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Michael Thompson recently designed and generously donated a logo for the Alpha Boys’ School which has nurtered several generations of Jamaican musicians. Sister Susan Frazer, RSM, Director of the school, first saw the illustration of the boy playing the trombone that would become Alpha’s logo at the ‘World A Reggae’ exhibition held at the National Gallery of Jamaica in September 2012. “The moment I saw Michael’s work and the image which is now the Alpha logo I instantly knew it would fit perfectly with our history and our vision for the future at Alpha,” remembers Sister Susan. “The logo has really become not just about branding but a catalyst for collective action across the Alpha community”.

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“Design is what we do and it’s a powerful tool that I use for a social cause.” Michael Thompson aka Freestylee.

Michael Thompson (Freestylee) spoke on Thursday, April 18 at the final in the 2013 series of Reggae Talks hosted by the university’s Department of Literatures in English at the University of the West Indies, Mona. The artist spoke about his work as a politically engaged graphic artist, his passion in reggae music and dream of a Reggae Hall of Fame build in Kingston.

Michael Thompson
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On March 2013 Freestylee Posters were exhibited at the University of the West Indies Museum, curated by Dr. Suzanne Francis-Brown.

Dr. Suzanne Francis-Brown, says Thompson’s exhibition has attracted a lot of positive attention, both for the vibrant graphics and for the reggae music content. Visitors have been intrigued by his visualisation of the music from its early days through to its global incarnations. The exhibition remains up through the month of April, in tandem with an exhibition on the Origins of the University of the West Indies.

The exhibition features the 16 posters used to illustrate the Global Reggae book edited by Dr. Carolyn Cooper, UWI Prof of Literary & Cultural Studies. The book was designed by Maria Papaefstathiou, a Greek graphic designer. http://www.behance.net/gallery/Global-Reggae-Book/7627493

Freestylee with Dr. Carolyn Cooper
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These posters has been created and inspired by the travel series, THE LOCAL WAY, a video series that offers its audience a glimpse into a city’s local life in an attempt to foster “local travel” values in future travelers to the city as well as support local businesses around the world. For the past two years, the producers of THE LOCAL WAY have shot hundreds of hours of HD footage in Dublin, NYC, Paris, and Los Angeles. Each episode, hosted by local experts, features one aspect of a city – “NYC Cocktail Culture” and “Dublin’s Music Scene” providing travelers with insight and tips of the people and places they will encounter on a visit. Their hope is that the series will allow their audience to enjoy the city with ease, engage them with the destinations more thoroughly, as well as help them come to greater understanding of the people and places they visited.

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I was honored to be asked to share my art and how/why I became an artist to an afterschool group.  It was a group of middle school students from the Roberto Clemente Charter School. The students were very receptive and eager to learn.

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Design for Water is a special project that evolved from a workshop held at AKTO design and Art College in Thessaloniki, Greece on February 20th – 21st, 2013. The workshop titled “Social Design” was conducted by Michael Thompson otherwise called “Freestylee” and Maria Papaefstathiou. The purpose of this workshop is to help young designers channel their creativity into tools that canimpact their community and the wider world in a positive direction. Also, to communicate on how to use poster designs as a vehicle for change. We choose the topic “The Clean Water Crisis” as a platform to build awareness around the subject and to support FACE Africa’s effort in Liberia. FACE Africa is an organization working in Liberia to resolve the clean water crisis that is so prominent in that West African country. Link: https://www.facebook.com/DesignForWater

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During last year’s Rototom Sunsplash festival 2012 a selection of posters designed by artist Michael Thompson aka Freestylee, entitled “50 Years of Reggae” and a selection of posters from the First International Reggae Poster Contest, 2012. The sale of the posters were intended to raise funds for Alpha Boys’ School.

The organizers of the Rototom festival visited the school and personally delivered the amount collected, and during the visit they attend a music class by Sparrow Martin, a member of the Jamaica Jazz and himself a Boy of Alpha.
http://www.rototomsunsplash.com

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Freestylee in 15th December 2012, held a solo exhibition at the mikrokosmos cinema in Athens, Greece, for the opening of the Bob Marley new movie.

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In November 2012 Freestylee visited Athens, Greece to open the International Reggae Poster exhibition titled “World-A-Reggae Posters” at AKTO Art & Design College in Athens, Greece. The four-week International Reggae Poster exhibition was organized by his partner Ms Maria Papaefstathiou along with the AKTO administration.

Freestylee at AKTO Art & Design College in Athens, Greece at the launching of the four-week International Reggae Poster exhibition. With him, Dimitris Evagelou, 10th place winner of the contest and co-founder Maria Papaefstathiou.

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In October 2012 Freestylee and partner Maria Papaefstathiou of the contest presented the 100 winning posters from the First International Reggae Poster Contest 2012 at the National Gallery of Jamaica, in Kingston. The exhibition was an amazing success. At the end of the exhibition in Jamaica an auction was conducted of the top winning posters and we raised over US$6,000 for Alpha Boys’ School, the legendary institution whose alumni have been credited with giving birth to Reggae.

Michael Thompson and his partner Maria Papaefstathiou proudly standing in front of their global footprint.

International Reggae Poster Contest founders Maria Papaefstathiou and Freestylee pose for photos with Alon Braier, 1st Place winner of the 2012 contest in Kingston, Jamaica.

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