Join us for a very special Cartwheel Art Tours graffiti tour with Steve Grody, presented by Gallery 38 and Art Above Reality with Cornbread. It is on this tour where in addition to learning about graffiti lettering and styles from Steve Grody, historian and author of Graffiti LA, you will meet the first philadelphia graffiti writer, Cornbread who will offer us the opportunity to learn about graffiti from his perspective, as well as experience his work as part of the tour at Gallery 38.

The tour will begin at Gallery 38, where we will view some of the outside murals recently painted by MDMN, Knowledge Bennett, Moncho 1929, JC Rivera, Jackie Dutch, Yenna Hill, Flore and The Producer BDB. From there we will hop on an air-conditioned bus, making stops at The Graff Labs and in the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District.

The route will include checking out numerous yards in the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District where we will see the work of graffiti artists such as, Saber and Zes, members of MSK/AWR Crew, K2S Crew, UTI Crew, Mice of Millions, Retna, Dame Risk/Revok/Able along with many others. As well, we will be visiting the mid-city area which has been the playground for many crews such as LTS/KOG, NBC, RTN, K4P and more. In addition, special guest artist will describe their crew’s work while visiting their murals.

We will end back at Gallery 38, where we will receive a special walk-thru of Cornbread’s exhibition which is Cornbread’s first exhibition along with other surprises. Check out the Gallery 38’s website to learn more about the exhibition here. 

PURCHASE GA/VIP TICKETS HERE. 

More about Cornbread:
Born 1953 in North Philadelphia as Daryl McCray, Cornbread used his troubled neighborhood and precocious personality as a springboard to become the youngest artist that stirred a worldwide movement: graffiti. Cornbread’s unflinching desire for recognition motivated him to utilize graffiti as expression. In contrast to tagging’s prior use as marking specific territory, Cornbread wrote his name all over Philadelphia to showcase no one neighborhood is enough for an artist.
It began with writing on school walls to grab a girl’s attention and grew into marking an elephant at the Philadelphia Zoo and the Jackson 5 airplane to earn national fame. From there, Cornbread’s influence spread everywhere, inspiring artists from LA to Berlin.

More about Steve Grody:
Steve Grody is the author of Graffiti LA: Street Styles and Art, historian, and speaker. Before Steve Grody earned his B.A. in fine arts, he was also involved in his era’s ‘pop’ graphics, psychedelic art. When he saw spray can murals popping up around Los Angeles’ walls, he immediately recognized their creativity and verve. Since 1990, he has been driving across L.A. and searching its back alleys, washes and abandoned lots in search of this vernacular art. Over the years he cultivated trust amongst L.A.’s most prolific, skilled and infamous graffiti ‘writers’ allowing him access to obscure locations, and through interviews clarified their motivations, and thoughts on creativity as well as the troublesome aspects of its illegality. His obsessive drive to document this distinctive youth underground has resulted in an archive of over 35,000 images. From this he has chosen the best work to illustrate the range of styles and approaches of this urban phenomenon in Graffiti L.A.: Street Styles and Art (Abrams 2007). In 2011 his photographs were in the MOCA “Art of the Streets” show and catalogue, and he was co-curator of “Street Cred: Graffiti Art from Concrete to Canvas” at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. You can see his TEDx talk on graffiti on Youtube.

More about Gallery 38:
Gallery 38 is a beautiful creative space and art gallery located in the burgeoning art community of West Adams. The gallery is an ongoing project brought to you by ArtAboveReality and Bancs Media that brings together up and coming talent, some of which are represented by the gallery and pairs them in visually thematic exhibits that feature some of the most visible and sought after artists in and around Los Angeles and the world. The unique artist that light up the gallery daily differ in medium and composition, but are brought together by their unifying element of mixing mediums, street art aesthetics and thought provoking imagery.

More about The Graff Lab:
The Graff Lab is an urban sanctuary for artists, kids, and adults that opened after the Los Angeles public school district cut its after-school art programs in 2006. World famous for its graffiti and aerosol art, the Graff Lab is dedicated to providing artists with a safe space to develop their skills. At the Graff Lab artists don’t have to worry about getting harassed by the police or by gangsters; they are free to concentrate on their craft. But the Graff Lab is more than a public art space. The Graff Lab offers free tutoring and counseling in addition to free dance and music lessons (guitar and drums). The USC Boxing Club is in the process of setting up a training facility at the Graff Lab, so free boxing lessons are on the horizon as well.

More about Cartwheel Art Tours:
Cartwheel Art Tours offers to our guests, unique perspectives and immersive experiences in art, food/beverage and history with a focus on supporting artists and artisan businesses in the neighborhoods we explore. The Downtown Los Angeles Arts District urban tours also provide an additional opportunity to learn about the developments occurring in one of Los Angeles’s most unique, dynamic, art-centric and rapidly changing neighborhoods that was once a was once a gritty section filled with disused warehouses, train tracks and manufacturing plants by the LA River. This occurs through our eclectic team of knowledgeable and passionate district insiders, who are deeply connected to the neighborhood, and where Cartwheel Art, an online art magazine and Cartwheel Art Tours headquarters is located. Founder, Cindy Schwarzstein who leads the tours serves on the board of Los Angeles River Artists and Business Association (LARABA) and is actively involved in other community organizations and committees in the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District.

Top mural is in The Graff Lab by artist “Mural” and STK Crew. Photo by Steve Grody.

We will be viewing numerous murals by K2S Crew. This mural is by Woier Gabe and Cale. Photo by Steve Grody.

Mid-City wall by Festo and Scud Visions crew and Jamie Server and Bwares RTN crew. Photo by Steve Grody.

Saber and Zes of MSK/AWR Crew’s mural collaboration in the DTLA Arts District. Photo by Steve Grody.

Work by Cornbread will be seen at Gallery 38 where guests will meet the artist and hear about his work.

Work by Cornbread will be seen at Gallery 38 where guests will meet the artist and hear about his work.