RVCA describes the mission of the ANP Program as such:
“The RVCA Artist Network Program, commonly referred to as the ANP, is an ongoing program which aims to showcase the talent of accomplished as well as unknown artists who inspire our generation and push the boundaries of creativity; providing something of substance and culture. To RVCA, an artist is not someone who just paints a picture, or writes a song, but someone who is dedicated to sharing with the world their life, emotions and soul through innovative and creative ideas. RVCA and the ANP were developed to shake the very foundations of the business, by giving back to the artists and providing a voice for their creative growth.”
This week some new t-shirts from RVCA came in. Here, we’re featuring a quick bio and some links to some of the ANP artists who designed the shirts. Stepen Powers is the man behind one of them, the RVCA Late Vintage Wash T-Shirt.
It’s another good one, too bad it’s never on time, right? Or is it? The RVCA Late Vintage Wash T-Shirt is ready for your shopping cart right now. So tell your boss you’ll get there when you get there. Tell your mom it’s not late if you didn’t know what time it started. And pray and hope your girlfriend just isn’t. Pray and hope. The Late is thin and lightweight. Sports that vintage quality feel in a Special Edition sort of way. Killer graphic by Stepen Powers. RVCA at base of neck. Seamless graphic tag at neck. A 100% cotton t-shirt. Available HERE, at SW.
A New York City artist, Stephen J. Powers began with graffiti art in Philadelphia and New York. At first he went under the name of ESPO, which stood for Exterior Surface Painting Outreach. Powers moved to New York in 1994 with friend and fellow artist Ari Forman, in the hopes of expanding his magazine, On the Go. Known throughout the 90s for conceptual art and On the Go, of which he was editor and publisher, Powers remained involved with his ESPO persona, whose work often walked the fine line between illegal and legal. With more then 70 graffiti sites under his belt, mostly highly vandalized structures or empty storefronts, Powers called his work a public service. Powers was arrested and was sentenced to five days of community service after participating in a protest in New York in 1999. The protest was against then New York mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, and his attempt at shutting down the controversial art show “Sensation” which was at the Brooklyn Museum. In 2000 Powers became a full-time studio artist. Over the years Powers work has been shown in many places, including galleries in Venice and Liverpool Biennials, as well as at the New York City Deitch Gallery. Powers has gone from working in the realm of graffiti to many different forms, from the design of Tommy Guerrero’s third album Soul Food Taqueria in 2003 to curating the “The Dreamland Artists Club” in 2005, a project focusing on professional artists helping Coney Island merchants by repainting their business signs. In 2007, Powers had his first museum exhibition at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. The show went well, and drew enough attention to land Powers and ESPO the cover of the popular art magazine Juxtapoz. In the magazine, Powers was described as on par with the likes of other definitive artists like Crumb, Robert Williams, Basquiat, McGee, and Warhol. As a Fulbright scholar in 2007, Powers received a grant, which he used to help create murals in Dublin and Belfast’s Shankhill area, with the assistance of local teenagers.
Back and busy at work, Powers created the Waterboarding Thrill Ride in Coney Island in 2008, an instillation meant to draw attention to America’s torture policy. Put in a dollar and a figure dressed as an interrogator would pour water over the face of a captive, the victim lashing and thrashing violently in response.
A Love Letter for You is Power’s most recent project, a mural project in Philly portraying the complexities and rewards of relationships. A Love Letter for You is a book meant to go with the exhibit and consists of photography taken by Adam Wallacavage and Zoe Strauss, published by Pressis and distributed by DAP in New York City. Power’s other books include The Art of Getting Over, a history of graffiti and the graphic novel, First and Fifteenth: Pop Art Short Stories.
Check out Stepen Powers website and the RVCA ANP Late t-shirt we’re carrying at SW.
