Urban Pop Art Projects presents Urban Pop Art Books
Urban Pop Art Projects is a studio creating art for other artists, musicians, and community organizations in order to amplify the humanitarian work they are doing in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. In that vein, it is with great pleasure that we introduce the Urban Pop Art Projects imprint, publishing picture books that are illustrated, designed, and layed out in-house. Authors are artists, authors, musicians, and innovators who are of the Urban Pop Art creed promoting social service, critical thought, and political stimuli that fight corruption, mediocrity, and human rights infringements.
Our inaugural volume by Urban Pop Art Projects' founder and Artist President, Margarita Korol, is Spoils of War: Ode to a Refusenik Mother. This multimedia project was supported by COJECO's BluePrint Fellowship, which promotes innovative community projects propelling the Russian-speaking Jewish community. The BluePrint Fellowship is part of the Center Without Walls project of COJECO, sponsored by the UJA Federation of New York and Genesis Philanthropy Group. "Spoils of War: Ode to a Refusenik Mother" was originally published by Tablet Magazine on June 6, 2012 (bit.ly/spoilspoem), and the panels illustrating the poem exhibited at New York City's National Arts Club thorugh the Russian American Foundation's Russian Heritage Month, sponsored by Mayor Bloomberg and the New York Post. The poem is accompanied by a spoken word track over a mix tape in collaboration with Los Angeles musician Sam Barsh. On February 18, Spoils of War went even more multimedia as videographer Abe Riesman released the video to which Margarita performs Spoils of War live. Check it out above.
At NYC's KGB Bar December 26, 2012 for the release of Spoils of War, Korol performed the poem over Barsh's instrumental track. Have a listen to the recording. At Brooklyn's Time Out New York-picked Best Reading Series on February 11, Margarita performed the poem along with a video incorporating the instrumental track and exhibited images.
Spoils of War Mixtape & Music Video
Tracking: Willie Green
Music production: Sam Barsh
Art: Margarita Korol
Video: Abraham Riesman
From the Publisher:
Dearest NYC Friends, Fans, and Foes,
NYC has been an incredibly hospitable home to Urban Pop Art Projects for almost three years since I bid Chicago farewell to share the colorful pop ways with the rest of the planet. I'd like to thank all the lovers (I'm lookin at you, 50 Dolla Holla art collectors) and haters who have rallied enthusiastically around the art, keeping Urban Pop Art Projects in demand--for the simple reason that Pop makes love and money. I like your entrepreneurial and humane spirits, and I'm certain it's not over between us just yet. As Urban Pop Art Projects headquarters makes its move to Chicago, we also celebrate the launch of the Urban Pop Art Projects imprint with our inaugural publication, Spoils of War: Ode to a Refusenik Mother, available in paperback on Amazon.com as well as a soon-to-be-released track.
I'd like to invite you to celebrate the book release party of the poem I dedicated to my mother's refusenik efforts for her children, Spoils of War: Ode to a Refusenik Mother, originally published in Tablet Magazine, and now coming an Urban Pop Art Projects paperback. The text is illustrated side-by-side with the original series of 17 panels in the Spoils of War series exhibited at the National Arts Club in the spring and summer of 2012.
Purchase of the book on Amazon.com will also grant you a download of a spoken word recording captured at Brooklyn maestro Willie Green's studio and produced as a collaborative track between Urban Pop Art Projects and LA's musicmasta Sam Barsh (Palter Ego). It's a tasteful sexy mashup appropriately featuring a little of Lauryn's refugee flavor and the sweet Soviet Tetris sounds of Gameboy yesteryear.
Please come to KGB Bar the day after your X-Mas festivities on December 26th, where I first unveiled paintings to the Big Apple in April 2011 with Propaglasnost!, art promoting political transparency and active democracy for the 25th Anniversary of Chernobyl. As 2013 is the 25th anniversary of my mother's great big illegal shlep with me alone from the Soviet Union to Chicago, I'm thrilled to celebrate one last hurrah with you as a resident of NYC back at KGB, home of the free.
But please, no goodbyes. As long as Urban Pop Art Projects don't bore you, we'll be dishing out the good stuff. Thank you for making this fun work popular, I'm pretty happy to confirm that I didn't peak in high school.
With love and gratitude,
Margarita Korol
Urban Pop Art Projects Founder and Publisher
Spoils of War: Ode to a Refusenik Mother is an Urban Pop Art Project supported by COJECO's BluePrint Fellowship that promotes innovative community projects propelling the Russian-speaking Jewish community. The Blueprint Fellowship is part of the Center Without Walls project of COJECO, sponsored by the UJA-Federation of New York and Genesis Philanthropy Group. Spoils of War was originally published in Tablet Magazine, and exhibited at the National Arts Club through the Russian American Foundation's Russian Heritage Month, sponsored by Mayor Bloomberg and the New York Post.