20th Anniversary Artist Edition Tee: Levy / Kim Su

We’ve invited some of the talented folks who make Mom’s & the South Street community beautiful to help celebrate our 20th year with specially commissioned tee shirt designs. The third edition in our 20th Anniversary Artist Series tees is by Erik Levy / Kim Su of Body Graphics Studios. He’s been a dear friend for more than the two decades we’ve been here at Mom’s. And we are honored he designed one of our first ever TMoms shirts way back when as well as this new 20th Anniversary jawn.

 

We’re beyond stoked to be able to share this new piece of his wearable art with you.

 

We asked Kim Su how being a part of the Mom’s family throughout our history inspired his design:

“Two decades later and still honoring the community and doing it TMom fashion. I’m stoked to be part of the celebration. Happy 20th Anniversary & carri-on!”

 

The Kim Su x TMoms 20th Anniversary tee shirt will be released on December 28th. Available in a white design on a black tee in a full range of sizes. Limited edition run, so don’t sleep!

 

We’re excited to share more of these special designs with you over the next 12 months. Stay tuned for details on the next 20th Anniversary Artist Edition tee shirt.

Coquito Cocktail: Cheers to the Holidays

We’re ringing in the holiday season with our Coquito cocktail and love & good cheer for our friends in Puerto Rico. Our Coquito, a lively Puerto Rican take on the traditional egg nog is made with Sailor Jerry spiced rum, coconut milk, Coco Lopez, sweetened condensed milk and a mix of fresh holiday spices. We’re donating $1 from each cocktail sold to the Maria Fund to help rebuild Puerto Rico. Available for a limited time now through the new year. Cheers for a Happy Holiday from all of us at TMoms!

 

Float On With Mom’s Daiquiri Cloud Cocktail

Fun is in your forecast with Daiquiri Cloud cocktail. We’ve put a totally TMoms twist on this Cuban classic with a cloud of pink strawberry cotton candy, locally crafted Faber Rum & fresh lime juice. Enjoy the show as the cloud of cotton candy melts away and the sweet, tart & tasty good times begin. Cheers!

 

Two Brothers & 5000 Umbrellas

The birth of the upstairs as a vibrant art space is in part tied to a 1999 exhibition by brothers Noah & Nathan Rice. The walls were beginning to fill up with classic tags & stickers when the Brothers Rice brought their umbrella wheat pastes we’d been admiring around South Street to the front room upstairs. All 5000 of them. Here’s a look back at that seminal show bridging the street & the gallery, parts of which you can still see today in the mix of layers of paint, paste and stickers.

 

We caught up with the Noah & Nathan after a recent trip back to Mom’s & talked with them about art, late 90’s Philly & umbrellas.

 

1999 was several lifetimes ago. Any fond memories of TMoms and Philly from
those days?

 

We first moved to Northeast Philly from Portland OR in 1999 having never been
to the east coast at all.  Nathan got a job at Tower Books on South Street and
shortly after we relocated to South Philly right past Washington.  Tmoms, the
Bean, Fluid, Pearl Paints, among many other places all became spots we began
to meet people, make friends, most of whom still remain today.  But Moms,
above all else was home base during those days.  It was gritty, rock-n- roll and
full of aspiring artists and of course a great place for playing pool and getting
tipsy.

 

You were one of the first artists to have an art show upstairs here. Jake Henry
was the first to approach us about curating shows here. How did he find you
guys?

 

He actually saw a lot the wheat pastes we were putting up around South Street
and Old City and I think it was mutual friends at the Bean where we connected
and he approached us about doing a show.  We had seen his Space 1026 stuff
and were excited about working together.

 


Umbrellas. A room full of wheat pastes. Umbrellas floor to ceiling. Every inch
covered in there. Was there an inspiration for the project?

 

First off, we wanted to create a solid backdrop to hang pieces on top of.  The
walls were already plastered with beer bottle labels and random graffiti and we
knew were taking a chance pissing people off with the wallpaper we had in mind
but thought the end result could create a real compelling esthetic.  The repetitive
umbrellas were meant to make the space feel claustrophobic and closed in, as if
you only had the option to look at what was going on.

 


So what happened after the umbrella project here at TMoms?

