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Congratulations to Sandra Atumonye on completing an online masterclass in digital marketing fundamentals and on being accepted as a trainee intern in the ALX virtual assistant program.

I wrote a pretty detailed blog post on this topic, which you can read here. This blog lays out current and coming features and services. Here, I want to talk about what ArtsKeeper is attempting to do. How many artists do you know who are struggling? How many creatives do you know who had to take jobs not related to the arts just to make ends meet? How many want-to-be artists do you know? How many people with great creative ideas but no sponsors do you know? How many great writers, poets, songwriters, performers do you know who don't have a following? It's for these people and all the countless others I didn't list that ArtsKeeper exists. We believe creative people need networks of services and support to be able to build and run successful arts-based businesses. Some may not want to do more than create, but have no channel to exposure their work. ArtsKeeper has built a platform to enable creatives to express ideas, share experiences and exposure their work to new viewers, supporters and collectors. When ArtsKeeper began, we conducted a survey to validate this vision and to gather input on the types of services creatives need. The results have been driving our work. Just this week a revised site went live. We continue to refine and hone ArtsKeeper to make it work for YOU. It's critical to our combined success that we get your participation, input and feedback. We are listening very closely to what you say and hope you see this reflected in what we are doing. Lastly, I want to talk about why participation is key to ArtsKeeper's success - which in turn we hope means everyone's success. We collect statistics on how ArtsKeeper is used -- numbers of new and returning visitors, pages viewed, time spent on the site, and number of posts, etc. -- which in turn helps ArtsKeeper grow. Growth is key to getting donations and to attracting investors. ArtsKeeper will always be a not-for-profit movement, but we still need money to operate and evolve in ways our community wants and needs. It is our intent and desire to be able to establish a fund for arts projects. As was explained, the critical element for attracting funders is growth and usage. So, if you are finding ArtsKeeper is now providing you with value or you believe in what we are doing will provide value for someone else, then we ask you to help spread the word about ArtsKeeper and our purpose. It's really simple - you tell two friends, who tell two friends, and so on and so on... Together we have impact that will exceed our wildest aspirations. Thanks for your support!

Arts expose our creative minds in expressive ways! Artskeeper's vision of embracing arts in all their forms is a vision that encompasses all of us and has a very promising future. To serve this great vision and the great team that makes it up as an analyst is truly fulfilling. To everyone reading this, Artskeeper is the future of arts! As for me, I am an aspiring author with a background in analysis and public policy. My first work is a poetry book titled; 'The Poetic Pacific' and I am currently working on my second one titled; 'The Mind Reading World.' Thank you

Dance, my love, Not for me alone. Dance for a woman within Who's not allowed, By them, Or by her own restrictions, To let desire, The fire, The pounding of the music, Heard and felt, Move through her, Showing itself in Intimate sway and swing, As she steps, From dream to love. - Donovan Baldwin

Warm sunlight on my back Teasing me with its summer speak Knowing this soon would be gone And unwelcome winter will come Two long shadows and one short That’s us on our afternoon walk Crisp breeze and sunlight warm Making our way to park and home

Sticky like sap Spilling from a broken branch Turning dark when exposed Hardening in sunlight Prickly and hard to touch Drawing blood  Woundied fingers typing Each touch hurts Poet’s skin is scarred  With slimy trails of feelings And piercings from Penetrating jabs In and out, like a mouse Peeking from its shelter Uncertain, timid to reveal One’s core laid bare Conversely, warm and sweet Caressed in satisfaction Scratching onto a page Feelings freed from heart Tasty as rich chocolate Topped with sweet cream Savoring each mouthful Poured to be consumed by you

What ended up words, Scribble on the page, Needing translation, Interpretation, Began life as seed, Germ Which wormed its way, From some formless thing, Into a shouting raving being Demanding life, And so, The poet, Acquiesced, Driven by demands for freedom, Of the soul of the word, And the soul of the poet, Which just might be the same thing... • Donovan Baldwin

