SNS riding goes global

Screens 'N' Spokes has shipped its posters all corners of the world, from Sydney to Berlin to Berkeley. Now we've taken the 2009 Kollective Fusion jerseys global. Teammate Ian recently completed a charity ride in his hometown of Johannesburg. Here's the report from the field...


"Knowing that I was a cyclist and would be in South Africa the week of the ride, a friend invited me to ride in the Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge in Johannesburg. I joined 25,000 cyclists for a tour of the city of Johannesburg and then out into the countryside. The ride is co-sponsored by FM radio station 94.7 and was 94.7 km in distance or 60 miles. This was a nostalgic tour of the city where I grew up. I had forgotten all the hills and one the most notable ones was past my wife Caryn's high school, Roedean. We also encountered some serious winds against us in the countryside. The route was closed to all car traffic. There was a lot of cheering along the route as this bike ride has become a big carnival-like event in Johannesburg.

I was proud of myself completing the ride just 2 days after arriving from a long flight from the US, using a borrowed bike and riding at 6,000 feet above sea level. I noted most riders were enjoying themselves. For the serious riders, this was a race with timing chips.

The ride also raises money for a number of charities including Children's Cancer (CHOC) - see team photos - many dressed up in full cow suits and rode bikes with attached ice cream carts, Homeless Talk, MaAfrika Tikkun and others. My friend rode for CHOC to which I contributed. For over 100 riders they raised an impressive $300K. The money goes to support underprivileged children with cancer and equipping the oncology section of Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto.

I proudly sported my Screens 'N' Spokes jersey and was thrilled to ride on another continent and my hometown."

-Ian Harris


Under African skies

CHOC riders

Eiko makes CNN!

Amidst the sea of jerseys and bike shorts at New Jersey's City to Shore -- a 150-mile bike ride to benefit multiple sclerosis research -- one unlikely rider stands out.

A tiny 84-year-old woman wears a neat, green turtleneck dress and an embroidered jacket. On her feet is a pair of high-heeled pumps. Her salt-and-pepper hair peeks out from the helmet that indicates she is, in fact, a participant in the bike ride. Her old-fashioned one-speed bicycle is purple, with a large wire basket on the front that carries her belongings and her number for the ride.

Lan Yin Tsai doesn't give the impression that she could go five miles on that bike, let alone 150. But that's what she's done -- for the past 26 years. Eiko, as she's known to friends and family, is an institution at the annual City to Shore event. And over the years, she has become a symbol of hope and determination for City to Shore participants and MS patients.

Now that's what I call a lady!!

Team Screens 'N' Spokes Rides Strong!

We made it, surviving two brief torrential downpours on the way! Thanks to the team, and thanks to everyone who supported us!
~Jess & Sam

Team, if you have some more photos, please send them to me so I can post them!

An abbreviated team photo on the OC boardwalk...

A girl and her bike at the first rest stop. Go no. 46!Mara, Sam, Jess, and Colin enjoying the ambiance of the port-a-potty side of the Egg Harbor rest stop. Colin and Sam had just completed their century loop - 100 miles in one day!

Our team captain posing for the camera.

And taking a curtsy.

We Made It!

Another successful Bike MS City to Shore ride!

Check out this awesome video of the ride.

Pictures of the SNS gang will be up on the blog shortly. And...it's not too late to donate, please help us reach our $40,000 goal!

Pedaling for a Purpose

Our teammate Joanna was interviewed in the South Philly Review...check it out!

http://www.southphillyreview.com/view_article.php?id=8817

There's More to City to Shore: Episode 1

We are only 2 weeks away to the City to Shore ride, folks!

As part of our count-down, I'd like to share some YouTube clips about the ride...enjoy!

There's More to City to Shore - Episode 1

Screens 'N' Spokes '09: Judge

We have a special addition to this year's show - what would Screens 'N' Spokes be without the lovely Kathleen Judge, aka Judge, from Chicago!

Judge has done a print for SNS each year since we started and she is just plain awesome.

This print will be available framed at the September show in Manayunk (opening Sept. 12), and online (soon!).

Screens 'N' Spokes to open in Manayunk!

Catch us Saturday, Sept. 12 at Mugshots Manayunk as we open a whole new show!

Be there or be square. The usual snacks and drinks will be provided.

xox, Team SNS

Screens 'N' Spokes 2009 Prints now available!

Thanks so much to everyone who was able to make it out for the Screens 'N' Spokes opening last Thursday. Sadly I was stuck in North Carolina, but Jess held down the fort and by all accounts it was a great success and a lot of fun.

