Fresh Bruises #1: March Badness – Awesome LA Party!

March 15, 2011

Come one, come all to our 2nd ever Awesome Foundation Los Angeles party to celebrate our new grant recipient, Jail Door Guitars! We definitely had a lot of fun last time (incriminating pics here). Details about the Fresh Bruises party can be found here and make sure you RSVP here. The $5 cover goes straight to the bands performing and will get you in for an open bar all night long! The fun night is hosted by our friends at Family Industries and sponsored by Brand X, Indigenous, and FILTER magazine. In addition to a ton of awesome live bands playing (Tape Deck Mountain, Handshakes), there will be live screenprinting, an art gallery, Grill Em All food truck, AND (everyone’s favorite) a hosted bar with drinks all night long from PBR, Red Bull, Alexander Valley Vineyards, and Jarritos! We love seeing ya’ll out there so please join us for this awesome event!

Awesome LA Awards 2nd Grant to Jail Guitar Doors!

March 15, 2011

Drumroll please…Awesome LA has decided to award our 2nd grant to Jail Guitar Doors! Jail Guitar Doors USA is a non-profit that believes in providing new solutions for prisoner rehabilitation. They provide musical instruments, public concerts, and outreach programs to inspire hope and creativity in prisoners who have taken an oath of non-violence. In just 18 months, they have delivered over 30 guitars and various amps into 6 different prisons in California, Texas and New York state! Here’s how it all began (according to the Jail Guitar Doors website): In 1978, The Clash released the song, “Jail Guitar Doors.” The song tells the story of the imprisonment of their fellow musician Wayne Kramer. In 2007, to honor the life of Clash founder, Joe Strummer, Billy Bragg launches an initiative in England to provide musical equipment used to rehabilitate inmates serving time in Her Majesty’s Prisons in the United Kingdom. His initiative is named for that very same song, “Jail Guitar Doors.” In 2009, Wayne Kramer partners with Billy Bragg to found Jail Guitar Doors USA. Together, their combined effort continues the mission for prisoners in America. The circle is unbroken. This Awesome grant will go towards their next visit to the… read more →

Awesome Melbourne awards grant to local street artist

March 14, 2011

Awesome Foundation Melbourne is excited to announce the second grant recipient of 2011, aMoment. aMoment’s project spreads awesome across our special city through art; leaving small reminders – teacups, baby hammocks, all with their own message – in the nooks  and laneways  of Melbourne, for locals and visitors to stumble upon. The message is simple – a reminder to take a moment and slow down, in a frenetic urban environment that can sometimes sweep us away. We’re looking forward to the next ‘drop’, a suprise for Melburnians and visitors around Easter. Read aMoment’s application below: Hello, I am aMoment. I am the street art name for a creative lady who doesn’t usually do street art. You see, I think we all get a little too busy too often. You know, walk around with blinkers on and such. You see, when things get too fast, I think we lose perspective a bit. We get flustered, make bad decisions, get our priorities a little mixed up. This makes me upset So. I wanted to do something to make people to stop for “aMoment”, take a breath and give their day just a little bit of space. And this was how aMoment came… read more →

Headed to SXSW? Come Hang Out!

March 3, 2011

Greetings, all! Just wanted to drop a line out if you happen to be headed to the SXSW Interactive Festival next week. The Institute on Higher Awesome Studies is officially hosting its second annual global meetup of Deans, micro-trustees, and friends of the Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences at the festival. Currently, it looks like we’ll be having trustees hailing from the following chapters: AF-Boston AF-San Francisco AF-Berlin AF-Sydney AF-Austin Should be a fun time hanging out. We’ll be meeting up for drinks and food on Saturday, March 12 at The Ginger Man in Austin, TX at 2:30. Even if you’re not a current member of a chapter, definitely stop by! And, if you’re so Facebook inclined, the full invite is here.