TwentyWonder | Past Artists

Past Lineups: Artists

Jerry Beck

Animation Historian

“Loonie Tunes and Merrie Melodies”

Jerry Beck began his career as a research assistant to Leonard Maltin and has gone on to become a world famous animation historian and teacher. He has penned ten books, published numerous articles, and runs the website Cartoon Research, which is devoted to animation’s past, present, and future. Jerry’s work celebrates classic cartoons from all over the world. He brought his encyclopedic knowledge and infectious passion—along with some truly wild cartoons—to TwentyWonder 2011, and everyone who heard him walked away with a new appreciation and enthusiasm for an art form we all grew up on.

2011 Art

Tim Biskup

Artist

“Ego Killers”

Playful, vibrant, and captivating. The artwork of Tim Biskup captures the spirit of TwentyWonder. Tim has involved himself with our Carnival of the Mind in numerous ways. In 2012 he partnered with Tierra Del Sol to help their artists with Down Syndrome create pieces for display at TwentyWonder. His project Ego Killers was at TwentyWonders 2012 and 2013. He even designed the logo at the top of this page. We’ve been blessed to have this extraordinary artist’s support through the years and look forward to working with him again in the future.

At TwentyWonder 2014, fans were invited to find their way to win one of five prints donated by Tim (valued at $200–$400 per print).

Friends Art

Born to Act Players

Drama Troupe

“Horseshoe Theatre Valley College”

This company began as just two friends with Down syndrome who loved acting. Luckily, one friend’s mother worked as an acting coach and the other mother worked as a talent manager. Soon, a handful of young people with Down syndrome began meeting weekly to memorize lines and play theater games. Led by the fearless Mary Rings, the Born to Act Players have evolved into a troupe that works hard to break down societal barriers in the world of entertainment. At TwentyWonder 2013 they sang a beautiful rendition of “Hallelujah” to honor Sam Simon, a long-time supporter of TwentyWonder.

2013 Trisomy 21

Exene Cervenka

Singer-Songwriter

“X, The Knitters”

Exene is most famous as the co-lead vocalist of Los Angeles punk band X and the rockabilly band The Knitters, alongside fellow Friend of TwentyWonder Dave Alvin. Her artistic accomplishments include authoring several books and work as a mixed media artist. For TwentyWonder 2012, she provided artwork and was part of an incredible trio of main stage acts that also included Axis of Awesome and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Her rousing version of Woodie Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” was one of the highlights of that night.

Friends Music

ChromosDome

Art Installation

“Burning Man”

In 2012, TwentyWonder committee member Jason Decker happened to be building a thirty-two foot diameter geodesic dome in preparation for Burning Man. Just our luck, because we happened to need a Buckminster Fuller structure to display cool facts about trisomy twenty-one (Down syndrome). The ChromosDome allowed people to encounter trisomy twenty-one as just another aspect of humanity, integral to our community as the many incredible and valuable aspects of humanity present at each TwentyWonder.

2012 Trisomy 21

Creature Features

Hollywood Memorabilia

“Burbank”

In 1977, Taylor White founded Creature Features to meet the merchandising demands of the 1970s blockbusters like Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. His Burbank shop grew into the film & TV industry’s most comprehensive resources of memorabilia and attracted visitors from around the world to see its science fiction, fantasy, and horror collection. This Southern California native’s ventures include work as a make-up artist, founding a record label, and writing for genre publications like Cinefantastique.

2014 Art

Ego Killers

Artists

“Lowbrow Movement”

Lowbrow art was born outside the mainstream art world in Southern California and between the pages of Juxtapoz magazine and grew to become a dominant aesthetic within today’s global art world. It drew its inspiration from street culture, Kustom hot rods, and a solid sense of humor.

The Ego Killers—Tim Biskup, Andy Bialk, Kali Fontecchio, and Miles Thompson—returned for TwentyWonder 2014 to offer their traditionally excruciating offer: a mean caricature for $20 or a nice one for $40. Which is more important to you? Your wallet or your ego?

