James De La Vega

James De La Vega is an artist who lives and works in New York City’s Spanish Harlem (AKA East Harlem/El Barrio); he has a store on St. Mark’s Place in the East Village. He is known primarily for his murals and the chalk drawings he creates on public surfaces such as sidewalks. His murals can be found all over East Harlem, and his chalk drawings may show up anywhere in the city. His street drawings, almost always chalk, are usually accompanied by aphoristic messages such as “Become Your Dream.” Legally, much of his work qualifies as graffiti, although many put them in a separate genre. In 2004, Salon.com called him "probably the most revered street artist in New York." [ [http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/feature/2004/04/20/art/index.html "Zero tolerance for painters"] by Carol Bergman, Salon.com, 20 April 2004]

In July 2003, De La Vega was charged with vandalism for a mural he painted on a blank wall in the Bronx. He was offered one year’s probation in exchange for a guilty plea, but that would have required him to state that his intent was to “damage” property. He refused to say this. As a result, in June 2004, he faced trial for the offense, and a judge found him guilty. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9801E1D81230F931A25755C0A9629C8B63 " Street Muralist May Soon Be Looking at Jailhouse Walls"] by Ian Urbina, "The New York Times", June 12, 2004] After apologizing to the building’s owner, De La Vega was sentenced to 50 hours of community service. [ [http://www.smithsonianmag.com/specialsections/innovators/de-la-vega.html " Marked Man"] by Colin Fleming, "Smithsonian", October 2007]

De La Vega is a Cornell University-educated former teacher. [ [http://www.harlemlive.org/community/elbarrio/vega.htm "James De La Vega, an Artist From El Barrio"] by Alejandro Ponce, harlemlive.org (unknown date)] While at Cornell, De la Vega also became a member of the Latino community service organization La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Incorporated. [ [http://www.rso.cornell.edu/lambdas/Hermanos.html "Alpha Chapter Hermanos"] by Alberto Bravo]

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.delavegainternational.com James De La Vega’s website]
* [http://archive.salon.com/ent/feature/2004/04/20/art/delavega.html Slideshow of De La Vega’s murals]
* [http://islandwoo.com/2008/06/24/artist-de-la-vega-on-the-museum-mile-2008-fifth-ave-ny/ De La Vega’s Chalk Art at Museum Mile]
* [http://thecareercookbook.com/article.php?article_id=47 The Career Cookbook De La Vega Profile]
* [http://wearevane.com/life/wearevane/delavega De La Vega Interview]