Dave Kyu

Socially-Engaged Artist, Writer, & Project Manager based in Philadelphia. Co-author of Campfire Stories Book.

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Support LGBTQ & BIPOC Writers for Campfire Stories Volume II!

Campfire Stories is an anthology of short stories about some of America’s favorite national parks, intended to be read together around the fire. While the first volume of Campfire Stories featured works from the first 100 years of our national parks,  CAMPFIRE STORIES VOLUME II will share park stories of today.

We're looking for your support to fund the work of nearly 40 writers and illustrators that will bring Campfire Stories VOLUME II to life.

Volume II will focus on seven new national parks and scenic trails:

Grand Canyon National Park

Everglades National Park

Olympic National Park

Glacier National Park

Joshua Tree National Park

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail

Visit the Kickstarter page here. OR Submit your story, or apply for a travel grant.

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In the Pursuit Ep.11: Dave Kyu, Magda Martinez, Todd Bressi

PHILADELPHIA250 is bringing change-makers and do-ers together through our In the Pursuit series. We’re exploring how - almost 250 years after the #DeclarationOfIndependence was ratified right here in Philadelphia - it's ideas still matter + inspire today.  

Tune in to this episode where artist Dave Kyu + Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Magda Martinez talk about the power of community-driven art + its connection to the #PursuitOfHappiness.

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This month we will feature work across mediums to explore the role parenting can have on artists and the depth and focus that parenting can bring to a creative practice. Artists will share completed work and works in progress. Motivated by my own experience as a new mama and inspired by the stories and resources of past and future *Cultural ReProducers (https://www.culturalreproducers.org/)-we invite you to join us for food, conversation and inspiring work!! Family friendly and informal--All are welcome. Feel free to bring a snack or drink to share.

Featuring: Dave & Ilyssa Kyu presenting Campfire Stories an anthology of fables, tales, ballads, legends and myths collected from the communities in and around 6 of America’s favorite National Parks. As they travelled the country with their daughter for 4 months, they explored the public treasures embedded in the land and its community of caretakers. http://www.campfirestoriesbook.com/ Meredith Gran is a comic artist & occasional animator- the creative brain behind Octupus Pie, a comic series that ran for 10 years (http://www.octopuspie.com/). Currently she is working on Perfect Tides, a point and click adventure game about teen life unfolding over a year, filled with games, seasonal changes and all the emotions captured one bit at a time. Nadia Hironaka and Matt Suib work as a team creating moving image work that offers counter-mythical visions of our contemporary world. From large scale projection mapping to sound and video installation, they experiment with perceptions of time and space and the digital artifacts we create and leave behind. http://www.hironakasuib.com

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Ken McFarlane is a powerful West Philadelphia artist and photographer, and one of the 2019 Neighborhood Time Exchange Artists-in-Residence. Ken’s continued commitment to ensure his work reflects and benefits the community will continue to be an inspiration in my own practice.

I was honored to support an installation of his photo series, From the Root to the Fruit: Portraits of Black Fathers and their Children, 2019, on the windows at Traction Company, an artist studio and collective at 4100 Haverford Ave in West Philadelphia. This public art installation will be on display June 14 – December 14, 2019.

See more of his work at: https://www.instagram.com/365ken/ https://www.kenmcfarlanephoto.com/

Installation photo by Jen Strickland Photography. From the Root to the Fruit: Portraits of Black Fathers and their Children, 2019, by Ken McFarlane.

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Tracing the Boundary: Chinatown North Walking Tour

Sunday, April 28, 11:30am–2pm

It was a distinct pleasure to lead a performance-slash-walking-tour that asked Common Field conference attendees to trace the invisible boundaries of the Callowhill/Chinatown North neighborhood with me on this tour!

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Join the art spaces of Callowhill/Chinatown North for a walking tour that will trace the proposed boundaries of recent Business Improvement District proposals. This walking tour invites participants to discuss audiences that are included and excluded by these boundaries, and consider how invisible boundaries shape the future of urban neighborhoods. The tour will conclude with a visit to the historic Rollins Building, 319 N 11th Street, which houses several artist-run galleries. Galleries in the building will have public open hours from 2-6PM to explore on your own. Participating galleries include: Grizzly Grizzly, Practice Gallery, and Vox Populi, among others.