2014 Art

FriendsWithYou

Art Installations

“Rainbow City NYC”

Excuse the inflated language, but it’s hard not to embellish on the stupendous soft sculpture installations of FriendsWithYou. Founded in 2002, Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III’s art collective strives to create bold, playful works that spread their mission statement, “Magic, Luck, and Friendship.” Their open collaborative spirit has earned them praise from like-minded dreamers such as Pharrell Williams and Friend of TwentyWonder Shepard Fairey. We were thrilled when they brought their inflatable wonders to the floor TwentyWonder 2014.

2014 Art

Art by Shepard Fairey

Artist

“Obey”

Obey! Shepard Fairey made his name by plastering Providence, Rhode Island, with stickers proclaiming that “Andre the Giant has a Posse”, which he later adapted into the ubiquitous “Obey” graphic. Shepard also did the Obama “Hope” poster and album covers for Led Zeppelin, Smashing Pumpkins, and LA’s Flogging Molly. He lives in LA and has been featured many times in Juxtapoz—a magazine centered on the Lowbrow art community. Shepard generously donated a signed, limited edition “Obey” print for the TwentyWonder 2012 raffle.

2012 Art

The Moth's Vikki Kelleher

Live Storytelling

“Tell Him It's OK To Go”

Long ago (1997), in a far-away land (New York) a group gathered on their friend Wanda’s porch to share spellbinding tales. There was a hole in the screen which let in moths that were attracted to the light, and the group started calling themselves The Moths. Their first event was held in a living room, but word about their gripping, live storytelling quickly spread around the country. LA resident and Moth storyteller Vikki Kelleher joined us for our 2014 event to share the MOTH phenomenon with TwentyWonderers.

2014 Art

Art by Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt

Artist

“Whitney Biennial”

“My work is knick-knacks, and whatever it is as art, it is.” Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt is an extraordinary American artist. Based in New York, his pieces have been displayed at MoMA and museums throughout the country. He was invited by Barrack and Michelle Obama to the White House to be honored as a veteran of the the Stonewall Riots. A piece by Thomas was featured at TwentyWonder 2014.

2014 Art

The Metamorphosis Project

Kinetic Sculpture

“Coachella”

The Metamorphosis Project is an interactive kinetic sculpture dreamt up by artist Alex Andre. To participate, two people stand on either side of a wheel made of alternating wedges of mirror and glass that, when revolving fast enough, causes the faces of the two participants to blend into one image. The Metamorphosis Project wowed participants at TwentyWonder 2013 and included at several major summer festivals including Coachella and Austin City Limits.

2013 Art

MonstroCity

Happening

“TwentyWonder Exclusive”

When was the last time you got to build a house of oversized cards? And then have the rest of the TwentyWonder crowd join you? And together make a city of houses of over-sized cards? And then watched in horror as a felt-costumed godzilla burst in to wreak havoc upon your creation! This crowd favorite sprang from the minds of long-time creative partners Tim Ford, Brandi Benkert, and James Pearce. The Monstrocity team was also behind the TwentyWonder 2010 aMAZEment installation, a disorienting PVC and plastic maze featuring Trisomy 21 facts.

2011 Art

A Moveable Feast

Kinetic Sculpture

“Lightning in a Bottle”

A human-powered roving dining table, seats eight for supper. Part conceptual art, part community dining experience, the inspiration for this kinetic sculpture came to Dan Busby from his many visits to Burning Man. “A Moveable Feast” began as a Kickstarter project and has since appeared at events like LA’s CicLAvia, Pasadena’s Doo Dah Parade, Lightning in a Bottle, and TwentyWonder. Dan Busby has been a member of the innovative tinkerers at Syyn Labs, and he was also involved in the popular interactive “Geared Button Wall” brought to TwentyWonder 2013 by Two Bit Circus.

2013 Art

Brad Oldham

Designer

“The Pier at Caesars Palace”

One of the greatest SuperBallers of all time, Dallas-based artisan Brad Oldham manufactures the TwentyWonder amulets given out each at the event—in addition to manufacturing the Superball rings from 1996–2004. These commemorative pendants go to VIP ticket holders, our content providers, and the dedicated individuals who put TwentyWonder together. Brad owns a design company which has recently partnered with National Geographic to create life-size bronze sculptures of lions to benefit big cats. We salute this extraordinary artist him for his many generous projects and his many contributions to TwentyWonder.

