For Immediate Release
August 7, 2009 
 
RUSH HOUR
Art on over 400 bus transfers 

Featuring: 
CHAD AUGUSTIN | SHAWN DALSEN | BRYCE JACOBSON | ERIC MATTHEIS | MATT WELLS 
 
ONE NIGHT ONLY
Saturday, August 29, from 7:00 to 10:00 pm 
 
Live music by:
Samwell Rowan and The Vignettes 
 
Short films and advocacy from
St Stephens Human Rights Program 
FREE 

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“You’re in the right place...”  - Metro Transit 
 
Metro Transit fare during rush hour in the Twin Cities is $2.25 for local trips.  The paper transfer you receive as receipt of this transaction is valid for two-and-a-half hours after purchase, enabling you to ride any number of bus routes, as well as the Hiawatha Line’s light-rail service, meeting deadlines and new people along the way.  Several years of commuting on the routes and rails can result in a lot of new acquaintances, and a lot of spent transfers.  Five local artists have capitalized on all the rides that they have taken, and all of the refuse that was generated, in order to make something new, that will work for anyone's budget and imagination. 

In keeping with the theme, the work in RUSH HOUR is priced at rush hour fare: $2.25 per transfer.  

Chad Augustin creates a landscape of scribbles, colors and characters in various states of anguish and confusion, capturing a vibrant, dark humor so pervasive in his animations and oil paintings. 

Shawn Dalsen, prolific painter and street artist, translates the bold style of his personal work to iconic snapshots bleeding scandal, sex, caricature and the trappings of urban life. 

Bryce Jacobson is a newcomer to formal exhibition, making his way from twisted comics and tattoo art to churning out dozens of experimental nuggets and ambiguous narratives, at turns hilarious and bizarre. 

Eric Mattheis has recently made a jump into gallery spaces and onto walls with his bubbling, toxic characters and intense color shapes. His transition to the small paper canvas is easy, the results no less striking. 

Matt Wells, emerging artist, illustrator and designer, plays with abstraction, battling robots, insane people and the fate of the world with an eye for detail and a feel for off-putting humor.
 
Wielding an arsenal of inks, acrylics, collage, spray paint, oils, fire, blades, stencils, and diverse methods, the artists of RUSH HOUR have transformed a collection of waste into a unique body of work over several months.  The results reveal surprising glimpses into the psyches of these five young men, from the maniacal visions of Augustin’s swift drawings to the graphic intensity of Dalsen’s tortured visages. 

In addition to the visual art, St. Stephens Humans Rights Program will be presenting a series of short films documenting issues that affect people in our community (including transportation and healthcare), as well as information about how everyone can contribute to the Program’s mission. 

Emerging filmmaker Sam Thompson has produced a viral video to promote the exhibition, featuring music from Samwell Rowan’s new album The Closing Procedure.  Thompson recently directed the critically successful independent film Living Arrangements, which debuted at Uptown Theater.  

 
The free reception for “RUSH HOUR”  featuring live music by Samwell Rowan and The Vignettes will be August 29, 2009, at the SSCA Gallery, 1905 Third Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55404 
Reception from 7 – 10 pm. 

This event is free, and open to the public. 
For more information, please visit our website: [link]
 
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SSCA
The Stevens Square Center for the Arts (SSCA) is a nonprofit, educational community arts center located in the heart of the Stevens Square neighborhood, just south of downtown Minneapolis.
 
Our gallery is located at 1905 Third Avenue S., directly above the Third Avenue Market.
 
Since 2003, the Stevens Square Center for the Arts has provided affordable workspace for a dozen local artists, and hosted regular exhibitions at our 5,500 square foot gallery and studio space. SSCA is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization that relies upon donations to support our public outreach activities.
 
For more information, please visit our website: [link]