 

About a year later we both returned to the west coast and spent a few years
putting up shows in Los Angeles and Portland before moving to New York.
We’ve had many commissions, shows, collaborations since the show at Tmoms
but that still was one of the most unique projects we worked on and probably the
craziest a kinkos employee has ever looked as us asking for 5000 copies of a single umbrella.

 


One can still see bits and pieces of the original installation nearly 20 years later
peeking out from the countless layers of pastes, stickers and paint. What was it
like to return to TMoms recently and see your work still riding here?

 

It was great, it flooded a lot of memories from those times.  We were only 21
back then and everything was new and exciting. The possibilities were endless.
Moms was gritty and real. The energy of it was great. Moms will always be a
solid part of our Philly experience and sort of a capsule of South Philly past.  A
lot of South street seems to have changed from those days with the loss of
Tower Books, Time Zone and other stores, but I love that Moms still stands
strong!

 

Thanks so much for being a part of the rich history of art here at Tattooed Mom!

 

Thank you so much for the opportunity to let us do our thing. We are forever
grateful for the memories we had!

 

 

You can see more of their recent work here:

noahandnathanrice.com

 

instagram.com/noahriceart

 

instagram.com/nathanchristopherrice

 

 

 

 

 

Bellissimo! Mom’s Bottled Beauties Series: The Negroni

Our hand crafted and house made Bottled Beauties series has been a popular way to check out classic cocktails in a new and unique way. We took inspiration from our fantasy of new wave Fiorucci, Italo disco & summers on the Riviera for The Negroni, the 7th edition in the series. House bottled with Campari, Lo-Fi Sweet Vermouth & Faber Gin, this Bottled Beauty is bellissimo!

 

Characters Welcome 6: An International Sticker Art Show

We’re really excited to announce the call for submissions for Characters Welcome 6: An International Sticker Art Show. We love the community of sticker artists that meet, exchange ideas and leave behind tokens of their amazing art here. Characters Welcome celebrates that community and reaches out to artists all over the world to show their best hand drawn and printed sticker art. Some photos from past Characters Welcome shows can be seen on our Instagram.

All are welcome to contribute to Characters Welcome 6. First time artists will be shown side by side with the seasoned titans. Stickers need not be character based. We prefer hand drawn stickers but printed, silk screened & collaged stickers are also very much welcome.

The stickers will be displayed in a show here on Friday September 15, 2017 from 7pm – 2am (21+) and Saturday September 16 from noon – 4pm (all ages). The boards with the compiled stickers as well as surplus sticker packs will be available for sale. We’ll have some very special raffle items and rad day of show surprises. 100% of ALL sales will go to benefit inspiring youth local arts programs.

We hope you will share your sticker art with us and the world through Characters Welcome and spread the word about the show to your fellow artists, friends and family. The creative exchange and collaboration of this show is at the very heart of what we love to do here at Mom’s.

The deadline for submissions is September 1, 2017. Please include your artist name, any Instagram or social media handles and as many stickers as you’d like! Submissions will not be returned.

Please mail all submissions to:

Tattooed Mom

P.O. Box 63951

Philadelphia, PA 19147 U.S.A.

Local artists may also drop off their stickers at Tattooed Mom,  530 South Street, Philadelphia.

For more information feel free to contact us at [email protected]

Hope to see you all at Characters Welcome 6!

New Art Spotlight: Joe B

The fantastic paper cut art of Joe Boruchow has inspired us at Mom’s for years. From custom New Year’s posters to back door alley art to countless upstairs installations, Joe’s sharp wit and skill has always been a thrill to discover here.

 

The latest installation of bold large scale wheat pastes upstairs is from his new “Transition” series. His keen eye is never heavy handed but always on target. In the words of John F. Kennedy, “We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.” Joe B’s art lets that truth shine brightly whether it’s on the street, in the gallery or upstairs here at Mom’s.

 

 

 

 

 

Signs Of Solidarity at TMom’s

We are proud to be a partner in the Signs of Solidarity project. #SignsOfSolidarity is an unprecedented dual-city public art protest in opposition to hate and divisiveness. The week of January 20th, dozens of buildings across the cities of Philadelphia and Atlanta will drop artist-made Signs Of Solidarity, large banners displaying messages of love and inclusivity to stand in opposition to hate and in protest of any and all that embolden divisiveness. We are thrilled to work with the artist KW a.k.a. Yuenglingblingbling. She is a regular contributor the ever changing landscape of sticker, wheat paste and stencil art here & her work always carries a positive message of positivity and empowerment. We stand in solidarity with the message of her banner and our so thankful to be able to share it with the world.
Yuenglingblingbling on the inspiration and motivation for her banner:

 

What made you want to be involved in the Signs of Solidarity project?

