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Desperate to ring-up as many sales as possible on Black Friday, big retailers including Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy are pushing shopping madness into Thanksgiving Day. Wal-Mart stores will open at 10pm on Thursday, with Target and others opening at Midnight on Friday. The move outraged one Target employee so much that he started an online petition urging supporters to “Save Thanksgiving” by asking the retail giant to let its employees enjoy the holiday off from work. Within a few hours of being posted, 194,000 people signed the petition. Black Friday has also been observed by economic justice activists as Buy Nothing Day and local supporters of Buy Nothing Day can celebrate it by consuming, not appliances and products, but the art of Mear One at the opening night of his new show, Graffic Discourse at the Townhouse Gallery in Venice. LA based artist Mear One has been making graffiti influenced, politically charged work since long before the Occupy Wall Street movement captured the attention of America, and it is a perfect compliment to the current national mood. The Santa Cruz, California born artist is known for a 2004 series of “anti-war, anti-Bush” pieces done in collaboration with artists Shepard Fairy and Robbie Conal under the title, “Be the Revolution.” Mear One describes Graffic Discourse, running from November 25th to December 18th, as a “nutritional necessity that can improve your perception and help you discover you’re not alone in a once politically mundane Amerikkka. ”

GUEST: Mear One, LA based artist

Find out more at www.mearone.com

Graffic Discourse Opening Event:
Friday November 25th, at 7 pm
Townhouse Gallery
56 Windward Ave. Venice, CA 90291

Graffic Discourse Afterparty
Friday November 25th, from 10pm – 1am
Del Monte Speakeasy
52 Windward Ave., Venice, CA 90291