Now more than ever before, public art is on the rise. New murals crop up in cities, large and small, on what feels like an everyday basis, each one breathing new, vibrant life into the streets that were once blank canvases for creativity. The terms graffiti and street art have long been used interchangeably to describe these public art installations—but what should we really call them? Is there a difference? If you’ve ever found yourself wondering if the way you refer to your favorite public art is accurate, you’re certainly not alone. Let’s explore the origins of graffiti and street art, the similarities the two share, and the key differences that set them apart. What is graffiti? Depending on who you ask, graffiti is either a form of vandalism, or a form of art—or both, simultaneously. By definition, graffiti refers to markings, photos, words, initials, or drawings that have been spray-painted, sketched, or even scratched onto walls, sidewalks, or any other publicly accessible areas. It’s pretty common to hear someone refer to any and all of these instances as “graffiti,” but as it turns out, the word graffiti is actually a plural noun. So if there’s just one, it’s technically considered to be a single graffito. Derived from the Italian word with the same spelling, graffito translates to “incised inscription or design,” and is a derivative of graffiare, which means “to scratch.” Though contemporary graffiti is most commonly created through spray-painting methods, historic works of graffiti—many of which can be traced as far back as the beginnings of human civilization— were scratched into cave walls and monuments with sharp objects like stones. Graffiti over time The graffiti we’re familiar with today, such as tagging of names, first began appearing overnight on underground subway cars in major cities like New York and Philadelphia as early as the 1920s. Graffiti is most commonly created illegally, which contributes to the art form’s negative reputation rooted in crime, delinquency, and rebellion against authority. Graffiti’s presence isn’t always negative, though. Throughout history, graffiti has been continually used as a vessel for political and social activism, especially among those who have long been silenced or purposefully omitted from larger societal conversations. In the 1980s Keith Haring used graffiti to comment on the drug epidemic and AIDS crisis, and more recently, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh has created messages addressing gender inequality. While technically, such graffiti is a form of illegal vandalism, it arguably serves as a necessary disruption to daily life, forcing people to pay more attention to specific issues. What is street art? In contrast, street art is, quite literally, art that can be found on the street. Defined as “public-space artwork that’s created for consumption outside of the typical art gallery setting,” street art is essentially synonymous with “public art” as it encompasses a variety of mediums like painting, sculpture, or stained glass. This intentionally broad definition is key to understanding the scope of what street art covers, but public murals are by far the most common form of street art. These expansive, often larger-scale works of art typically painted on open walls or sides of buildings are most frequently created in partnership with companies, brands, or local organizations, but have also at times been commissioned by city officials to discourage and prevent illegal graffiti. So, if a public mural is considered street art, does that mean graffiti is also a form of street art? The answer is: sort of. Because they are so similar, graffiti and street art are often conflated and used interchangeably—even in some artistic circles. But technically, graffiti and street art are both subversive art movements on their own, and graffiti actually predates the modernized murals we generally see in cities today. The exact origin of the term street art remains ambiguous, but the distinction between graffiti and street art became clearer within the mainstream art world during the 1970s and ’80s, possibly due to the fact emerging street artists who wanted a way to differentiate their work. In fact, many of the earliest street artists and muralists either drew inspiration from or started out as graffiti artists themselves before making the switch. Today, these murals and other forms of sanctioned street art are still largely perceived as more socially acceptable and legitimate than graffiti, but their presence in cities around the world remains complicated. What are the key differences between street art and graffiti? Street art and graffiti overlap in many ways, but the key differences between the two lie in technique and intent. Graffiti artists are, in general, unconcerned with the public’s reaction to their work. Graffiti isn’t about pleasing or connecting with the masses—alongside its function as an internal language, it is largely a means of self-expression. In contrast, street art is created with a specific public audience in mind, especially when it’s commissioned by businesses, local organizations, or city officials. Street artists and muralists often aim to provoke audience interest and interaction through their work, or at the very least, a certain degree of understanding or appreciation for whatever it is they’re trying to convey. This post is a portion of this longer article published on September 14, 2020

I love this sculpture and how it depicts the joy of a warm sunny day in all its glory. Niki De Saint Phalle's joyful and exuberant 'Nana' sculptures at Guggenheim Bilbao. Video about the artist, Niki -> https://youtu.be/tZnQijyAsgU She was audacious and created some of the most jubilant, ambitious, and awe-inspiring art.

He paints a lady braiding her hair blending the brown with the red paints the faraway look in her eyes as he skillfully captures that stare feathering softly her shoulders bare Renoir at his best LGR 2023