I also wanted to let you know that... Screens 'N' Spokes 2009 Prints are now Available Online!

All your favorites are up on our Etsy store now: screensnspokes.etsy.com

If for some reason you do not see the print you're interested in, check back (or shoot us an email). We don't add all of our inventory at once to Etsy, so if you don't see a particular print it's likely we'll be adding more to the store shortly.

Thanks again for the continued support. It's time for us to buckle down on our bike training. If anyone is interested in joining us on the road, please get in touch)!

Screens 'N' Spokes Opens Tonight!

Thurs., Aug. 6 at 7pm
Join us for wine, beer, snacks and art!
Mugshots CoffeeHouse (Fairmount)
2100 Fairmount Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19130
P: 267.514.7145

Stop by and say hi!

2009 Preferred Buyers and Initial Price List

We are bringing back the Preferred Buyer option again this year. The Preferred Buyer allows you to jump the queue to purchase SNS prints - a small donation will allow you to reserve your prints with us. Preferred Buyer status can be attained with a $50 tax-deductible donation to the Screens 'N' Spokes team. Please note that this donation is additional to the cost of purchasing your print(s).

As a Screens 'N' Spokes 2009 Preferred Buyer, you are eligible to purchase one (1) copy of each of the Screens 'N' Spokes prints before they go on sale to the general public.

If you are interested, please make your donation on our Bike MS page and print selections (via e-mail at screensnspokes@gmail.com) by Monday, Aug. 10.

Again, the Preferred Buyer status is a donation that is additional to the cost of your prints. To decide if Preferred Buyer is right for you, below is the initial price list for all 2009 prints.

Jay Ryan - $65
Marq Spusta - $40
Jon Smith - $40
DRDC - $40
Greg Pizzoli - $30
John Vogl - $30
Mat Daly - $30
Mike Budai - $30
Hero Design - $25
Leia Bell - $25
Nate Duval - $25
Silent Giants - $20
Dan Judge - $20
The Half and Half - $20

Screens 'N' Spokes '09: Jay Ryan

OK, boys and girls. Now let me unveil the print some of you may have been waiting for...

Behold the 2009 Screens 'N' Spokes-exclusive Jay Ryan print! Complete with a human!

Like Leia Bell, Dr. Pizzoli, and The Half and Half, Jay is a 3-year SNS veteran. Each year he has done a terrific job capturing the spirit of our team, through a menagerie of creatures great and small.

Screens 'N' Spokes '09: Marq Spusta

Marq Spusta's artwork and characters can be found on everything from children's books to doom metal records. Recent gigs in the music world include work for The Black Crowes and Tom Petty.

Oh yea, and next time you're enjoying a cold one from Dogfish Head, check the label - you might find some Spusta artwork right there in your hand.

Marq currently lives and works in Three Rivers, CA, which is the gateway to Sequoia National Park. We have a few special sky blue versions of this print available...be on the lookout for word from Sam on how you might be able to get one.

Screens 'N' Spokes '09: Dr. Pizzoli

Philadelphia's own Greg Pizzoli returns for his third Screens 'N' Spokes print, this time with an antique letterpress technique using wood type.

Greg is a recent graduate of the MFA program in Book Arts and Printmaking at Philly's University of the Arts. His prints are always hyper-colorful, and wild. This one looks smart in a thick cherry wood frame.

Screens 'N' Spokes '09: Mat Daly

We met Mat for the first time in person at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn back in June, and he promised he'd cook up something special for Screens 'N' Spokes... I must say, he did not fail to deliver.

With a visual style informed as much by impressionism and japanese block printing as by a fascination with the way digital images break into blocks of color as you zoom in, Mat's work explores the visual re-creation of memories, mostly of natural spaces and landscapes.

Now are those treetops, or the lines on the road after you've been riding hills for 3+ hours??

Screens 'N' Spokes '09: Jon Smith

Jon Smith, Seattle, WA. 26, male, single, Scorpio. Looks like Seth Rogen in Observe and Report but with a beard. Making posters since...2005? Maybe 2004. Posters is all he does, he works part time at D&L Screenprinting and the rest of his time is designing posters that get printed at D&L Screenprinting. He fears he will die alone.

Let's not speculate too much on Jon's hopes and fears, however - what we do know is that his prints will live on in the archives of gigposters.com. His Screens 'N' Spokes print, a playful homage to a Rob Jones Raconteurs print, makes me wish I could ride bikes in the time of the Industrial Revolution. Check out Jon's inspiration, and a bit about his creative process, here at his blog.

