ABOUT BLVD GALLERY

BLVD Gallery (pronounced "Boulevard") is a gallery devoted to the Urban Contemporary aesthetic and the rise of street art and graffiti culture. Noticing a lack of venues for Seattle's vibrant urban art scene, gallerist Kirsten Anderson and curator Damion Hayes along with partners Brian Rauchenbach and Marcus Lalario, decided to join forces and create a full fledged gallery devoted to the burgeoning underground scene, and are dedicated to bringing national and international talent to the city as well as fostering the talented local artists working within the genre. Effective January 1st 2009, BLVD will close it's doors as a physical gallery location. We have decided to take a break and decide what new direction we'll be taking the BLVD brand in the future. We would like to thank everyone who has supported and helped BLVD these past several years.

Urban Contemporary is a term for work that is also acknowledged as "Street Art" or "Urban Art", and cites Graffiti, Hip Hop, D.I.Y. and Skateboard culture as its genesis. This art movement has grown from being an illicit, underground cult-ish art scene through the incorporation of more mainstream commercial elements, such as fine illustration and graphic design, to create a vital and exciting hybrid that art collectors and art establishments respond enthusiastically to, as witnessed, for example, by the phenomenal success of the "Beautiful Losers" museum exhibit, and the worldwide demand for work by artists such as Shepard Fairey, Barry McGee, and the late Margaret Kilgallen, who have all conquered the high art scene.

Damion Hayes is the Editor of the Artstash Blog as well as a founding member of Cut Kulture United, a Seattle based art collective established in 1998. With a stated mission to increase awareness and appreciation of the Urban/Street art and culture, Damion has been curating and producing art events since 1993 beginning with a loft viewing of a 16mm print of the Hip hop classic Style Wars in Atlanta, Ga. Damion has more recently curated "Living Hybrids", the visual arts component to the 2005 Red Bull Music Academy, as well as "Beyond Fresh-The Urban Art Exhibition" at Seattle's 2004 Bumbershoot Arts Festival. Damion Hayes brings to BLVD Gallery an understanding of the needs of the artists as well as an immense respect for the culture from which the Urban Art community is based.

Kirsten Anderson is the founder and owner of Roq La Rue Gallery, an internationally known gallery focusing on the Pop Surrealism/Lowbrow art movement. Roq la Rue is considered on of the top galleries in its genre by collectors and artists and has been profiled countless times in Juxtapoz magazine (The 2 nd most popular art magazine in the U.S.) as well as other publications ranging from Japan's Huge and Burnout, to Conde Nast Traveller. Anderson also compiled and edited the successful book Pop Surrealism with her book company Ignition Publishing. Already in it's 3rd printing, Pop Surrealism is the first survey of the Pop Surrealism/Lowbrow art movement and is called the "essential reference for the art movement" by Juxtapoz magazine. Anderson also acts as a freelance curator, and curated the museum show "Pop Surrealism" in 2005 at the Sangre De Christo Art Center in Colorado, and occasionally will give lectures on underground art, and most recently lectured at Mark Ryden's "Wondertoonel" exhibit at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle.

Brian Rauschenbach is a co-founder of Graylife, a Seattle based group that organizes and promotes events focused around fusing fashion, art and music, as well as running an interactive advertising agency, Add Three as his day job as a media buyer. Recently nominated as one of "The Most Influential People of 2005" by Seattle Magazine's Power 25, Brian keeps himself busy planting seeds in the local Seattle arts & culture community. He also runs an urban social networking site: Hip-Hop to allow artists and musicians the ability to network and showcase their music and art. He is a co-owner, with Marcus Lalario and Jason Llorin, of The War Room and they also are investors in other local businesses including The Viceroy Lounge, The Saint, Molly Moon's Ice Cream and he is a partner in Havana's Social in Capitol Hill.

Marcus Lalario is a successful entrepreneur who has turned a love of music and pop culture into a remarkable string of Seattle businesses and nightlife institutions. Marcus has been making a positive impact on Seattle's nightlife and arts community for nearly two decades. Lalario's contributions to the community include service as an advisor for the VERA Project's Fundraising Board, and working with charitable fundraiser events for organizations including YouthCare and KEXP radio - efforts that are being acknowledged: In 2005 Seattle Magazine named him as one of the city's "Top 25 Most Influencial People"; in 2006 Seattle Magazine dubbed him "The Pop Culture King Midas"; and in March 2006 he was included in Sound Magazine's "50 Most Influencial" Seattle Music feature. Most recently, he has partnered with Jonathan Moore to create The Council, LLC, a lifestyle and cultural marketing event and artist management company.

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