Learn how to play

Trust Art is a social platform that is commissioning
ten public artworks over the next year. People are invited to
become shareholders with $1, share with interested friends, and renew culture.

Portraits of Dreamers

A public project led by Justin Tellian

Project Proposal

As both a street artist and fine art photographer, Justin has been spreading the message of dream in his work for the past five years in New York City. To Justin this is a universal message that unites people from diverse backgrounds with the understanding that their dreams can be achieved. That is why Justin is proposing a series of large scale photography portraits that unite people who self-identify as dreamers in five cities around the world. Justin will bring together artists, fashion designers, filmmakers, writers, musicians in street portraits that will also be social and community events bringing people from all different backgrounds together in a common experience.

Justin will be traveling to each of these five cities with a small crew to gather and execute these shoots. He will then host an event where he will present the five life size portraits and invite back all of the participants, and anyone else wishing to be take part.  At the event, everyone will be invited to give further life to the prints by interacting with them using materials like paint and markers. In the end, the prints will act as alternative historical records for public celebrations all over the world where people declared in unison: We dream.

About the Artist

Justin Tellian was born in Visalia, California in 1978. His grandfather, also a photographer, inspired him to pursue photography at a young age. In high school, he became a photo-journalist for the regional daily paper and then attended the Brooks Institute of Photography. He moved to New York in 2002 and worked under photographers Mark Seliger and Steven Klein. Since 2006, he has pursued his career independently as a fine art photographer inspired by street art.

www.famegame.com/profile/Justin_Tellian




Artists Past Work





The Dreamers, 2008
Justin shot the first DREAM group photo portrait in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in June 2008. His vision for these shoots are a mixture of celebration and mise en scene, which this video captures. Justin Tellian's team for this shoot: Stowe Richard, Matt Mimiaga, Nathan Catucci, Jaime Rosenthal, and Jessica Bobince. The Dreamers: Mary Cuddehe, Peter Baltra, Blake Whitman, Ryan Brown, Seth Aylmer, Jose Serrano-Reyes, Nick Bean, Ara Edsinger, Craig Edsinger, Solomon Chase, Paul Read, Anthony Donofrio, Wendell Davis, Cameron Dary, Ewa Pawlus, Matthew Craven, Lark Kidd, Drew Hinckley, Cowaney Malick, David Toro, Emily Bybwad, Kristin Lorenz, Mary Manwary, Kat Hunt, Irene Pann, Ina Jang, Joan Tom, Marnin Schwartz-Lachase, Tracy Bradbury, Tina Keyes, Gerian Marlel, Jennifer Bickman, Brett Dobbs, Colleen Haley, and Christopher Beehwith.




Dream Station, 2007
Performed in Union Square, New York City, the station allowed dreamers to write their dreams on a piece of paper, attach them to a helium balloon, and watch them float away.




1B, 2006-2008
Justin had an open-door policy in his apartment for over 2 years, inviting both friends and strangers into his space.




Live/Work, 2008
A series of photographic portraits of artists in their "live/work" spaces in Brooklyn.

Public Wall

Dreamers - Left
Dreamers - Right2

Your Voice

Dreamers - Right1

From The Artist

« The Next Chapter: BERLIN --- November 14 | Main | DREAM Mexico City - a Photo Re Cap of the Big Day »
Tuesday
Sep222009

DREAMERS - A Shareholder Report

The first bar chart, 1786

We have been raising funds for the DREAMERS project in an innovative way,  inviting people to 'become shareholders' and giving participants a stake in the success of the resulting prints sold at the first annual Trust Art auction next summer.  For this reason, we are making every effort to understand the art project from a financial/commercial perspective as well as its artistic merits.  

In this post, we are offering a transparent look at the expenses of the Mexico City portrait, as well as making our best estimate of the value of the services donated to the DREAMERS project for its first big milestone.   What we have realized is to what extent we are the beneficiaries of a wave of energy and resources from a wonderful group of people in both New York and Mexico City. 

                                  
Airfare                                                    $300
Printing                                                    $35
Production vehicle                                     $65
Equipment rental                                      $50
White fabric                                              $30
Hardware (pole, wire, paint)                      $30
Telecom (phone/text charges)                    $25

Total Expenses                                       $535

 

The rough tally of the services and in-kind contributions donated to the project:


1st Photo Assistant (Harry Fellows)            $450
2nd Photo Assistant (Seth Aylmer)             $450
Producer (Jose Serrano-Reyes)                 $1200
PR (Jose Rivera, Patricia Cordero)               $600
PAs (Alejandro de Gyves, Oscar Rivero)      $400

Videography/editing (Axel Guerrero)          $400

Event Photos (Jose Rivera, Maggie Turner, Anne McClain)      $300                            

Tripod (Harry Fellows):                              $100
Film (Patrick Randak):                               $300
Chassis (Patrick Randak):                          $100

Location  (Hilda Trujillo, Anahuacalli)         $1500
Accommodations (Oscar Rivero)                 $300
Refreshments (Semilla Mezcal)                   $400

Donations                                             $6700



The Mexico portrait came together for about 7% of its true financial cost ($7235). That should create confidence in the project's shareholders, for both its lean spending, and its ability to raise 'social capital'.

Being minddful of the economic prospects of the projects is only meaningful insofar as it complements our understanding of the most important ROI we seek for each of the projects: the authentic human connections that emerge from people participating in creative experiences togehter and the resulting uptick of inspiration in our society.

 

DateSeptember 22, 2009 at 13:05 | CommentPost a Comment

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