SAN FRANCISCO – International audiences have a rare chance to own seldom seen artworks from the streets of Manila through a new crowdfunding campaign. The Filipino Street Art Project Kickstarter campaign launched on Oct. 4., giving art enthusiasts worldwide the opportunity to own works from over 30 participating Filipino street artists, including stickers, art prints, and canvases.
Kimberly Dryden and Austin Smith, co-directors of the Filipino Street Art Project, spent six months documenting the lives of street artists in Manila with a team of Filipino cinematographers and production assistants. The anchor of the project is a feature-length documentary film exploring life in modern Manila through the diverse and intimate stories of four street artists.
“There’s so much depth and vitality to the Filipino street art scene. It is growing hand-in-hand with the Philippines as an economic player, giving these artists the opportunity to comment on the incredible social change happening in their communities. We hope by sharing their stories that we spark dialogue around both Filipino issues and the power of public art as a medium,” said Smith, whose mother was born in Pangasinan, a province northwest of Manila.
Funds raised through this campaign will be used to finish post-production of the film, with a target release of summer 2015. Like many crowdfunding campaigns, donors will receive rewards depending on their donation level – in this case original artist designs starting at $10. Each donation reward will be accompanied by an interview, photo gallery, and short video of the artist the backer chooses to support. The donation page can be found at www.kickstarter.com
Beyond the film, the Filipino Street Art Project has contributed exhibits to Google’s Street Art Project, featured images in TIME and Esquire, created a set of interactive e-books and hosted live art events at universities.
Contact: Austin Smith, Project Co-Director
Cell: 650.815.9699
Email: filipinostreetart@gmail.com
Website: www.filipinostreetart.com
FB: www.facebook.com/StreetArtPhilippines
