Cru$ade Guerilla Art Show, an upcoming underground art and music exhibit at The Spanish Moon, promises a night of street art, live hip hop, DJ sets and spoken word.
The event, hosted by local artists Michael Walker and Becky Bond, will bring together street artists from every corner of Louisiana. Over 20 artists will be in attendance and share their work, ranging from graffiti artists to surreal photographers.
“There will be a lot of anonymous street artists who won’t be identified,” Walker said. “A lot of these artists never take proper credit for their work since [street art] is technically illegal.”
Some of these street artists will even be painting live on a wall that they constructed especially for the event.
Walker said what makes an artist “underground” is that they steer clear of what is popular or mainstream. Their subject matter is often controversial and, most importantly, they don’t censor themselves.
“The social statements we make prompt conversations,” said street artist J Kamikaz3, whose work will be displayed at the art show. “Street art gives people the courage to say the things they want to say.”
This is the second time Walker and Bond have hosted Cru$ade Guerilla Art Show. Their inspiration stemmed from their mutual love of graffiti, guerilla poetry, underground hip hop and punk, influences that will be evident at the event.
The event’s resident DJs, Mi5taClean and RickyB, will be providing the sounds for the evening. There will also be a video set by ALTR8, in which his music will sync up with another artist’s animation.
New Orleans alternative hip hop group Made Groceries will also be performing live. Other performances include flood music, Soul Jettison with Brittany Morse and spoken word by Beato P’tah.
Walker and Bond, who host a number of other local art shows and musical events, said they hope to put on Cru$ade Guerilla Art Show several times per year. Walker explained that one of his main goals has always been to build and support the community he’s created of underground artists.
“It seems like everyone involved with Cru$ade Guerilla Art Show gains a sense of belonging,” Kamikaz3 said.
The event will also serve as a launch party for New Belgium Brewing’s new beer, “Citradelic.” Walker said he hopes that New Belgium Brewing’s presence at the show will attract a new audience that might not have come otherwise.
The show is also working with a local charity, Band of Ragtag Misfits, which raises money for toys for to children at Our Lady of the Lake.
Walker said Baton Rouge’s underground art scene used to be more active than it is today and he hopes to bring it back. He wants other artists to see Cru$ade Guerilla Art Show and be inspired to start something similar.
“This is just the beginning,” Kamikaz3 said. “I think 2016 is going to be a big year for underground art and music in Baton Rouge.”
When: Saturday, January 23 at 7 p.m.
Where: The Spanish Moon, 1109 Highland Rd.
Tickets: $10

Gallery • 3 Photos

Greta Jines

Cru$ade Guerilla Art Show will be held Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016 at Spanish Moon.