - not a thing. Whereas, New York is almost a thing. Almost an idea as much as it is a city.

MMH: And now you are into photographing food?

EB: A friend and I were texting one day and on a lark I said, "Wouldn't it be fun if we started a food insta?"

And that became @eatnyceat. Follow EB's food adventures there or follow her @justapinchofsouth and at Just A Pinch of South.

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by cameron harrington Imagine you are sitting in your living room on Sunday afternoon with your family watching

TV and all of a sudden you hear a really loud noise outside - like you've never heard before.

You go outside and see a tank coming down the street and soldiers with guns. Your neighbors come outside, too. Some of the men are shouting for their wives and children to go back inside. The soldiers are calling for all the men and boys to come into the street to join the

army. No one moves. The tank levels the house next to you with one blow and everyone screams. A father runs back toward his house and then falls to the ground as he is shot in the back.

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Two weeks ago, I heard stories like this every day.

In August, I joined a six member team in with a relief organization in Athens, Greece to offer

assistance to refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran. In January, I had made a similar journey, although the situation then was very different.

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In early 2016, as many as 10,000 refugees were arriving daily by boat carrying all of their be-

longings. Usually within 24 hours plans were made for them to move north with hope of a new life in a country such as Germany. However, in March of 2016, borders began closing, and now there are almost 60,000 refugees stuck in Greece. The hopeful, optimistic faces seen in January have been replaced by somber, worried, and weary countenances.

Most of the refugees are staying in the largest camp in Athens, which is located at the old air-

port and in surrounding abandoned Olympic facilities. Living conditions are deplorable with tents pitched under the broiling sun, or makeshift homes separated by sheets hung on a wire under the eaves of buildings with sleeping bags as beds. It was sobering to see so many men, women and children huddled together this way. Relief agencies and volunteers from around the world are doing their best to meet the needs of these people, but the needs far outweigh the resources available.

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Each day, my team worked in a small day

center for women and children. The lines formed in the morning. Each lady received a number and small groups rotated in and out until we had seen 200-300 people. We served them tea, milk and cookies and handed out clothes, shoes, diapers and personal hygiene items and offered the ladies an air-conditioned room to sit and rest and visit. Clean restrooms and showers were also available. The children were able to enjoy a few hours of simply being a kid and play with toys, puzzles and art supplies. There seemed to be no sense of ownership and each sticker or balloon that was handed out was joyously received with a sense of gratitude that I have rarely seen.

Cameron Harrington

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Cameron Harrington

By the end of the first day, my heart had been transformed. As I looked into the face of each

lady and child, I wanted to do more than simply provide a bit of refreshment. I wanted to help them get out of this desperate situation. All I could do was try to understand their stories, communicate concern, and offer encouragement. Although language was a barrier, one of my goals was to elicit smiles from the women by making a connection with them.

We were working alongside the Greek Evangelical Church in Athens, which has been serving refugees for 20 years. While I was there, I witnessed the baptism of nine Iraqi refugees who had converted from Islam to Christianity. The women spoke of formerly feeling imprisoned and mistreated. The men talked of being motivated by hatred and selfishness. Each person told a story of how a Christian at some point in their journey had shown them love and kindness in a way they did not understand.

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The majority of the people we interacted with each day were Muslims, and I was acutely

aware of how strange it must be for them to come into Greece where Orthodox Christianity is the prevailing religion. Customs are very different, yet for all of us experiencing differences can draw us to more deeply understand each other and question the underlying attitudes that cause us to think or act as we do. "But for the grace of God" is an expression I have heard all of my life, but never before have I considered how important it is to be able to put myself in the shoes of someone else and appreciate

the mercy we should offer each other.

Cameron Harrington

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"No one leaves home, unless home is the mouth of a shark..."

Home by Warsaw Shire

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R a n d y

L o v e l a c e

Property of Refugee Center

The immediacy of street photography has always been attractive. You catch unique and unscripted moments that are inspiring. However, when you record the lives of the suffering and hurting you can not wall off your heart and not be changed. While traveling in Europe to meet with church leaders in Hamburg, Athens and Rome I came up close and personal with the suffering of refugees. I refused to capture the faces of those suffering, but I wanted to record the conditions that they had to endure.

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Street art in Exarcheia

It was in Athens that I had an extended opportunity to walk the neighborhood of Exarcheia. This portion of the city is a haven for anarchists often thought of as violent. What I learned, however, was the anarchist community was the first to serve and care for the refugees from Syria, Iran and Afghanistan who were flooding onto the shores of the outer Greek islands. But Exarcheia had also become a place where exploitation of refugees was rampant.

I met church planters who were working with these anarchists.

They saw a need and stepped in to create a safe zone for women, families and unaccompanied minors called "FAROS", which is Greek for "lighthouse". This collaboration between the Christian church and anarchists also demonstrated that those who are very different can find common ground to work for justice for those in need, protecting them from traffickers and right-wing groups bent on hate.

Refugee Center

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While standing outside the FAROS house (which is now a UNICEF approved safe house for women and children) a woman approached me and the two pastors I was meeting with. She was begging in tears for a place for her and her family to sleep.

