Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Our Friend Yuri Arajs


Spectrum ArtWorks heart Yuri and while we miss him here in Minnesota, we are so proud of the work he is doing in Canada!
In December of 2005, RESOURCE (Spectrum ArtWorks parent organization) co-sponsored the enormously successful Homeless Awareness Art Show at The Mall of America. The curator of this event was Yuri Arajs, former director of Outsiders and Others Gallery. Arajs was also named "RESOURCE’s Resourceful Person of the Year" in 2008 for all the work he had done with and on behalf of artists served by Spectrum Community Mental Health.

In 2008 Arajs left Minnesota for his homeland of Canada and now he is again hard at work to bring awareness and understanding to the issues of mental illness and homelessness through well currated fine arts exhibitions. His new nonprofit organization Victoria Fine Arts Festival recently launched it’s inaugural exhibition, Homeless Awareness: an Exhibition of Art Work by People Who Have Experienced Homelessness.

Yuri Arajs is not only a well-known curator, but also an established and collected artist in his own right. The Pivot Legal Society in Vancouver does great work on behalf of the homeless including the new Red Tent campaign. Using red tents, they will visually bring awareness of the issue to the world media in Vancouver from Feb 12 - 28, 2010. (Olympics). Yuri has created a beautiful limited edition fine art print to support The Pivot Legal Society and the work they do. Here is how you can get a print for yourself:

Artwork information:

Title: Red Tent 212282010
Medium: Two color silk screen, grease crayon, ink Paper size: 8.5" x 11"
Edition size: 125, Signed and numbered
Price: $25 US or CAN
Shipping $5 Anywhere in US or Canada
Payment: customers in Canada - Paypal, check, cash. Customers in US -
Paypal, cash.
To buy, simply reply to this email (or at yuri@yuriarajs.com) with the
following information:
1. How many prints you want.
2. Your complete name and mailing address.
3. How you would like to pay. If by Paypal, please include your account name
and I will send you an invoice there.
You will receive a confirmation email from me which will include a mailing
address to mail cash or check if you are paying that way.