POWRPLNT was born in 2013 as the brainchild of Angelina Dreem and Anibal Luque.
Luque and Dreem met via craigslist rideshare to a music festival, an apt beginning for POWRPLNT’s vision: creating a bridge between IRL and URL communities.
After months of brainstorming and due diligence, the two finally formed the grounding ethos of POWRPLNT. The goal was to launch a digital art space for the next generation of creators. This began first as a pop up project in gifted gallery space by NITEMIND Creative in the up and coming neighborhood of Bushwick, Brooklyn.
Our first collaborator on the project included recent NYU ITP grad, Hanny Ahern. Ahern was eager to bring the cutting edge world of technology and fashion to the youth of Bushwick and helped develop and produce the open programming that would carry the framework of “interest driven learning” to this day. The ethos behind interest driven learning argues that young people should be guided through education by topics that excite and engage. Ahern also supplied the gallery space with a custom designed pop-up shop display that featured one-of-a-kind products and tech-leaning knick knacks. Blending the idea of community space and clubhouse, we collaborated with a Brooklyn-based aquaculture firm on an indoor aquaponic garden that grew kale and arugula during the 3 month pop up.
From this location with collaborated with teams and individual artists like PRINT ALL OVER ME, Molly Soda, Mitch Moore, Whatever 21 and more to create dynamic, interest-driven workshops while offering open computer access 6 days a week for 3 months. The launch was wildly successful and ended in a fundrager at Luque’s headquarter’s that included a Michael Jackson themed DJ set by Dev Hynes, live performance by MIKE, and a livestream of the artist, Labanna Babylon. It was a great way to launch the culmination of beautiful summer.
After the NITEMIND gallery installation, we were aiming to take our idea to Miami to bring our specific blend of digital art education to Art Basel Miami. Although this didn’t quite materialize, Dreem coincidentally sat next to the artist and designer, Ryder Ripps on the airplane back from Art Basel Miami where they began discussing a potential next location. Ripps was planning an immersive tech-focused installation at Red Bull Studios in Manhattan and he asked if we would like to join. His intention was to bring a community element to protest the absurd Red Bull budget. Because of his belief in our project, we were given cash for new computers and took over the back room of Red Bull Studios. Teaming up with City As High School, from which Ripps is a graduate, we hosted young people every day, and Ahern curated teachers from ITP and the greater cultural community while Dreem curated events highlighting (then) emerging artists like Hayden Dunham, Venus X, and more
It was a great success, thanks to the excellent PR team led by Marcella Zimmerman, we were featured in amNY . Our open hours were full and everyone was eager to have us in their neighborhood. It was during this installation that we met the curator at the Hunter East Harlem Gallery, Arden Sherman, who was interested in hosting a social practice project from her space.
We aligned well for her vision for the Hunter East Harlem Gallery, attached to the CUNY School of Social Work, as a bridge between the old and new worlds. We launched this pop up space after the Red Bull exhibition summer 2015. It was hugely successful and we featured artists like Yulan Grant, Samantha C, and Donna Huanca.
We were soon lucky enough to receive start up funding from The Sister Fund organization who has consistently supported us and allowed us to flourish after seeing our initial success on a shoestring budget.
With their help we were able to transform an ex-hair salon into the futuristic dream space it is today. It was at this time that artist and cultural doula, Salome Asega, joined the team. Assisting with the day to day design, visioning and preparing the seeds for long lasting partnerships. The space as it stands, owes a lot of gratitude to Materials For The Arts, City As High School, and Marsha Johnson.
Since the beginning of our now 4 year installation at the corner of Putnam and Evergreen Ave, we have hosted countless workshops and events including artists like Yaeji, Raul De Nieves, Pauli Cakes, Intersessions Collective, SAFA! and more. With the help of Red Bull Studios, we commissioned a mural by Shawna X and have been able to provide a consistent, lively, and inviting space for the Bushwick youth. These kids have grown up before our eyes and have used our space to grow their creative energies and hone their crafts. With the help of emerging non profit groups like Sonic Arts For All, we have consistently offered unique and dynamic learning experiences to stretch and shape what is possible. From tweens to rap stars to designers, this process has been has been quick to create genuine connections and long lasting memories that will no doubt influence the level of confidence and success young people engage and approach the worlds of art and technology.
As we look forward to the future of POWRPLNT we are now joined by our beautiful new staff, fresh ideas, as we continue to grow. Our wish is to expand and create a system for engaging youth that is replicable in all corners of the world where the WiFi signal is strong and the desire to create is stronger.
Photo Credits from top to bottom:Winter 2015POWRPLNT at Red Bull Studios New YorkCurated by Max Wolf in conjunction with Ryder Ripps' Alone Together exhibitSummer 2014POWRPLNT at STREAM GALLERY 1196 Myrtle Ave Brooklyn NY 11221