They had been sleeping on the streets for 15 days and she was 8 months pregnant. She spoke only in Persian, yet we could understand the need.

Pastor Tim Coomar was clearly moved and got on his phone with his contacts in the anarchist reading group that he participates in regularly. After about 30 minutes, he received confirmation that they would all meet together with this family and find a place for them to stay. It was grace at work.

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Above - Refugee Center Next page - Athens Midnight Traffic

Randy Lovelace

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I returned to the United States more convinced than ever that our government must play a much larger role in providing relief for refugees and become a better neighbor in the world. It may mean that we put our personal comfort and desire for safety at risk for the sake of the other.

When you walk the street with refugees and hear their stories, it is no longer a political discussion.

It's a human story that begs for response.

For me, that response is listening, compassion and love.

Follow Randy on Instagram @revlovelace Note from the Editor: You don't have to go to Greece to help refugees. World Relief is one of many organizations helping to welcome and resettle refugees. Read this message from World Relief if you want to get involved or contact me and I will help connect you to the right people.

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Next page - Midnight Train Athens

Randy Lovelace

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More land

LILLA WEBB JEN TANKSLEY

CHAVONNA RHODES SARA SANTAMARIA

KRISTA CLARK JESSICA CALDAS

MANTY DEY

Lauren pallotta CHERRY DELROSARIO 80

ANGELA DAVIS JOHNSON

M

ject

Mur al P ro

CHARMAINE MINNIEFIELD LAUREN MARKHAM

TORI TINSLEY SHANNON WILLOW

LELA BRUNET

ESTELA SEMENCO

JESSICA COOK AMY ASHBAUGH

WYANNE

IMAN PERSON

DARYLE NEWMAN LAUREN PETERSON

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Lauren Pallotta Stumberg (recipient of the 2017 Emerging Artist Award from the Atlanta Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs)

22 female artists

is mobilizing to transform 320 feet of concrete walls on either side of Moreland Avenue into a work of art.

Meredith M Howard spoke to Lauren about the project MMH: How did you find all of these artists? LPS: Some of them I knew through Forward Warrior and just

being in the art scene in Atlanta. I also reached out to my friends at C4 and said, “Hey, can you recommend other artists?� and they would give me names. And not everyone was a muralist. But I kind of liked that, because I felt like they might have a different type of perspective of what would go on a wall.

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LPS: Like Sara Santamaria - She’s a porcelain

sculptor, but she sketches by cutting out pieces of paper. I feel like that would be really cool on the wall.

Or like Estela - She has never done a mural either. The way she paints is really flat with a lot of pattern.

It just seemed like a good combination of people that are experienced and people that would benefit from being around more experienced artists.

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Included in this group are two women familiar to us at The Streets.

Angela Davis Johnson from The Streets - Issue 1

And Lela Brunet from The Streets - Issue 2.

(Below she is working on her idea for the Moreland Mural Project.)

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LPS: I became connected to the community through Little Five Arts Alive, which is programming that is happening every weekend in Little Five Points...They said, “We really want to get Moreland Avenue painted.” And I was like -

“OK. Let’s do it!”

I started thinking about how there’s not a lot of female artists on the walls...

There’s just a handful in contrast to all the guys. So, let’s do emerging female artists.

I really love what people submitted. It’s all very different...

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MMH: What are the challenges for the artists who have never painted a mural?

LPS: For my first mural, all I had was a ladder. And when I got up that

ladder, I thought, “I don’t know if I can do this. This is so scary.” Because I have a slight fear of heights. So, I think that’s a challenge - if you have a

The perspective, the proportions of getting how it is on paper to translate onto the wall - which is less of a concern doing abstract and graphic things. fear of heights.

Some people will project if they don’t feel comfortable doing it freehand.

They might project it so they can get the exact lines where they’re supposed to be and then kind of chalk them out. There are different ways of doing it. I tend to kind of sketch with the roller and then once those marks are in I start really painting.

Digital representation of the future of Moreland Avenue 86

MMH: So, you paint yours with a roller? Do most people do it that way?

LPS: I don’t think most people do it that way, because when I have done mine, people say,

“Oh, you’re just doing that with a roller?” I think a lot of people do spray. It depends on your style. A lot people will chalk lines. So, I just did what made sense for me. I’ve done 5 or 6 murals, so I’m not as tenured as some people and may not have the best way of doing it. But it works for me...

For me it's been great, because I've gotten to know artists that I wouldn't have otherwise known...It's been a good way of connecting with the community - meeting people that like the arts but aren't necessarily artists and people who are artists and who are wanting to grow and develop and

be a part of something.

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MMH: Tell me about these paintings in your studio.

LPS: This is the first painting I did when I was in Sicily...I became really enchanted with magpies. They were this black and white against this landscape of yellow and pale ocher. My friend Liz who had the property said, "Magpies - I'm very suspicious about them. You see one and it's bad luck. They're thieves." And then I came across this English nursery rhyme - "One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl and four for a boy." The outcome was different depending on

So, I liked that idea of rethinking superstition. I started out how many you saw.

with very literal representations of magpies.

MMH: When did you live in

Sicily?