Photos by Constance Mensch and Kait Privitera for Common Field Philadelphia

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Coming up at Neighborhood Time Exchange! Sign up for this FREE WORKSHOP on Eventbrite

Have you ever look at a pair of jeans and wished there was a way to upgrade them in order to keep them in your wardrobe? Well, we have a solution for you and its called sustainable fashion!!  Learn how to spruce up your closet while saving money in your pocket and keeping waste out of the environment. This workshop series with fashion designer and founder of Stellar Design will teach basic sewing, stitching, and sustainability in fashion. Students are encouraged to use Spring Cleaning to pull out clothes from their closets, to re-imagine in class! Workshop will conclude with a fashion exhibition.

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Thanks to Moore College of Art for having me come by and say art things to your impressionable students! I was happy to share a few of my own projects, but also offer a short history of community arts and socially-engaged practices.

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What We Want is Here: Neighborhood Projects 2012-2018

In December 2018, Asian Arts Initiative published a catalog of its pioneering neighborhood arts projects, documenting six years of the Social Practice Lab, the Pearl Street Project, and People:Power:Place cultural plan.

The book was designed by Studio Anthony Smyrski. I oversaw the Content Development & Project Management, as well as having two projects included in the publication, and offering some words of advice for community practitioners.

Would you like a copy? Email me at [email protected] and I’ll send you one!

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Metuchen Love Letter #1 by Stephen Powers

October 2018 Stay in Touch at 401 Main St, Metuchen NJ 08840

In June 2017, I wrote a draft public art policy for the Metuchen Downtown Alliance (MDA), who was interested in commissioning public artworks for Metuchen’s Main Street.

In October 2018, MDA celebrated their first mural commissioned through the program!

photo from Metuchen Downtown Alliance

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Walking the walk along Philly's new Rail Park

Tuesday, August 28, 2018 Organized by PlanPhilly, CityLab, and Friends of the Rail Park

It was great to play a small role in this event, that welcomed guests to consider Philadelphia's new Rail Park, as well as the surrounding neighborhood. I was grateful to get to share my work with the Asian Arts Initiative in placekeeping efforts for the artists, immigrants, and social service organizations that have inhabited Philadelphia’s Callowhill/Chinatown North neighborhood.

All photos by Kimberly Paynter/WHYY.

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DISH: the Mealkit receives a 2018 Velocity Fund Grant!

The Velocity Fund, a new program created by Temple Contemporary at the Tyler School of Art to directly support visual artists living in the city of Philadelphia, has announced its inaugural grant winners. Yvonne Lung & I are honored to be among the grantees, and excited to bring to fruition our Dish: the Mealkit proposal!

DISH: the Mealkit is a collaborative project between Yvonne Lung and Dave Kyu. Lung’s ongoing social practice project, Dish, will be made into a meal kit, an idea by Kyu. Dish invites participants to learn favorite homemade dishes made by their elders. These stories and recipes are then collected on the Dish website. Three recipes will be chosen to create meal kits. Half of the them will be sold, and proceeds from the sales will allow the other half to be distributed to population with food need.

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Campfire Stories is published!

As of August 1, 2018, Campfire Stories is now available for purchase from Mountaineers Books!

Campfire Stories is an anthology of tales, songs, ballads, legends, short stories and myths collected from the communities in and around 6 of America’s favorite National Parks. The stories capture the essence of these lands and give a voice to the communities that share them.

Because these stories have been collected from the communities in and around the parks, they will capture the diverse history, cultures, people, and experiences of those that that have collectively built, shared, and enjoyed these parks across the country. We hope these short stories will reignite our imagination about the wild.

You can also purchase the book from the following retailers:

Indiebound

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

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Neighborhood Time Exchange seeks new artists-in-residence for 2018!            

Calling all West Philadelphia artists! Time Exchange is looking for two artists for two residencies in 2018. Artists must reside in Philadelphia zip codes 19104, 19139, 19131, 19143, or 19151. See the Call for Artists for full eligibility and application details, and send in any questions to [email protected].

