Draft:Wildstyle Paschall
American visual artist and activist
Wildstyle Paschall | |
|---|---|
| Born | Keith Paschall Indianapolis, IN |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Multimedia Installation art |
Wildstyle Paschall is a visual artist, producer, musician, author and activist. [1] Paschall's work highlights people, art, and issues that would otherwise be invisible in Indianapolis. His art not only captures moments in social justice, but also hosts themes of liberation and Black joy.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Wildstyle Paschall (Keith Paschall) was born in 1981 at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, IN.[3] He grew up partially on the Northwest side and eventually the Far Eastside of Indianapolis.[3] He attended Warren High School, where he had the introduction to his musical talent by playing viola in the school's orchestra.[4]
Career
[edit]Music
[edit]Paschall's started making beats in 2001 after being introduced to the MTV Music Generator for PlayStation, by one of his friends who was a DJ.[3] It wasn't until 10 years later that he started having rappers rap over his beats.[3] He didn't start connecting with the Indianapolis Hip Hop concerts landscape until circa 2008 and 2009.[3] When he was laid off from his job in 2012 that prompted him to become more involved in the Hip Hop scene.[3] At the time, he was working as an auto mechanic for 8 years up to that point.[3] He was also heavily involved with the Indianapolis skate community. He served as the vice president of the Naptown Real Rollers then later ran a roller skating club, Naptown Skate Nation.[3] When his job and his positions in the roller-skating world ended, he was now able to focus solely on making music.[3] While being involved in the local Hip Hop scene as a producer, he eventually transitioned into managing a few artists.[3] While managing, he hired photographers to capture his artists at their performances but the outcome of these photographs did not match the vision he had.[3] He then decided to take it upon himself to do his artists performance photography and and as his craft developed, he expanded to photographing more local talent.[3] With the encouragement from a friend, he created an Instagram for his photography called All317HipHop.[3]
Photography
[edit]Paschall's work in photography encompasses social justice, Hip Hop and the Indy roller skating scene.[2] In 2020, Paschall's photography was displayed in a photo exhibition hosted by the Indianapolis International Airport.[5] Paschall was one of four contemporary photographers featured in the Changing Views: The Photography of Dorothea Lange exhibit at the Eiteljorg Museum.[2][6]
His photography started gaining traction and soon it expanded into community photography which captured Indianapolis culture.[6] In 2015, his photography entered the social justice landscape.[6] In 2020 Paschall photographed the mass protests that occurred in Indianapolis, in the aftermath of the deaths of George Floyd and Dreasjon Reed.[2][6] In 2023 these photographs were included in the "Changing Views" exhibit which featured Dorothea Lange at the Eiteljorg Museum.[6]
Activism
[edit]Paschall's work encompasses activism in the social justice space but he is also involved as as community organizer and community advocate for various causes.[4] Paschall is a Riverside resident who has been outspoken about the impact of gentrification on the neighborhood and the overall housing crisis.[4] [7] The Riverside neighborhood experienced a rise in property taxes from 2010-2020, which created a housing crisis for long time residents who were no longer able to afford to live there.[7] In 2018, Paschall joined the Central Indiana Community Foundation.[7][8] In his role in the Indianapolis Foundation's Community Ambassador's program, he advocates for marginalized communities and bridges the gap between these communities and businesses by forging authentic relationships.[7] He contributes writing and research for the national organization, New America.[4]
In 2023, the Newfields museum faced controversy after an unexpected resignation of their CEO and five board members also stepping down without clear transparency to their patrons and community.[9] The Liberation Center organized a protest, and Paschall stood in solidarity with the protesters while he spoke about the lack of transparency from the museum in the midst of the resignations.[10][11]
Selected Exhibits
[edit]Changing Views: The Photography of Dorothea Lange. Eiteljorg Museum. Indianapolis, IN. March 4-August 6 2024.
Identify. Spirit and Place Festival. Indianapolis, IN. November 2-12, 2023.
Indy Hip Hop Music. Indianapolis International Airport. indiananapolis, IN. November 12, 2019 - March 15, 2020
References
[edit]- ^ "Wildstyle Paschall". New America. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ a b c d "Wildstyle Paschall: Picturing Black Joy". Indy Correspondent. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Johnson, Seth (2019-04-19). "🎧 An Interview with Wildstyle". NUVO. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ a b c d "Episode 1: Wildstyle DaProducer". Michael Loves Indy. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ Lindquist, David. "Indianapolis' hip-hop scene soars in new airport photo exhibition". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ a b c d e Ray Steele's Indianapolis (2023-03-13). Wildstyle Paschall: Confronting Injustice Through Photography. Retrieved 2024-10-01 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b c d Singh, Kelsey (2024-09-17). "IMPACT Central Indiana Grant Revives Historic Riverside Corridor". Central Indiana Community Foundation. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ Indy, Leadership (2021-01-13). "The Convo featuring Wildstyle Paschall". Leadership Indianapolis. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
- ^ Bongiovanni, Holly V. Hays and Domenica. "Here are the board members who have left Newfields — and what they've said about it". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
- ^ "'A fight against progress in the city': Wildstyle Paschall on Newfields CEO departure". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
- ^ Liberator, Indianapolis (2023-11-20). "KluFields: Community protests racist firing of Newfields' Black director". Indianapolis Liberation Center. Retrieved 2024-10-11.