LPS: So, I lived in the Marshall Islands for a lot of my 20's...I went there after college to teach...I met Daryle and started an art non-profit and starting having exhibitions. That's really when I started painting again...

I was at this dinner party with this woman Liz who owned this place in Sicily and she said,

"I need someone to watch over my stone house that I'm renovating in Sicily." And I was like - "Um, I'll do that."

So, basically I quit my job and moved to Sicily.

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MMH: How long were you there? LPS: About nine months.

MMH: By yourself? You didn't know anyone else?

LPS: Well, I had some overlap with Liz for

about 10 days. She introduced me to a lot of people who were basically the people that introduced me to other people. I definitely had a group of friends while I was there...I would have these dinner parties and the guy that worked at the art store (he spoke English) was also a musician, so he would bring his musician buddies and they would play music.

I met this guy, who is actually a pretty famous artist in Sicily. He kind of took me under his wing and was very challenging. The first time he saw my work, he insulted me - "This looks like student work. What are you doing?"

So, for the first time it really made me think, "Why am I making this? Is it just to be pretty or does it have purpose?"

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Photos of Sicily by Lauren Pallotta

LPS: And this painting was one of the first paintings I did when I got back to America, and I was feeling really vulnerable and sad. By that time, I had really abstracted the magpie to be

Sandro my mentor had told me - "When you go back, draw your heart." a stick figure.

In one of the conversations we had before I left he talked about the artist's journey as going

up a staircase. And as you take steps closer to your goal, keep looking up toward your goal.

But then as you rise up on your steps, turn back and help other people that are lower on the steps than you. So, that's where the stairs come from (upper left corner)...The piece is called "Breathe". And I was actually driving to see my grandmother who was really sick at the time.

And this image of just lungs came to me in a very white, pale composition..The stairs I abstracted to be just lines. And the magpies are still stick figures.

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MMH: How did you get to paint your first mural?

LPS: I was at the Goat Farm at a Living Walls event. This was in 2014. And we ran into Joe King (Joe Dreher) and we were talking about walls and my husband, who is very much my cheerleader, said, "She needs a wall."

And Joe said, "You should talk to Sam Parker. He's the Cabbagetown wallkeeper. I think there's a few spots open."

So, I reached out to Sam and sent him a picture of what I wanted to paint and he said, "Yep, I have a spot for you."

So, Joe, William, Edgar and I all painted at the same time.

We had our own mini "Forward Warrior".

MMH: What was the inspiration for your first mural?

LPS:There's this expression in Italian - sei in gamba - which means "you are capable" but literally means "you're in leg." That idea of when you are capable you are standing on solid ground. That idea of expressing confidence through feet and legs is appealing to me.

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taken Mural on Tennelle Photo Street in by Andrei Fedianov 2016 Cabbagetown (Atlanta)

What's next?

The painting of the Moreland Mural Project is scheduled to start in Spring 2017 (once they receive final approval from the GDOT and complete the fundraising).

To support the Moreland Mural Project, go HERE. Follow news of the project on Instagram @thinkgreatly

Later in 2016, Lauren will be painting murals in Hapeville, Norcross and Atlanta on Edgewood Avenue (for which she received a project grant from the City of Atlanta).

Follow Lauren on Instagram @laurenpallotta and on her website at laurenpallotta.com 95

BLACK CAT TiPS aka Kyle Brooks

Mural on Wylie Street in Atlanta, Georgia 96

On August 26, 2016, Kyle Brooks, street folk artist and poet, spoke at Creative Mornings about "WEIRD". Here are a few quotes for your enjoyment. You can see the video of his thoughtful ramblings HERE. Photographs by Meredith M Howard 97

"Water. Water's weird to me.

Do

you ever think about water? It weighs 8 pounds a gallon, roughly. And I like 5 gallon buckets.

And that holds about 40 pounds.

Now in a thunderstorm coming down, you get down and you can fill that up in the gutter in no time. and if all Y'all came out to your gutters with 5 gallon buckets and filled 'em up, that's a lot of pounds. That's a lot of weight.

And just a few minutes before, that water was up in the air.

and don't you think that's weird?"

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Mural in Colo ny

Square in At

lanta, Georgia

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“Before

this, I would paint landscapes and struggle with being perfect, and that just wasn’t fun to me. So I started painting these pictures, and I would paint one every couple of months. No one knew I was painting – just my family and friends.

I didn’t do anything with them, didn’t know what to do with them. But I just kept paintinG...

"I was blessed with this little character that came to see me one day. and then I tweaked that character just a little bit. and that bear came to me. and that bear has been my buddy for a while and helped kind of change my life. I started painting that bear in different ways on old paintings. I started painting 'em beside the road on found objects. i would take a little paint with me on errands and i would go into the store and when i came out i might see an opportunity so i would decorate something for somebody."

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"I wanted more people to see my art, so they could be weirded out by it, be confused by what it is, and have their own little connection."

"Normal is okay. But normal is not weird, and I want to be weird, and I'll tell you why. Weird is freedom, and freedom leads to happiness...

by golly, i want to be happy so let's be a little weird."

Follow Kyle Brooks @blackcattips and www.blackcattips.com

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