 

Conrad contacted me about being a part of Signs of Solidarity and sometimes you just can’t turn an opportunity down no matter how busy you are. I have never done anything this big and it was definitely daunting and a little overwhelming to wrap my head around completing the project. But I think my overall excitement really overpowered any feelings of doubt in myself. I am constantly inspired by the work of Philadelphia artists and being asked to work together as a group for the common goal to spread love and hope is such an honor and so humbling. Working alongside artists that I look up to has been beyond anything I ever imagined being involved in. I cannot thank Conrad, Eric and Aubrie enough for this opportunity. They are amazing people with a beautiful vision. I can’t wait to see what else they think up!

 

How did your banner message come to life?

 

After the initial Signs of Solidarity meeting my head was full of so many ideas it was difficult to really compress all of my thoughts to fit into one phrase. But when it comes down to it I really feel that in a time where we struggle to resist fear and succumb to defeat we have to become the strongest version of ourselves. I was inspired by Barack Obama’s quote “A change is brought about because ordinary people do extraordinary things” And wanted to use that hope to show Philly that I will continue to love my neighbor and work for progress no matter what gets in my way. As far as actually executing the banner, I don’t have a studio and I do have a full time job. So finding time and space to complete a 7×9 foot banner was a little tricky and I ended up spending a few 10 hour Saturdays working on my living room floor. Red paint needs a lot of layers and by the end I felt like there was more paint on me than there was the banner itself! Making it was so much fun though, it took a while to really love it. But once I had all 3 layers of paint on the canvas I was able to look at the finished product and be proud.

 

 

What impact do you hope your message will have in the neighborhood, in the city, in the country in which it exists?

 

I want my banner to act as a vow to my fellow Philadelphian’s that I will not quit. The red paint is my promise to continue to stand up and speak out and I hope to encourage others to do the same.  I feel like it can be really easy to turn the other way when we see prejudice in day to day life, but that is cowardly.  It is easy to say “Well this doesn’t really affect me personally so I am not going to get involved”. But if we aren’t standing up for each other then we are so blind to the fact that we all need to work together for social change. This isn’t one person’s fight, and we can’t do this alone. I hope that others will see this and make that vow with me. I have so much love for my city and believe that if we can create positive change by working collectively, others will see that progress is a result of a community taking action and other cities will follow suit.

 

Characters Welcome 5: An International Sticker Art Show

We’re really excited to announce the call for submissions for Characters Welcome 5: An International Sticker Art Show. We love the community of sticker artists that meet, exchange ideas and leave behind tokens of their amazing art here. Characters Welcome celebrates that community and reaches out to artists all over the world to show their best hand drawn and printed sticker art. Some photos from past Characters Welcome shows can be seen on our Instagram.

All are welcome to contribute to Characters Welcome 5. First time artists will be shown side by side with the seasoned titans. Stickers need not be character based. We prefer hand drawn stickers but printed, silk screened & collaged stickers are also very much welcome.

The stickers will be displayed in a show here on Friday November 11, 2016 from 7pm – 2am (21+) and Saturday November 12 from 1-5pm (all ages). The boards with the compiled stickers as well as suplus sticker packs will be available for sale. We’ll have some very special raffle items and rad day of show suprises. 100% of ALL sales will go to benefit inspiring youth local arts programs.

We hope you will share your sticker art with us and the world through Characters Welcome and spread the word about the show to your fellow artists, friends and family. The creative exchange and collaboration of this show is at the very heart of what we love to do here at Mom’s.

The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2016. Please include your artist name, any instagram or social media handles and as many stickers as you’d like! Submissions will not be returned.

Please mail all submissions to:

Tattooed Mom

P.O. Box 63732

Philadelphia, PA 19147 U.S.A.

Local artists may also drop off their stickers at Tattooed Mom,  530 South Street, Philadelphia.

For more information feel free to contact us at [email protected]

Hope to see you all at Characters Welcome 5!