Aaron Maybin, #58 of the Buffalo Bills hosts "Celebration of the Arts" in Baltimore, Maryland written by Crystal Berger aka Ms. Media Mogul
From beautiful artwork to exceptionally talented athlete artists, the Celebration of the Arts, hosted by Buffalo Bills, Aaron Maybin was an enlightening experience for youth and adults from all walks of life. The event featured artists locally and nationally, who joined forces to share their talents and life experiences with inner city youth who are thirsty for the self expression exhibited within the arts.
To speak to youth is one thing, but to inspire them to create a vision for their lives--beyond their current realities--is a task that Aaron Maybin and his team have embarked upon with vigor and great tenacity. They developed a three-day celebration that showcased how art works as a venue for self expression for youth throughout the world. Some events included an inspirational speech from Que, formerly of Day 26,that employed local youth to “have faith and believe in yourself, even when others are telling you that it’s impossible”. Guest presenters, including John Norman, owner of Essential Paraphernalia (an art company based upon the art of handcrafted wood Greek Paraphernalia) requested that youth stop focusing on the monetary value of an education and apply those same principles to the self-fulfilling value of exploring the arts.
Special guests at the posh Tremont Hotel--whose powder rooms have been rated the best in the nation--included beautiful actress Denyce Lawton of "The House of Payne"; the Mistress of Ceremony, Life Coach and Motivational Speaker, Dee Marshall; Laz Alonzo of "The Fast & Furious" and a host of other athletes and celebrities. The celebration wrapped with the unveiling of a collaborative piece created by Aaron Maybin himself and former NFLer, Matthew “Mateo Blu” Rice. The untitled piece is an eclectic blend of vision, passion, vibrant colors, meeting the game of football; the piece exemplifies creating a vision for your life while reaching new heights in the process. Aaron’s vision was made clear when he donated the proceeds from the sale of the piece to art education programs in the Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan area.
Here’s a peak into our exclusive conversation with Aaron Maybin, #58 of the Buffalo Bills and Founder of Project Mayhem.
The Interview...
AARON & CRYSTAL
CRYSTAL: What you’re doing in the community right now is wonderful. What inspired you to start the celebration of the arts?
AARON: Basically, it was off the premise that every since I was a child, art was always my refuge; it was my solace; it was my little escape from a lot of the things that were going on; it was my outlet to really express my emotions. So, with the kids that we work with, a lot of them, they’re looking for a venue to express that, and with that being a need of the children, I think that that was a big part of what we wanted to do. We wanted to incorporate that in there because if they’re cutting the art programs out in the schools, then the kids aren’t having the opportunity to express themselves through their artwork and through their expression, then they’re going to express themselves through other ways like some of the ways that we see on the news every day, so that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to take the focus off the streets, take the focus off of all the negatives and put that energy towards something positive and with me having that strong connection to the arts, that’s where I tie into the kids and that’s what I can give to them.
CRYSTAL: A lot of people think, because you do one thing professionally as an athlete, they feel like “oh, you do art?” Do they take it seriously and what made people start believing in Aaron, as an artist?
AARON: Well, I was always a serious artist. I think when I was eleven years old; I did a mural on a field that was 45 by 60 foot wall in Baltimore. I was winning art shows all around. So it was a pretty known fact that if I didn’t pursue athletics, that art was going to be my next venue.
CRYSTAL: For some youth who may be interested in finding your organization, or becoming active in the arts, what could they do?
AARON: They can go to my website aaronmaybin.com or they can email me @ aaron@aaronmaybin.com . We have people that respond to all the emails that we get and we try to get back to everybody and we try to keep everybody informed, just with all the things that the foundation is doing.
MATEO & CRYSTAL
CRYSTAL: The name of your company is…?
MATEO: Mateo Blu.
CRYSTAL: How did you come up with the name?
MATEO: Mateo means "gift of GOD" and blu means "infinite"; I feel like that describes my abilities in art.
CRYSTAL: Where were you raised?
MATEO: I grew up on the East Side of Baltimore.
CRYSTAL: How was the process of exploring the arts, growing up in Baltimore City?
MATEO: I had nothing to do with sports, arts or school. I kind of was on the other side of things and I’ve just been very blessed to have the opportunity to get on the other side of the tracks. Growing up in Baltimore has affected who I am more than I say it has developed my art; however, I feel like my art is a part of me, so it all cycles together.
CRYSTAL: Did you and Aaron have a plan of what type of piece you two were going to collaboratively create?
MATEO: We planned to do something for a long time together and it was more or less getting the time to do it. That was the hard part.
CRYSTAL: Conceptually, how did this piece develop?
MATEO: Well...Maybin has a penthouse overlooking Baltimore City. So every time we’d go there, we’d just look at the city. We’re both from Baltimore; we both went to school together; we both actually ended up playing for one of the same teams after college...NFL teams; and we both ended up being artists. So there were just a lot of similarities overall.
He’s my young boy. I got him--when he was a senior in high school on a recruitment visit--to come to Penn State and he ended up coming there, so it worked. I mean…it really worked (he laughs). We just sat down and we wanted to do something that focused on him for his foundation. We went over a couple different photos that he had taken at a recent photo shoot. The overall positioning, there were just some really nice pictures and one of the pics just looked like a return to something or going to another level—there was some type of travel and you could just get a feel of that; just from the picture. We used that as inspiration and kind of built from there. The skyline was just right in front of us.
CRYSTAL: What’s the name of the piece?
MATEO: It’s untitled.
CRYSTAL: For the youth who want to pursue art and they may be in a school system or a community where it’s not advocated, pushed or promoted, what can you tell them to help them stay focused on the arts and the positive; if they’re pursuing other avenues that aren’t in their best interests?
MATEO: Art in general serves so many avenues that just aren’t tapped into, just in everyday life. One, you find out a lot about yourself, just from your ability in art. It’s a way to express yourself. People see all the rap music and all people see is the music, but at the end of the day, the youth just want to express themselves and say what’s on their minds.
CRYSTAL: Where can individuals learn more about you?
MATEO: You can Facebook “Matthew Rice”. You can also check me out at mateoblu.com. I also have a nonprofit organization. It’s called the Blu Art Foundation.
The consistent theme throughout the weekend was to take the time to develop and enhance your creative niche; if you don’t know where to start, just take out a pen, pencil, brush or pad and begin to explore. A word to parents was to take your children out to explore new talents and treasures. Allow them to explore the arts through museums, experimenting with the things that they love and providing consistent support for your child’s artistic niche.
Overall…Aaron Maybin’s, Celebration of the Arts was more than a celebration, it was an artistic exploration of what athletes can do when they combine their talents, their resources and people who care about the community. A true artistic SUCCESS!!! On this assignment, A++ Aaron. Now that’s how Aaron Maybin, # 58 of the Buffalo Bills represents on the Other Side of the Game…
To learn more about Aaron & Mateo, check out the following links:
www.aaronmaybin.com
www.mateoblu.com
www.bluartfoundation.org
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ABOUT AARON…
Height: 6-4
Weight: 250
Age: 22
College: Penn State
Hometown: Ellicott City, MD
Experience: 2
Aaron Maybin, a former defensive end at Penn State University, was selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. After the 2008 season, Maybin chose to forgo his final two years of eligibility with the Nittany Lions to enter the Draft. Aaron Maybin is 6-feet, 4-inches tall and weighs 250 pounds. Source: www.nfl.com
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