Canvas Institute Presents Big Red NYC Series By Vince MacDermot New York Premiere

On Saturday, August 27, 2016, from 6:30 to 9:00 PM CANVAS INSTITUTE at 150 Victory Boulevard in Staten Island, New York will present BIG RED NYC, a series of nine bold red paintings by Vince MacDermot. The show will bring to life two fictional characters from the series, the millionaire and the big hair lady. Vince MacDermot is the son of prolific composer Galt MacDermot, who wrote the music to the acclaimed and award-winning Broadway show HAIR, and whose beats have been sampled by Run DMC, Busta Rhymes and Nas. Admission to the event is free, and the exhibition will run from August 27, 2016 until December 3, 2016. A portion of the profits will go to local nonprofits devoted to youth and community development. For private consultation, please contact CANVAS Institute at 718-288-2402 or visit on the web at www.canvasinstitute.org.

"As part of our mission at CANVAS INSTITUTE our goal to promote emerging and established artists in the community. It is phenomenal that we have this amazing artist; right here, in our backyard," says CANVAS Institute owner and CEO Bobby Digi.

Artist Vince MacDermot says, "I learned to draw at a young age from Anne Savage, a Canadian painter. Drawing led me to architecture, where I developed a love of geometry. The basis of my painting is stylized geometry."

CANVAS INSTITUTE is (www.canvasinstitute.org) Staten Island's first community space think-tank for artists that celebrates cultural diversity and talent in one place. CANVAS INSTITUTE invites locals and visitors to engage in cultural exchanges, art creation, indie- film screenings, television and radio programming and multimedia classes. CANVAS INSTITUTE is dedicated to the mission of engaging community members and organizations to utilize the space as an incubator for new ideas, programs and opportunities to improve the local and global community. The growing list of community partners includes: Occupy the Block, Illuminart, Wagner College and St John's University to name a few.

Vince MacDermot learned to draw from Canadian painter Anne Savage at age six. Line drawing developed into drawings of buildings and into the field of architecture /construction where he has worked all his life as principal in MacDermot Architecture Studio and as a Local 40 NYC Ironworker.

Architecture led to a love of pure geometry which surfaces in his work. At the same time there is an interest in humanity; affection, humor, the various expressions of life that take place in human faces and forms.

The BIG RED NYC is a series of 10 paintings in red and white acrylic on canvas. The figures depict New Yorkers in different parts of the City doing their individual thing.