THE CROSS CULTURE PROJECT is Now on at The World Trade Center Oculus

In tribute to nearly 30 years of The Cross Culture Visual Art Series' inaugural launch at the US Olympics, "REVEALED", an interactive art experience at the World Trade Center Oculus, has been launched. Conceived by expressionist painter Al Johnson, whose work involves abstraction and surrealism, REVEALED incorporates the collaboration of The New School's Parsons School of Design, resulting in an immersive experiential experience with virtual support by Spatial. The exhibit has extended its stay at The Oculus until March 11.

An abstract painting is being painted live on-site by the artist Al Johnson, incorporating cultural elements through mixed media. Parson School of Design students are creating masks depicting the cultural and ethnic intersections that define our world as well as our city in terms of values, heritage, and artistic styles with the mentorship of Al Johnson. In its final stages, the students will be instructed on how to mint their artwork into NFTs by the global virtual platform Spatial. A digital version of the student's artwork will be placed in a special virtual gallery for The Cross Culture Project Spatial phygital events to allow anyone from anywhere in the world to participate virtually.

"Parsons is excited to partner with Cross Culture Project, led by artist Al Johnson and creative director Barbara Bullard, for this project that provides our students with a unique opportunity to center global, local and diverse perspectives in art and design. This artistic collaboration gives our students vital teaching and learning experiences that align with the mission and vision at Parsons, where we are committed to bringing design and technology together." - Yvonne Watson, Interim Executive Dean of Parsons

"Spatial is proud to support The Oculus NYC and Al Johnson. Al is an amazing artist and long-time user of Spatial. His efforts to mentor and collaborate with emerging artists from the Parsons School of Design will leave a lasting impression. We are also excited to share all the works created in Spatial.io upon completion, where they can be visited year-round in the Metaverse." - Tyrone Webb, Community Manager of Artist Liaison, Spatial

"For the past two years, Art on the Ave has had the privilege of working with local New York City artists to transform vacant spaces into art galleries, studios and hubs of creativity. This project at The Oculus is a perfect example of creativity, curiosity, and community coming together. With the support of Westfield, we are proud to welcome Al Johnson and the students from Parsons and look forward to seeing this project come to life." - Barbara Anderson, Founder of Art on the Ave NYC

"On behalf of the Shirley Chisholm Cultural Institute and the legacy of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, we are honored to be a part of such an amazing collaboration, merging art, culture, and technology for generations to come." - Barbara Bullard, President

Al Johnson is a well-known and recognized abstract expressionist painter, whose works can be found in private, public, and corporate collections, and exhibitions globally. He is also a commercial artist who creates storyboard art for feature, documentary and animated films. The scope of his work crosses many genres, including the creation of the original artistic renderings of the Georgia Aquarium and the oil-on-canvas commissioned portrait of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, permanently installed in Brooklyn Borough Hall. During the Centennial Tribute to Romare Bearden, Mr. Johnson was chosen as a Bearden 100 artist. He has exhibited at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum in Japan, Susan Bentley Gallery in London, Maison de Arts in Le Bacares, France, the Guangzhou International Art Fair in China, and in an exhibition curated by Jordan Kantor during his tenure as Assistant Curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Al Johnson's artwork has been praised by critics in its embrace of cosmic abstraction and in its exploration of new media.

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