Life Artists 2: How to Turn Your Town into a Surreal Wonderland

That first post on Guerrilla Art-in-the-Round (as Lisa dubbed it) was so popular that I've been collecting links ever since for a second go-round.

*Cartoonify your life with a Sharpie and some pingpong balls, courtesy of Dyers.org.  Want to see this Muppetification on a grand scale? Check out FilthyLuker's DeviantArt gallery.

*Zoomdoggle strikes again with their Fun-O-Meter, a spiritual successor to the late, lamented Gumball Poetry. For fifty cents, you get a fun idea, a toy, and a quarter. Can't beat that in this town!

*The Toy Society started as an Australian street art project, but now "spreads the love throughout the streets of the world. Nothing to it really just a bunch of handmade toys looking for a nice home. "

*Got a steady hand and some chalk? Create your own choose-your-own adventure story on the streets of your neighborhood, just like the Mission Stencil Story

*LexofGreen is the one of the heir apparents of the glamourbombing community. Her fae (read: devious and quirky) sense of humor shines through her work. Seen here are her watchful trees, but I also love the havoc she wreaks with balloons and toy dinosaurs

*Fellow NYC denizens: you are lucky enough to have three guerilla art-ing collectives in your midst. Improv Everywhere is the one with the elaborate pranks, Flux Factory does the strange and thoughtful installations, and Newmindspace is all about having childlike fun on a giant scale.

All fired up, but want something to keep you company when curling up in bed after a long day of chalking? Here are a few guerilla-arty titles

13 Little Blue Envelopes is too much fun to give a lot of the plot away, but when its heroine discovers a series of letters from her beloved late aunt, she sets off on a whirlwind tour of Europe to do good in others' lives and make the world a more whimsical place--as well experience some crazy adventures of her own! It's very Amelie-esque for the teen set, and I love it.

 

 

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is smart, funny, and cleverly full of inspiration for girls displeased with the social status quo. When Frankie's barred from her boarding school's boys-only secret society, she takes inspiration from the Cacophony Society and turns the Basset Hounds onto their heads, raising awareness about the inequalities present on their prestigious campus. Sound boring? Not when the Library Lady, a hound made of produce, and a kidnapped guppy make their appearance!

 

                                                                                                                                   Love, Stargirl is the superior follow-up to the infamous title about a magical girl who transforms a school, then leaves under mysterious circumstances after human nature kicks in. The sequel proves that Stargirl is no Manic Pixie Dream Girl, but a very human teen with hope and heart and plans to bring her community together in unique ways

 

 

 

The Queen Geek Social Club is rather on the light side for LSL,  but its heroines--who start a social group for misfits and plot screwball schemes with the help of a fussy but kind-hearted house robot--are charming enough to warrant  a check-out from your local library. I could do without Shelby's love interest in this volume and the sequels--he's a whiny, possessive drip--but the musical numbers, Feed the Models campaign, and ping-pong proms will keep you entertained.