AOL 25for25 Grant Winner Launches “Sites of Memory”

AOL 25for25 Grant winner Angela Reichers has launched “Sites of Memory,” a map based website that connects disparate New York City locations to curated historic narratives of the city – mainly funded by the AOL Grant Program. The site is accompanied by a smartphone application, allowing users to engage virtually while physically visiting each site. The map stretches throughout the five boroughs of New York City and stories range from the story of Juan Perez who was eaten by a polar bear at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park Zoo to the disastrous sinking of the General Slocum steamship in 1904. The stories are narrated by Kurt Andersen, Lewis H. Lapham,  Angela Reichers, and Luc Sante. 
We are thrilled that we had the opportunity to nurture the launch of such an innovative and experiential website. To learn more about the 25for25 grant program and Angela you can visit her page on AOLArtists.com

FINALISTS ANNOUNCED: Competition for the Next AOL Motion Canvas

With the spirit of creativity in mind, AOL was on the hunt for the next top talent in motion graphics! Through a partnership with Behance, we ran a month long competition on the Behance network, tapping into the company’s incredible database of creatives.

Five finalists have been announced, learn more about them here.

The competition was  judged by Maureen Sullivan, VP of Brand, Marketing, and Communications, AOL; Nikki Macaluso, Curator, AOL Artists, AOL; and Matias Corea, Co-founder & Chief Designer, Behance.


Two New Canvases by New AOL Artist Eloise Corr Danch

In celebration of Mother’s Day, new AOL Artist Eloise Corr Danch created two canvases, Garland and Flower Pot out of delicately cut paper. Click here to learn more about Eloise

Flower Pot

Garland

20th Anniversary of Take Your Child to Work Day at AOL

As part of Take Your Child to Work Day, we turned 100 kids into AOL Artists for the day. 

Twibbon Campaign - AOL Canvases for Earth Day

New Canvases by Jacqui Oakley in Celebration of Earth Day


In celebration of Earth Day, new AOL Artist Jacqui Oakley painted 4 canvases inspired by endangered animals and the world’s unique habitats. Each artwork has its own unique story and inspiration based on research and studies done by Jacqui. 


AMUR LEOPARD
“This illustration features the critically endangered Amur Leopard. With a population of just 30-35, threats facing the species include habitat loss due to logging, poaching, global climate change and an encroaching human population. I wanted to paint this beautiful creature glancing warily behind foliage; isolated and seemingly melding into the background, disappearing from our memory.”
Make this your canvas on AOL.com

TROPICS
“This illustration is focused on tropical flowers, birds and breezes. Maybe it’s due to the fact that I worked on these illustrations in the gloomy cold of a Canadian February, but I eagerly jumped at the chance to portray warmth, life and colour. With this piece I wanted the breezes to be wrapped around the flowers showing movement and the relationship between plants water and air through layers of translucent colour. I was inspired by the gorgeous and joyful patterns in vintage 1950s textiles.”
Make this your canvas on AOL.com

OCEAN
“One particular environment that is endlessly fascinating to me is the Ocean. I grew up in a house looking out on the Persian Gulf … I find the immense scale of the Earth’s oceans and seas incredibly awe-inspiring and overwhelming. Recently, the Census of Marine Life estimated there to be over 1 million species in the ocean, with three quarters still awaiting discovery. In this image I wanted to allow pattern and movement to depict the endlessly moving currents in the ocean.”
Make this your canvas on AOL.com

TREES
“For this piece I wanted to create a more engaging version of the water cycle. I wanted to show the symbiotic relationship between water and air within clouds, trees, bodies of water and the earth. With this painting, I played with contrasting patterns, movement and stylizing nature, all inspired by designs found in the Art Nouveau movement.”
Make this your canvas on AOL.com

Holly Holmes is a painter, sculptor, teacher, and curator who resides in Oak Park, Chicago. She created two beautiful watercolor works for AOL, entitled Blue Netting (left) and Streaming (right). Her work is heavily influenced from nature, books, science, and “experiences of the everyday,” said Holly.

Tom Burtonwood’s three new canvases - Floating Divs (center), Alpha Blocks (right), and HTML Paint (left) - are inspired by the alphabet, HTML and QR codes. In the studio he makes hard-edged geometric compositions in two and three dimensions with a “dash of 8-bit voxel blocks,” according to Tom. He also teaches at Columbia College and the School of Art Institute of Chicago.

AOL Artists Around the Globe Go Barefoot for TOMS One Day Without Shoes

AOL Artists around the globe, including C. Finley, Paola Ochoa (an upcoming AOL Artist), Mike Perry, Jessica Snow (an upcoming AOL Artist), Mr. Kiji, Josh Cochran (an upcoming AOL Artist) and Chrissy Angliker, are all barefoot today for TOMS One Day Without Shoes! 

One Day Without Shoes is a day to raise awareness of the impact a pair of shoes can have on a child’s life by taking off our own. Millions of children around the world go without shoes every day and are at risk of disease and infection. AOL employees, in addition to thousands of others around the world, are barefoot today to help expand awareness to this important cause.