Joseph "Sentrock" Perez made a name for himself in the local arts scene through his love of hip-hop, breakdancing, painting, and graffiti. As the director of the Rise Project, Perez has overseen and mentored a group of Phoenix youths making their own contributions to the arts.
This weekend, Perez is taking a step behind the scenes as the curator of the Rise Exhibit, in partnership with the Rise Project and ASU's Action, Advocacy, Arts campaign at the University Center in Downtown Phoenix.
He worked with many of the project's participants and instructors to bring together more than 100 pieces from 25 downtown artists and organizations.
"We wanted to take those [prominent local artists] that have been showing, so they have the representation, and also a lot of emerging artists and youth artists, and get them all in the same exhibition," Perez says. "Really, it's about collaborating with ASU, and also artists among artists."
Perez says his goal for the exhibition is to get away from the gimmick of hosting a 'youth artist' show, while supporting younger emerging artists and connecting them to established creatives in the community.
This connection is also a big part of Perez's mission to bridge the gap between the local arts community and ASU and provide a genuine platform for artists to present their work, he says.
Action, Advocacy, Arts is a series of art exhibitions that run every semester at ASU's downtown campus in the University Center.
Artists who are interested in displaying their work at the exhibitions can send inquiries to [email protected].
The exhibit is currently on display, with the reception taking place tonight from 6p.m. to 8 p.m. at 411 North Central Avenue in Phoenix.
Visit ASU's invitation to the Rise Exhibit on their website.