Screens 'N' Spokes '09: Hero Design Studio

My favorite part about Hero's design this year are those hands! The heart is gripping on for dear life! And yet it's expression is calm and complacent...certainly does not resemble me on a bike...I am gripping on tight and my face is equally stressed at almost all times! ;)

Screens 'N' Spokes '09: Dan Judge

Dan Judge did a print for this year's Beans 'N' Screens show, and has been an enthusiastic local supporter of Screens 'N' Spokes. We're excited to have him on board this year in our roster.

Dan's print is AWESOME because it shows the beautiful skyline of Philadelphia as well as the GRUESOME bridge at the end of the City to Shore ride, just as you start to see Ocean City in the horizon and can smell the salty breeze, BLAM! Bridge time, x2...

Here's a bio of the artist, in case you were curious...Dan Judge is the product of an ex-nun, army drill sergeant and the Jersey shore. After years of misadventure with little direction, he decided to pick up a pencil and start drawing at the age of twenty. Since then he's spent too many late nights designing and printing all manner of art and ephemera for some very cool people. He currently lives and works in Philadelphia with his lovely wife and two trouble-making dachshunds.

Screens 'N' Spokes '09: Mike Budai

This one's my brother Craig's favorite! It looks amazing in a black frame.

Here is an artist statement for you: Mike Budai has art supplies, fancies himself a screenprinter, and lives in Pittsburgh, Pa. He doesn't really sleep a whole lot, drinks way too much coffee, and wastes what little free time he has buying records to add to his already way too large collection. He's made posters for such internationally popular rock bands as U.S. Maple, Bottomless Pit and eternal Top 40 favorites The Chinese Stars. He also just re-artworkatized a '68 Williams Doozie pinball machine, which came out really sweet.

Screens 'N' Spokes '09: Nate Duval

Nate Duval returns to the SNS roster (he took a hiatus last year) with an octopus on a bike. That's right, an octopus on a bike. No cats this time around...who said octopi were not cuddly?

Screens 'N' Spokes '09: The Silent Giants

The Silent Giants are mysterious fellas indeed. They hail from Michigan, and that's about all I know about them. Oh yea, they've recently done prints for Modest Mouse, Tokyo Police Club, and Bright Eyes.

Hopefully Sam can fill us in on more details...in the meantime, enjoy the print and check out that hand model!

Screens 'N' Spokes '09: The Half and Half

Remember those 3-D posters and books that were popular when we were kids? I could never see them...Well, my technique hasn't improved with age. Still can't see it. Darn.

But I hear it's awesome! The Half and Half have created a print that is as much fun as it's functional on your walls. Hey, and if you can't see it? Just pretend it's a Rothko and enjoy its calming effects...at least, that's how I make myself feel better for not being able to see it! :-p

Screens 'N' Spokes '09: Leia Bell

Leia Bell has been one of Screens 'N' Spokes most loyal partners over the past 3 years - she's awesome! We've seen two red bikes - a tricycle and a road bike by the shore - but this year she's going for a pretty shade of green in a sweet close-up. It's still instantly recognizable as Leia's work, and totally great! Green is my favorite color...

Screens 'N' Spokes: John Vogl

Next up is a bright blue print from John Vogl, who works under the moniker "The Bungaloo" in St. Louis, MO.

John pulls all of his prints by hand, and when he's not making gigposters, he applies his design expertise to t-shirts, websites, scarves, album artwork, and other things of that ilk.

Screens 'N' Spokes: Decoder Ring Design Concern

We're ba-ack. Let the print parade begin.

First off is a sexy number from Renee Fernandez of the Decoder Ring Design Concern, hailing from Austin, TX. Renee is an avid biker and her print uses cool greens and yellows to fill your wall with double entendres.

Renee started as an intern and has worked her way up through the ranks at Decoder Ring Design Concern, a celebrated and respected force in the creative industry.

Among the folks Renee works with is Geoff Peveto, purveyor of many good things. In addition to manning the helm as president of Decoder Prints, Geoff currently serves as President of the American Poster Institute and runs the international Flatstock poster convention. He’s also served on the organizational committee for Austin’s AIGA Design Ranch since 2005. Recently Geoff decided sleep was overrated and opened Frank, a sorely needed artisan porkhouse in Austin specializing in hot dogs and cold beer.

Ok. Back to the print. Here she is...

We're On the Move!

I know you haven't heard much from us recently, but I can assure you that doesn't we haven't been working. Screens 'N' Spokes is back with another fantastic show of bike-inspired artwork. I've got a lot of info for you, and I'll try and dole it out as succinctly as possible. First off....

