Detroit Artist's West Coast Opening to Benefit New Children's Museum in San Diego

Detroit artist Tony Roko’s West Coast Opening at Alexander Salazar’s gallery on November 20 will benefit The New Children’s Museum and help provide free access to the arts for the children of San Diego. A percentage of sales will benefit the Museum’s Title 1 and other community access programs.

Tony Roko is gaining recognition as one of the nation’s most innovative artists. He’s been commissioned to paint pieces for Lady Gaga and Jay Leno. Ford Motor Company commissioned Roko’s work as part of its Centennial Celebration of the Assembly Line. His work is displayed in the permanent collection of Michigan’s Holocaust Memorial Center and he was voted “Best Fine Artist” this year by Hour Detroit magazine, a prestigious monthly publication.

The artist strongly identifies with the mission of the Museum and believes its public access programs to allow children from disadvantaged areas to experience art and creativity could change their lives.

“I’m thrilled to be able to do what I love as a career and excited to show my work in San Diego,” says Roko. “Alexander Salazar and I have similar backgrounds and clicked. We both used art as an escape from ordinary life when we were young. Art has changed my life in ways I could have never imagined and giving kids a chance to enjoy and experience the arts has become a passion for me. It is an honor to work with The New Children’s Museum.”

The only American-born child of an immigrant family in Detroit, Roko entered the Ford Motor Company assembly line at age 19. During breaks, he drew in a sketchbook – an escape he enjoyed since he could hold a pencil. Word spread of Roko’s creativity and before long Ford executives recognized his true gift. Roko was plucked from the line to paint murals for the company’s plant beatification initiative. His life has since been transformed.

“Artist Tony Roko is a living, breathing example of the spark ignited in children by exposure to art and creativity,” said Julianne Markow, executive director and CEO of The New Children’s Museum. “Tony’s path to artistic success demonstrates how the arts provide a bridge into a world not limited by language skills, social or economic background.”

Event details

West Coast Opening

Tony Roko: Best of Detroit 2014 Fine Artist

Thursday. November 20, 2014

6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Alexander Salazar Fine Art

1040 7th Ave, San Diego

Web: www.tonyroko.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/TonyRoko

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeY1as7WMzI&feature=youtu.be

ABOUT TONY ROKO

A chronicle of Tony Roko’s art career should perhaps begin with the words, “Once upon a time,” because of the unlikely way it started.

Born Antoni Roko Ivezaj, Tony was the first Natural American Citizen in his family, which migrated from a refugee camp in Rome. English being Roko’s second language, he immediately knew he had to rely on mannerisms and other non-verbal cues to gauge the orientation and sentiment of others.

At the age of 19, Roko went to work on the assembly line of Ford Motor Company. As a kid, he was always painting and drawing, a habit he took with him to the line. On his breaks, he would sketch in his notebook, sometimes making portraits of his co-workers. The union representatives and management took notice, pulled him aside, and asked if he’d like to be part of a plant beautification project to boost the workers’ morale. Roko was put to task, painting portraits and murals on plant walls, based on suggestions from the workers. An auto plant is a hot and gritty place, not exactly ideal conditions for a mural, which is unlikely to stand up to the wear of the environment. To combat this, Roko used materials he found around the factory that had already shown their resistance to such conditions; industrial coatings, auto enamels, and scrap wood from pallets. He became the resident artist for Ford and began beautifying other plants in the Detroit area.

Although Roko has since moved from factory floors to gallery walls, he still employs many of the techniques he learned during his years painting in factories, such as working with salvaged paints and woods, while adding floor stain, acrylics, linseed oil, varnish, leftover house paint, and old windows to the list of media he works with today. He paints bold portraits of interesting subjects using bright, vivid colors.

ABOUT THE NEW CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

The New Children’s Museum (NCM) is a new model of children’s museum whose mission is to stimulate imagination, creativity and critical thinking in children and families through inventive and engaging experiences with contemporary art. Serving San Diego for over 30 years, the Museum opened in 1983 in La Jolla as the Children’s Museum/Museo de los Niños and reopened downtown in 2008. NCM brings families together in a rich educational environment that fosters creativity — blending elements of children’s museums and art museums. The Museum collaborates with contemporary artists on an ongoing basis, both for large-scale thematic exhibitions, individual installations and educational programs for children. NCM is a non-profit institution funded by admissions, memberships and community support. To learn more, visit www.thinkplaycreate.org.