ART OF THE HEART: I Heart ILM event this Saturday at Savard
- Vasili Moschouris
- 18 hours ago
- 3 min read
Downtown Wilmington is no stranger to art installations, but this weekend at Savard Beer & Board, we’ll be treated to a gallery like no other: an interactive tribute to and celebration of the work of Keith Haring, a seminal figure in the world of underground and street art, and one of the most prominent figureheads of modern LGBTQ+ art and culture.
At this event, which is free and open to the public from 6-9 p.m. on Saturday night, attendees will be treated to an interactive art party that invites everyone to pick up a pen and make their mark—whether by making their own stickers, throwing a tag on a communal doodle board, or snapping pictures in a stylized photo booth.
Throughout the night, a silent auction, soundtracked by none other than DJ RizzyBeats, will sell off Haring-inspired pieces from over 30 local artists, raising funds for Wilmington’s LGBTQ Resource Center, as well as local youth art programs, in keeping with Keith Haring’s legacy of advocacy and solidarity.
In anticipation of this one-of-a-kind event, as Encore’s LGBTQ+ Interest correspondent, I caught up with HPFANGS, a local street artist and organizer of I Heart ILM, to learn more about the event, what inspired it, and the resonance between Keith Haring’s work and the Wilmington community.
“Keith Haring has been my favorite artist since I was a kid. Like, “a kid” kid. Spider-Man underwear and all,” explains the artist of his fandom and motivation for a Keith Haring event. “Initially I just really always loved that his art looked fun. Then I started recognizing his work connected to everything I loved at the time: Nickelodeon, rap videos, and just seeing it around the city (New York/ New Jersey).”
“As I got older I started understanding the protesting, advocacy and activism in his work—and again, even that was still visually fun. Like his ‘Crack is Wack’ piece (which is my favorite). So it’s sort of like I grew up with him. Everything he’s done has inspired me and almost literally shaped who I am/what I do today.”
What resonates most deeply with HPFANGS about Haring's work were the artist’s philosophies on art. “He was adamant about the idea that art should be accessible to everybody,” HPFANGS explains. “Not just something that belonged to elites in galleries and museums. It’s a universal connector.
That sense of universality is integral, not only to Haring’s work, but his life as well. Living and working in New York City during the 1980s, Keith Haring began as an underground graffiti artist, often speedpainting miniature murals on blank advertisements or on the walls of streets and subway tunnels. His simple pop-art style, encapsulated by his famous stick figures, was instantly iconic upon its debut.
Later in his life, at the dawn of the AIDS crisis and his own rise into mainstream popularity, Haring used his art as a political platform: contributing to the “Crack is Wack” campaign, advocating for an end to South African apartheid, and of course, promoting the visibility of homosexual and queer love, as well as the devastating impact of AIDS on his community.
From that biography alone, one might not see the connection between a New York artist and Wilmington, but to this writer, at least, Haring’s work captures a kineticism that transcends the barriers of identity and geography to capture the vitality and energy of all of humanity. Likewise, to HPFANGS and the organizers of I Heart ILM, Haring’s work represents “visibility and opportunity,” he says. “And that’s what this event is about. Art being something dope that will bring people together in the arena of love. Especially with all the nonsense happening around us now.”
By inviting the audience to participate, not only as customers, but as contributors, the team behind I Heart ILM perfectly captures not only the themes of solidarity that embody Haring’s work, but the vitality of the community that nurtured his talent, and that he fought for throughout his life. I, for one, cannot wait to see what this incredible team of some of our most prominent local artists has put together to honor one of America’s most important trailblazers.
Once again, this free event kicks off at 6 p.m. on Saturday night at Savard Beer & Board. Come on out—this party can’t start without you!
