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I’m a big supporter of events that center around emerging artists and serve as a jumping point for their careers. These days, all it takes is a random person sliding into your Instagram DMs asking you to collaborate that can lead to incredible projects. As a creative myself, it’s reassuring to see people connecting to the work I put out. Genuine appreciation and conversation can spark new ideas and push me in new directions. I always strive to connect fellow artists to communities and platforms that will inspire them and help them grow their art form. One community I have loved getting to see grow is nowigo.
The curators: seeking out the fascinating
Nowigo is an event production company that creates experiences around all kinds of emerging artists. The guys behind the company — Sebastian Lizarazo, Victor Gomes, and David Franklin — aim to get guests to leave their inhibitions at home, be open-minded and curious, express themselves, experience something new, and meet new people.
According to the founders, nowigo is an idea that had been developing for years. While they all had an affinity for art, they found museums like the Guggenheim and MoMA restrictive and lacking in human connection and “often encountered egos within the art community.”
The team set out to create an event series without restrictions, one that would encourage strangers to interact and shine a light on new artists. The nowigo guys were eager to get people to see that watching an artist, architect, chef, or other visual artists perform was just as fascinating and fun as watching a band perform live or heading out to dance to their favorite DJ’s set. Sebastian shared, “We want to show people that there is beauty in watching someone create something!”.
West We Go: live art and dancing at a saloon
Each of nowigo’s events revolve around a central theme. Past themes have included “Dark Room” which showcased photographers, and “Sunset” which focused on graffiti artists and the creation of a live mural on a rooftop at sunset. Nowigo’s latest event “West We Go” had a western theme, in keeping with the venue Branded Saloon in Prospect Heights.
Attendees were ushered into the back of the venue, where artists were in the midst of live paintings, art was displayed on the walls, DJs played music, and guests started up a dance circle and showed off their moves. Downstairs, there were photographs on display, a communal art piece consisting of a black board with the nowigo logo and a set of paint markers for guests to use, and a pool
table. “West We Go” featured visual artists Camila Cury and Steve Nardini, photographer Des Ruby, and DJs Yurkmeister, TheCainMarko, and Zack Zannini throughout the event.
Reflecting on their favorite moments from “West We Go,” Sebastian, Victor, and David loved how the communal piece turned out. David shared, “This was the first time we’ve had it on a black and white canvas, and it was just amazing to see how people put their thoughts, visuals and designs on it.”
Next up: dancing to the beat
The nowigo team is currently planning another event scheduled for mid-May, and while the theme is a secret, it will focus on dance. Additionally, nowigo hosts online “Sunday Sessions” at least once a month. The Facebook webcast goes live from the nowigo founders’ bedrooms or sometimes up-and-coming DJs apartments or studios.
Their eventual goal is to host a full scale event at House of Yes in Bushwick and collaborate with Boiler Room or an art/music festival. Sebastian summarized, “We simply want to become more immersive. We’re currently bringing together 2–3 art forms in each event, but we’re working on expanding that range. We have a long pipeline of events that we’re working on bringing to life. Ultimately, we’re looking to become the best stage possible for emerging artists of all forms, to become an incubator of sorts and bring amazingly unique and artful events to our guests.“
I’m looking forward to seeing the artists and DJs that pop up at the next nowigo event. Get all the details on upcoming events on their Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, or check out their website if you’re interested in being a guest, featured artist, host, or sponsor!
West We Go photos courtesy of Des Ruby // desmagness.com | @drm.photos
