Our Basic Necessities

On October 23, 2021 members of the Lower East Side community came together and shared their fundamental basic necessities through art on a 6x9 sheet of paper. The work they created reflected similar needs regardless of their backgrounds. I am so grateful to have received the City Artist Corps Grant and the event went beyond my expectations. I hope this project will inspire new conversations and intentions that will help our community thrive. Link to the artwork here: http://michellerepiso.com/our-basic-necessities and you can visit the community gate at 298 Broome Street New York, NY 10002.

Community Gate - 298 Broome Street New York, NY 10002

Erin (their mom) sent this picture with caption: The elder girl is Mia and the little yet fierce one is Lesue.

Basic Necessities on 298 Broome Street

New York City, Lower East Side - Michelle Repiso presents Basic Necessities, a multimedia project that features three individuals and the mechanisms they used to sustain their humanity while incarcerated. Every item represents an object that was either created or was a resource for rehabilitation during their confinement – focusing on art, creativity, and imagination in an unlikely place. This exhibit doesn’t minimize their crimes but instead, it highlights how one copes with the situation they are in to help better themselves and their community.

Repiso's work addresses the importance of understanding the person and not passing judgment based on previous circumstances. “Coss, Shane, and Juan were willing to share their journey with me and I want to share it with others. It’s important that people hear their voices,” says Repiso. This exhibition demonstrates our need for communication and connection no matter how harsh the environment.

Please click the LEARN MORE button below to download the Media Release.

Justice Arts Coalition - Inside & Out: Photorealists to Minimalists

I am exited to share a blog post from Justice Arts Coalition. To read the entire interview please click on the link: https://thejusticeartscoalition.org/2021/03/27/inside-out-exhibition-spotlight-michelle-repiso-and-treacy-ziegler/

View the virtual gallery online at www.inside-out-jac.com. Tour the exhibition using the 3D virtual gallery feature, learn more about the artists, or look through the pieces in the gallery. February 26, 2021 - April 22, 2021

How it all started. The first day I met Shane he eagerly shared how he created the chess pieces.

How it all started. The first day I met Shane he eagerly shared how he created the chess pieces.

JAC: Could you speak a bit about your pieces in JAC’s exhibition. What was your inspiration / process?

MR: I am very honored to be a part of JAC’s exhibition and it means a great deal to share my current project. In 2016 I was photographing Coss Marte for his exercise book (Coss is the CEO and founder of CONBODY, a NYC based fitness company that promotes a boot camp style workout he developed while serving time). After the photoshoot, I met one of his trainers. Shane was very enthusiastic and started telling me stories about the art he created while he was incarcerated. He mentioned how he would play chess while in solitary confinement and he then proceeded to show me how the chess pieces were created with toilet paper and water. A numbering system was shouted to the men in adjoining cells so they could play. I was so interested in learning more. He also made beautiful flowers out of toilet paper to include in letters that he sent to his wife. Coss and Shane had so many interesting things to say that I wanted to document their story. They are the heart and inspiration behind Basic Necessities and the project grew to include Juan’s story of music and poetry. Throughout 2017 and 2018 we collectively worked on the project and I recorded their stories as well. It’s so important that people hear their voices. They were willing to share their journey with me and I want to share it with others.

JAC: Is there anything else you would like to share about your art or yourself?

MR: In 2020 I received a grant from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council to exhibit Basic Necessities, which documents three individuals and the mechanisms they used to sustain their humanity while incarcerated. Due to the pandemic, my exhibition was postponed. I didn’t want to have a one-time Zoom event, I wanted to create a space where people could physically see the exhibit. I decided the safest thing to do would be to exhibit the show outdoors. Coss reached out to where his former studio was located and they approved my request to exhibit on the facade of the building. In my art practice, I enjoy collaborating with other artists and I am currently working with Steve Ellis who will be painting a mural that incorporates the title and elements of the show. Photographs will be affixed on the exterior so visitors can learn more about the project. This will be completed in April 2021 on the Lower East Side of NY. In the meantime, please check out michellerepiso.com/basic-necessities and I will post more information on my website once the project is installed.

NY Advanced Class : Virtual Exhibition ~ Thursday, September 17, 2020 • 6-7 PM via Zoom

Life is full of challenges and triumphs (we can all attest to that) but this year we have experienced a moment like no other and we are still feeling the effects collectively as a nation. I am so grateful that I was able to teach an advanced photography class with The Pablove Foundation in the fall of 2019. Our class was centered around expanding the students’ photography skills while discussing what it means to advocate for pediatric cancer. The 11 participants experienced childhood cancer and they were motivated to share their stories with everyone. I learned more than I could have imagined from them and I am so excited to share their work with you.

We will be having a live virtual gallery show on Thursday, September 17, 2020 • 6-7 PM via Zoom. Please RSVP here: https://give.pablove.org/event/pablove-new-york-shutterbugs-2020-advanced-class-virtual-gallery-show/e270463.

I want to share a few video segments so you can view some of the work and hear their journey. I also encourage everyone to visit The Pablove Foundation website to view each complete portfolio here: https://www.pabloveprints.com/product-category/advancedcourse/2019nyadvanced/. Prints are available for purchase, with 100% of proceeds dedicated to reaching our class goal of funding one Powered by Pablove research grant.

