Hip-Hop Camp: My Name My Place Street Art and Graffiti Workshop

The August Wilson African American Cultural Center is proud to present its last Hip-Hop camp sessions with Hip-Hop Camp: My Name My Place Street Art and Graffiti Workshop. These sessions will be led by educator, DS Kinsel. The purpose of this camp will be to educate students on the history and significance of graffiti art and its role in Hip-Hop Culture, Black History, and Public Art. Students will be able to use their creativity to explore this topic and create their own temporary street art project and tag name. Registration includes two sessions will take place at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center on June 11th and June 25th in our studio. The class is designed for students 10 to 16 years of age and class size will be limited to ensure all students receive proper instructions to achieve their goals. All students will receive a swag bag that will be mailed prior to the start of sessions.

Scholarships are available. If interested, please send an email to Cathryn Calhoun at ccalhoun@aacc-awc.org.

D.S. Kinsel is an award winning creative entrepreneur and cultural agitator. He expresses his creativity through the mediums of painting, printmaking, collage, installation, curating, performance and public art. Kinsel’s work puts focus on themes of space keeping, urban tradition, hip-hop, informalism and cultural re-appropriation. A former AmeriCorps Public Ally member, D.S. has also been recognized as an Awardee of the Pittsburgh Courier Fab 40, Pittsburgh Magazine PUMP 40 Under 40, Pgh Tech Council Creative of The Year, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s “Top Ten People To Meet in 2016” and the Incline’s “Who’s Next” for 2018. Kinsel recently took part in a transformative leadership development experience called “The Art of Leadership” program through Rockwood Leadership Institute. D.S has served as a board member of Pittsburgh Center for Creative REuse and the Black Transformative Arts Network. Kinsel currently serves on the advisory board for Shady Lane School, PearlArts Studios, and the Artist Communities Alliance.

D.S. is the co-founder of BOOM Concepts; a creative hub dedicated to the advancement of black and brown artists representing marginalized communities. BOOM Concepts is located in Pittsburgh and since 2014 has curated 50 exhibitions on-site, paid out over $75k in artists fees and produced 200+ events across the country. BOOM Concepts serves as a space for field building, knowledge sharing, mentorship, and storytelling. In its 8th year, BOOM Concepts continues to challenge and uplift the creative community. Encouraging creatives to find innovative strategies around entrepreneurship and artistic practice. In 2021, BOOM Concepts was recognized as one of Pittsburgh’s Cultural Treasures through The Heinz Endowments and The Ford Foundation.