Last Friday, Brother Willie’s Pub was bursting with anticipation to witness a unique artistic performance. Painter and performer David Garibaldi performed “Rhythm and Hue,” a show using contemporary music and unique painting styles.
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Joint Events Council and the Intercultural Center collaborated to bring Garibaldi to campus.
Garibaldi’s art is fast and exciting. He paints to contemporary music as he transforms a blank canvas to an inspirational portrait in a few short minutes. Sheets, brushes, and containers of paint surround the stage. In his performance at SJU, he painted inspirational figures including Rihanna, Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesus.
Maizoua Moua, cultural chair for the Joint Events Council, was in favor of Garibaldi’s appearance because of his interest in African American role models.
“I think Garibaldi’s personal life illustrates that dreams can come true with diligence, and that those dreams can make change. Much of MLK’s message was to dream for more equality in society,” Moua said in an email.
“I hoped that students took away more inspiration to create positive changes through their dreams, and most importantly, I hope that students remember important African American leaders and figures that have shaped American history and culture.” Moua said.
Elaine Rutherford, chair of the art department at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, explained there is nothing similar to Garibardi’s painting style on campus.
“He is fusing aspects of the painting process which is most often a solitary process with aspects of contemporary commercial and pop culture, drawing on references to graffiti, hip hop, etc. to promote his brand,” Rutherford said in email.
Anna Gunter, St. Ben’s sophomore was a member of the audience last Friday.
“I was trying to guess what he was painting, trying to find the nose or the ear,” Gunter said. “All of a sudden, he flipped the canvas upside down, and it was Jesus!”
Garibaldi began painting graffiti as a teenager in Sacramento, CA with his misguided friends. He painted on trains, walls, and venues he didn’t own, just to create. When his friend was arrested, he was forced reflect on his artistic abilities. He asked himself: “what am I doing with the creativity that was given to me?”
Garibaldi remembers his high school teacher being an influential part of his past. His teacher taught him to spend less time painting on the streets and more time painting in class, creating.
After being told he could not graduate with his class, Garibaldi’s life started to fall apart. He was still painting, but he was fired from his job and his car was repossessed. After losing everything, he wanted to use his art to help others. He said, “no one could repossess my art. No one could take it from me.”
Garibaldi has a goal: to raise one million dollars by age 30. He is currently 29 and has raised 825,000 through performing at fundraisers and auctioning off his work. He used his unique passion to raise money for non-profit charities, including Special Olympics, Echoes of Hope, Sacramento Children’s Home, and World Vision.
In BWP last Friday, he referred to his audience as artists.
“Begin by creating your own self-portrait.”
He encourages his audiences to use their talents as a platform to benefit and inspire others. In his blog, he said, “Your passion may not be creative, but you can still use what you love to change the world around you.”