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Hundreds of the country’s top street artists and muralists hit the road this summer for the first-ever “Support your local artistThe “Verzuz” style battle pits two teams of artists – and against the clock – as they work to create a large-scale original artwork in front of a live audience.
The Support Your Local Artist (SYLA) tour kicked off last weekend in Los Angeles and will travel through 35 cities across the United States, with stops in Vancouver and Toronto, Canada as well. Produced by Los Angeles-based arts and entertainment brand Secret Walls, the tour will also feature surprise musical performances, DJs, limited-edition merchandise and more.
The rundown for each event is simple: Artists are randomly divided into teams and given markers, brushes, spray paint, and paint rollers, plus a giant canvas (often a large wall). Judges reveal the play’s theme or surprise concept, and teams have exactly 90 minutes to imagine and complete their piece. Judges – and a decibel meter measuring audience reaction – help determine the winner of each battle.
Artists on the tour include The Obanoth, Allison Bamcat, LAmour Supreme, Greg Mike, Matt Gondek, Ally Grimm, Sentrock and Woes, with talent spanning genres as diverse as graffiti art, animation, painting in oil and drawing, among others.
Secret Walls will also hold its “Secret Walls Academy” workshops in select cities, giving attendees a chance to hone their illustration skills while learning about the art’s history and impact on pop culture.
Secret Walls founder Terry Guy says now is the perfect time to launch a full-scale tour, having pioneered the live-art battle phenomenon more than 15 years ago. “We started Secret Walls in 2006 with a mission to support local artists. Over the years we have produced over 2,000 battles in over 50 countries and thanks to our supporters, Secret Walls has become the world’s leading live painting and pixel battle platform,” Guys said in a post. Press release. “We are extremely excited to present the SYLA Tour offering artists a unique platform – for themselves and their communities – to come together, celebrate and be inspired.”
Previous Secret Walls events have attracted the likes of Vince Staples, professional skateboarder Paul Rodriguez and soccer legend Thierry Henry. Swizz Beatz and Justin Bieber are also fans of the brand (Bieber has been spotted wearing an LA Lakers hat in collaboration with Secret Walls and artist OG Slick).
Tickets for Secret Walls Support Your Local Artist Tour are on sale now at secretwalls.world. General admission tickets are $25 with limited VIP entry available for $99, which includes early entry, limited-edition merchandise and a meet-and-greet. You can also head to the Secret Walls Website for a complete overview of participating artists and tour dates.