Screens 'N' Spokes 2009 - August 6th, Mugshots Coffeehouse in Fairmount, 7PM.

We're really pleased to be appearing at Mugshots for the third straight year. In fact we'll be opening in just a little over a week. Next Thursday, August 6th, Screens 'N' Spokes will officially kick-off with a little party starting at 7PM. If you've ever been to one of our openings before, you know they're a fun time. We'll have light refreshments (beer, wine, snacks) and we'll be selling unframed and framed prints from this year's collection. Speaking of this year's collection...

Screens 'N' Spokes Artists

The 2009 collection will feature serigraphy and letterpress work from artists around the country. Many of the names you may be familiar with, and we're excited to be working with a number of great new artists as well. The full list in no particular order:

Jay Ryan

Leia Bell

Mat Daly

Greg Pizzoli

Dan Judge - Warm Design

Kevin Mercer

Decoder Ring Design Concern

strawberryluna

Nate Duval

Jon Smith

Marq Spusta

Silent Giants

John Vogl - The Bungaloo

The Half and Half

Mike Budai

Hero Design

A couple more notes

For those on the twitterverse, please follow us at http://twitter.com/screensnspokes. You can find pics from my framing endeavors this week.

Speaking of our blog, Screens 'N' Spokes will soon have a full website! We're hoping to have it live by the time the show opens, so keep your browsers tuned to: http://screensnspokes.org

That's all for now, but keep an eye out, we'll be posting previews and further details on this year's show.

Thanks so much for the continued support,
Team Screens 'N' Spokes

For breakfast, a little coffee, a little art

Last year the Independents Coffee Cooperative asked me to curate a benefit art show about coffee. They were looking to help the Peruvain farms that they work with, and had seen the success of Screens 'N' Spokes the year before. As an avid coffee drinker I jumped at the opportunity. Last June the first Beans and Screens art show opened at Mugshots, and in two weeks we'll open with an entirely new set of Coffee inspired art work at Green Line Cafe on Locust Street.

This year, nearly 20 artists from around the country (including S'N'S friends strawberryluna, Mark Forsman, Greg Pizzoli and Mike Munter) took on the subject of coffee and their relationship to it. Sometimes benevolent, sometimes more sinister coffee plays a role in their everyday lives, and they've put that role to paper. You can see most of the prints at the new blog they just started up: http://www.beans-n-screens.blogspot.com.The Cooperative will have copies of each print for sale at the opening and beyond.

Beans and Screens Opening Reception
June 26th
Green Line Cafe
4305 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA

A few morsels

Since Jess announced that we were coming back last week, I thought it only fair that I drop a few morsels of info on Screens 'N' Spokes 2009.

I'm really excited about this year's contributing artists. We've worked with a lot of great people over the past two years, and in 2009 we'll be partnering with some of our old friends, and a good many new ones as well.

Last year we were all over Philadelphia, from South Street to Fairmount, Manayunk to Ardmore. This year, since we are on the move, we'll be hosting shows only at our old friends Mugshots. But fear not, there will still be lots of opportunity to check out Screens 'N' Spokes in person. During the month of August you'll be able to find us at Mugshots Fairmount. Then in September we'll climb the wall to Mugshots in Manayunk. Again this year the shows are leading up to the main event, Bike MS: City to Shore. Team Screens 'N' Spokes will take to the road October 3 and 4, and we're always looking for more people to ride with.

In other news, we're hoping to unveil the official Screens 'N' Spokes website in 2009. It'll be you're one stop shop for all news and info about S'N'S, Bike MS, Screenprinted art, and all of our artist friends. We're just beginning to develop it, but I'll post more about it as we move forward.

Finally, keep your eyes peeled. We're going to be doing some pretty sweet giveways in the not too distant future. More info to come on the blog, and on the e-mail list. If you haven't signed up, and would like to, shoot us an e-mail.

Screens 'N' Spokes returns!

The time's almost here, folks - keep your eyes peeled for new prints coming in the next month or so!

The theme 0f the art prints this year will be "The Tour" or "The Move" to "Join the Movement." It relates to the MS150 bike tour, or to the music tours that gigposters memorialize...and how these come together to join the movement to end the devastating effects of Multiple Sclerosis.

Perhaps it is therefore appropriate that Sam and I will be making a big move of our own - we are leaving New York City for Durham, NC - we're going to graduate school! Sam will be a MBA student at Duke's Fuqua School of Business and I will be studying public policy at Duke's Sanford Institute.

Again, sit tight...it's gonna be a busy summer!