Oculus: Of A Place Unseen

Oculus: Of A Place Unseen
On View November 22, 2019 – February 2, 2020
McGuireWoods Gallery, Building W-16
Exhibition Reception: December 14, 6 – 8 p.m.

Workhouse Arts Center is pleased to present the interactive exhibit Oculus: Of A Place Unseen featuring works of artists Elaine Buss, Edgar Endress, Michelle Repiso and Steve Wanna. The use of the word ‘oculus,’ most known as an eye-like form in architecture, gestures towards the enlightening narratives discovered throughout the show. Each referencing feelings of solitude and contemplation, the storylines range from institutional boundaries to societal oversights and mantra meditations. Some works are as light as silk, some as heavy as stone, but the overall space is quiet — both literally and figuratively. Oculus: Of A Place Unseen encourages visitors to listen, connect and reconnect.

The Pablove Foundation at NYU Tisch

This fall was the start of a 10-week storytelling and advocacy class with AMAZING alumni students from pablove.org. Facilitating these classes has been such an honor and watching the students be empowered to use photography as a way to tell their adolescent cancer experience has been incredibly rewarding.

This course culminates with a personal web page that is designed to fund pediatric cancer research and we will be having a gallery show curated by the students in 2020…stay tuned!

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Album cover shot for NYC band

This summer I took a road trip to South Dakota and attended the Badlands Astronomy Festival. Three nights of planet and star gazing was surreal coming from the bright nights of NYC. The photo below was photographed at the ranger station and used for the just released Dead Heart Bloom album. The title, State of Mind seemed fitting to go with this image.

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Upcoming Exhibition - The Clemente Sept.7th - Oct.6th

Opening reception September 8th 7pm-10pm

Speaking engagement with the artists Sept. 21 8pm & Sept. 22 11am

http://www.theclementecenter.org/

The Clemente presents “basic necessities,” an audio/visual exhibition by Michelle Repiso. “basic necessities” documents three individuals and the mechanisms they employ to sustain their humanity while incarcerated. This exhibition demonstrates man's need for communication and connection within our environment no matter how harsh.

Repiso’s work documents the highly personal objects Shane Ennover crafted out of household materials that people ordinarily use and discard. Toilet paper was a material Shane could transform into a rose and send as a memento to keep his relationship thriving while he was away. Mini bars of soap became sculptures that were given to family members as gifts during visitation. Juan Howard used pen and paper to write stories, poetry, draw and create music so that he could have genuine and authentic communication with others while he was incarcerated. Coss Marte maintained his strength by reading the Bible, motivating others with fitness training and making prison burritos as a way to bond with those around him. All three men served time for the crimes they committed and sought communication and normality to help better themselves.

Every piece that is photographed derives from an object that was created while incarcerated. All three men are trying to right their wrongs despite the stigma they carry from being formerly incarcerated. Each of them made more of the situation they were in and can now be recognized as a vehicle for change. Repiso addresses the importance of understanding the person, not just seeing the environment that he or she was a part of.

JustArts : Photography Program

This spring I had the great privilege of facilitating a photography class in Red Hook. JustArts Photography accepts students from neighborhoods across Brooklyn, New York to participate in a digital photography class. Everyone gets to keep a new camera, has their work printed in a book, submits work for a final exhibition, AND receives a small stipend after completion of the course! Invaluable time was spent in the classroom and we visited Pioneer Works, ICP, NY Public Library and Red Hook Labs. 

Excerpt from the book: "We Are One - A group of photographs from teenagers living in New York"  

Teaching Artist Michelle Repiso, in collaboration with staff of the Red Hook Community Justice Center, facilitated these workshops in which the students in this internship have created their own community and this book represents their introduction to the professional world. The JustArts: Photography Program was presented by the Red Hook Community Justice Center in partnership with Red Hook Labs, Brooklyn Arts Council, and United Photo Industries. This program was made possible by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) with additional support from the New York City Council and the Robin Hood Foundation. 

The goals of this program were to empower participants to develop their personal voice as artists, teach participants to explore the power of visual imagery, introduce participants to industry professionals, and learn what it means to pursue photography as a career. 

Panoramic image taken at Red Hook Labs (single click to enlarge)

Hard work and determination pays off!

The book is out! I had the pleasure of photographing Coss Marte for his bodyweight only approach to fitness book. We photographed in his studio, on the streets of the Lower East Side, and braved a tenement rooftop on a cold winter morning. This book is more than just about exercise, it also highlights the resiliency, strength, and determination that one person overcame on his own while incarcerated. I am excited to share this book with friends and with the incarcerated youth that I work with. If the desire is there, change can happen. Conbody: The Revolutionary Bodyweight Prison Boot Camp-Born from an Extraordinary Story of Hope. Coss Marte with Brandon Sneed.

Sweden & Ireland

Video inspired and created from an original piece written by the talented Rubin Kodheli for a performance on February 4th at Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg, Sweden. Second performance in Dublin, Ireland February 10th at the Spike Cello Festival.

The entire video will be played along with a performance from Blues in Space and Garrett Brown.