Friends Art

Art by Todd Schorr

Artist

“Neverlasting Miracles”

Todd Schorr is an American artist prominent in the Lowbrow art movement. He combines a cartoon-influenced visual vocabulary with a highly polished technical ability. In his commercial work he has done album covers for AC/DC and movie posters for George Lucas. Todd’s work is often seen in Juxtapoz magazine alongside fellow TwentyWonder contributors from the Ego Killers. For TwentyWonder 2013 he donated to our raffle the print “A Date with Mr. Big Bad” to benefit the the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles.

2013 Auction and Raffle Items

Stierwalt and Masiero, PhDs

Physicists

“CalTech”

These astrophysicists brought a display of stunning images from the Spitzer space telescope to TwentyWonder 2012. Using its infrared cameras, Spitzer can see dust and stars invisible to other telescopes, allowing it to capture stunning new images of the distant galaxies and nearest asteroids. Sabrina Stierwalt and Joe Masiero brought these images from their stomping grounds at CalTech’s Spitzer Science Center. Sabrina has since moved on to a position at the University of Virginia while Joe continues to work in Pasadena at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab.

2012 Science

Stephanie Tapu

Artist

“Cotrutza Gallery”

Stephanie had a one-woman show at the Cotrutza Gallery in 2010 as part of the downtown Los Angeles gallery walk. The show consisted of a 70 pencil drawings. She brought 30 of them to TwentyWonder 2011. Sales of her work from that night, along with all proceeds from TwentyWonder, went to benefit the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles (DSALA). In 2012, Stephanie was awarded the DSALA Voice Award in Fine Art.

2011 Art

Tierra Del Sol

Painters with Trisomy 21

“Sunland Studio”

Tierra Del Sol cultivates artistic expression among people with significant challenges, such as trisomy twenty-one (Down syndrome). Tierra Del Sol believes people with trisomy twenty-one can develop creatively and make important contributions to the cultural and economic life of their communities. That notion is at the heart of TwentyWonder, so it made perfect sense to have their work on display at the Doll Factory. They’ve contributed artwork at TwentyWonder from 2011-2013. One of our favorite efforts was their collaboration with Tim Biskup—a member of the Lowbrow art movement centered around southern California.

2013 Art

Wayne White's Wonder World

Artist

“Pee Wee Herman’s Playhouse”

Remember Terry the Pterodactyl and Floory the floorboard? From Wayne White’s mind was born all the menagerie of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. Since then, Wayne has had huge success wrecking the art world with comedic paintings that are smarter than New York. For TwentyWonder 2012 Wayne created a very limited edition “Hot Shots and Know-It-Alls”. He also spent the evening strolling through the crowd and playing banjo alongside his pal on the upright bass, Alison Mork—the voice of Pee-Wee’s Chairry.

2012 Art

Will Wright

Game Designer

“Sim City, The Sims”

Okay. Now that I’ve lost two hours reinstalling, replaying, and redeleting Will Wright’s SimCity from my computer, I can get back to writing this bio. While most game designers are determined to put us behind the scope of a gun, Will has devoted his talents to crafting games that teach us about the complex systems that encompass our lives. He is a great contributor to our culture and a valued Friend of TwentyWonder. For TwentyWonder 2010, Will teamed up with his Stupid Fun Club to create a video on creativity.

Friends Art

Kevin and Kent Young

Artists

“Steven Wolf Fine Arts Gallery”

As monozygotic twins, Kevin and Kent grew up with an acute awareness of questions of identity, and much of their current work centers around issues of identity, the individual, and communication. This LA-based duo use the art gallery and museum context to explore their twinly telepathy, with startling and hilarious results. They have exhibited at the Rosamund Felsen Gallery in Los Angeles, Kunsthalle in Belgium, and Stalkie Galleri in Denmark. For TwentyWonder 2010, they played telekinetic chess in bicycle outfits, but for TwentyWonder 2011 they did something weird.

2011 Art