In this episode of The Art Underground I explored Memories of Twenty Third Street by artist Keith Godard. I always connect most with art I can interact with and this is the perfect example of that. 

To support my project and experience the rest of the web series please join me on Patreon! 

www.Patreon.com/RuddyWasHere

The Art Underground finally has its very own promo spot. With so much content it’s hard to choose which shots to include in the episodes, but at least for this “ad” I was just able to play around and select the most dynamic content to get people engaged. I hope you love it! 

Step into the second episode of The Art Underground! This time I explore bronze sculptures by Tom Otterness. These whimsical and fun characters have been placed all over the 14th Street train station on the A,C,E line. 

After 9 years of leading art tours in New York City, The Art Underground is finally going Virtual! This project is being released primarily for the platform Patreon. Every week followers will join me as I explore artwork in different subway stations all over the city. 

Producing this during a global pandemic has been a learning experience. Not only do I produce and host the web series, but I also edit the footage and try to engage possible patrons via social media and marketing tactics. In the end, the project is really dear to my heart and I hope it gets visibility. It’s my 2021 baby!

8 years ago Tim Sessler and Brandon Bloch teamed up to capture my underground art experience. The idea was to shoot this video with the perspective of the participants so that they could see the sights and sounds underground. This video was also featured in The Huffington Post and received well over 100K views. 

My collaboration with confection shop Stick With Me Sweets was organic and special. I found the shop during one of my scouting sessions for the art experience I lead. I thought it was such a luxurious and boutique place that I started including it on my tours. Chef and owner Susanna Yoon agreed to collaborate on a custom chocolate bon bon that celebrated street art in Nolita. If Oprah can have a favorite things list then so can I! The limited edition batch sold out in two days and to this day is one of the highlights of my career. Who can say they had a chocolate named after them and their project? I definitely shed tears of joy when I took my first bite. 

To me being a Concierge meant crafting itineraries for my clients while tapping into my network to make things happen for them. I never thought I would do a podcast, but at the time it seemed like a genius way to let people into my world and dive deeper into an exploration of New York City. The project was a success and I was able to have some of my most precious contacts join me for something that ended up being a guide for locals just as much as it was for tourists. 

Polaroid and instant film in general were pretty much dead by 2008. The impossible project started making film specifically for polaroid cameras and in 2012 I was able to partner up with them on their first “experience photo walk”. Participants brought their own cameras and as a group went into Chinatown to explore and see what they could produce photography wise. The best images were then selected and featured in this video which I produced, shot, and edited. Bringing this idea to life was fun on my end because the company gave me complete creative freedom and it aligned with both of our brands. I even made friends that day that I still keep in touch with and see all the time. 

Virtual NYC Street Art Tour. 

In March 2020 the world was practically shut down as news of COVID-19 reached the U.S. I have never seen New York this way and decided to lead a virtual street art tour for everyone at home. I had been leading art experiences since 2012, but it had always been in person. I’m very proud of this work, as is was the beginning of my partnership with Patreon and a few companies that hired me to show off the city virtually during the pandemic.