Submit your application by 5pm on Monday, February 19! Download the Full RFQ here: http://www.neighborhoodtime.exchange/app/uploads/2018/01/2018-Time-Exchange-RFQ.pdf

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"I Will Hold You In the Light"

Various Performers Friday, October 20, 2017 Rose Garden, Independence National Historic Park, Philadelphia, PA

Mural Arts, Independence National Historic Park, and the Friends of Independence National Historical Park invite you to consider a contemporary “Pursuit of Happiness” in the birthplace of American Democracy, a culminating event for our Art Education program’s Pursuit of Happiness project.

Developed by artists Dave Kyu & Ilyssa Kyu of Campfire Stories Book with middle and high school classrooms of our Mural Arts Education program, “I Will Hold you in the Light” invited visitors to see, to acknowledge, and to hold in love, diverse performers as they share contemporary and historic interpretations on “The Pursuit of Happiness.”

Performers Michael Pace, Former Assistant Chief of the Delaware Tribe of Indians Yolanda Wisher & The Afroeaters, Philadelphia Poet Laureate Students from Play on Philly! Rebecca Franks, played by Lisa Fischel Thomas Jefferson, played by Steve Edenbo Joseph Ahmed + Danny Park Lantern Sculptures by Mural Arts Philadelphia Arts Education Students Weckerly's Ice Cream Park Ranger Luke Hopely

Video documentation by Urban Video Productions

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Mural Arts, Independence National Historic Park, and the Friends of Independence National Historical Park invite you to consider a contemporary “Pursuit of Happiness” in the birthplace of American Democracy, a culminating event for our Art Education program’s Pursuit of Happiness project. Developed by artists Dave Kyu & Ilyssa Kyu of Campfire Stories Book with middle and high school classrooms of our Mural Arts Education program, “I Will Hold you in the Light” invites visitors to see, to acknowledge, and to hold in love, diverse performers as they share contemporary and historic interpretations on “The Pursuit of Happiness.”

Weckerly's Ice Cream's will also be serving up an exclusive "happiness" flavor! Performances start at 7 p.m. Rain date: Saturday, October 21

Performers include: Michael Pace, Interpreter Specialist at Conner Prairie, Assistant Chief of Delaware Tribe of Indians Yolanda Wisher, Philadelphia Poet Laureate, & The Afroeaters Play on Philly, High School Brass Band from West Philadelphia High Rebecca Franks, British Loyalist Thomas Jefferson, Author of the Declaration of Independence Park Ranger Joseph Ahmed + Danny Park, Theater & Performance Artists Lantern sculptures by middle and high school students of Art Education Program Quaker Sharing Area that invites visitors to share what the pursuit of happiness means to you

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Creative Consultant, Author of Public Art Policy for Metuchen Downtown Alliance, Metuchen, NJ

Metuchen Downtown Alliance, Metuchen, NJ March – June 2017

The Metuchen Downtown Alliance is a volunteer-based, nonprofit downtown management corporation dedicated to the management and revitalization of the designated Metuchen business district (the District) in partnership with stakeholders, residents, municipal government, and other partners.

I was hired by the MDA Public Art Taskforce to help write a new Public Art Policy that would set the guidelines to help establish and launch a new public art program in Downtown Metuchen.

photo by erniea.com

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A More Perfect Union: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Loving v. Virginia Curated by Dave Kyu June 2nd – August 25th Asian Arts Initiative, Philadelphia PA

Said Mildred Loving, “That’s what Loving, and loving, are all about.”

Artists: Emily Chow Bluck; Klyde Breitton; Anne Canfield; Priyanka Dasgupta & Chad Marshall; Leena Jayaswal; Matt Kalasky; Adalena Kavanagh; Jino Lee; Shannon Lewis; Jacque Liu & Sarah Kate Burgess; Zavé Martohardjono; Michelle Myers; Farrah Parkes & Brad Linder; Tania Qurashi; Boyd Ruamcharoen & Christine Dickerson; Hiro Sakaguchi; Martin Wiley