Meet Joseph Giri

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Giri.

Hi Joseph, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Mobile AL, near the ocean, but the best years of my childhood were spent in Atlanta and I’m thankful for that. It was there that I was exposed to public art when I rode my bicycle downtown, and also attending a catholic school with a cathedral downtown. In those schools, every good deed is rewarded with iconography of some kind, a prayer card with a saint, a St Christopher medal or some other sky fairy image. If you were really good you’d get a glow in the dark Jesus with a magnet in the base that would stick to the dashboard of your car. Initially sculpture was my main interest, but painting and murals ended up creating more income opportunity because there was more need.
After art school at Auburn, I got my first job in Birmingham working for a large retail chain with a separate warehouse specifically for designing and building Visual merchandising sculptures (props) and all the other accoutrements used to merchandise large stores. This is in the early 1980s before large retailers started buying all their props from main stream companies. I had lots of building experience before and during college, so knocking out big sculptural shapes came natural. By the time I left, I was making large kinetic sculptures with spinning complimentary shapes on top of them that had neon accents. These were for new shopping mall openings and fashion shows. It was great experience learning to work big and fast, collaborating with the drag queens doing the fashion shows, and the corporate big shots running the operation. After doing that for a few years, I went freelance, working for Ad agencies, and photographers, making props for photo shoots. I had one of the first live/work studios in downtown Birmingham, but soon realized I needed to go.
In 1986 I moved to Hollywood where I hoped to continue my work designing props, but soon found out there was a writer’s strike going on. Still yet I was able to work with production companies doing commercials and other non union projects. I met a lot of people, showed my artwork in a few galleries, but soon realized I had no interest in “show biz” or that town.
I’d had a longing to return to California after winning a summer scholarship to the Academy of Art in San Francisco. I finished HS in a small town in Ala. I made the best of it and fortunately the school had a good art teacher. My senior year she encouraged me to send my portfolio to the summer scholarship competition. I thought I didn’t stand a chance but appreciated her encouragement. I was thankful to get the award, stay for the summer, but didn’t have the resources to finish my entire education there. I set my goal to return to CA one day and I did.
In 1989 I moved south to Long Beach CA, continued my artwork while supplementing my income with substitute teaching. At that time LB was at a low point, most of downtown was boarded up and they were beginning redevelopment. One of the first tools a redevelopment agency uses to dress up a run down boarded up area is Murals. Murals are quick, affordable, and create an almost instant impact. This was a perfect fit for me, especially since my work lent itself to working on less than perfect surfaces, knowing that the building I was working on might soon become a new business. This is when my primary images were Jazz related. I’ve always derived great inspiration for the countless creative contributions that Black Americans have given this country, despite the sickness this country has inflicted on them. In fact using creativity to survive oppression of any kind creates inner sustenance that few other things can. It can be dance, art, music, writing, story telling or anything to transcend the current circumstances. I will be forever in deep respect and admiration to black artists who I consider my superiors.
During my 18 yrs in the Los Angeles area, I did projects for the City of Long Beach, the City of Los Angeles and numerous smaller local cities, two murals at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, for Toyota, The Marriot, Union Bank, two Elementary schools, and numerous businesses.
In 2004 I moved back to Anniston AL and bought a couple acres in the country with a house, barn and workshop. After living in two live/work studios for years and being near three murders, I needed a break from the stress.
Fortunately I found opportunity even in the small town to do murals for the Freedom Riders memorial sites in Anniston. Those sites became part of the Freedom Riders National monument in 2016. I also did murals in Atlanta for Trader Joes and other business, also in Chattanooga and other towns and businesses.
In 2014 I got a wild hair, let go of my place in the countryside and moved to Maui. I needed to get back to the ocean. In my years in CA I spent as much time as possible in the ocean, mountain biking, and mountain climbing. I spent six years on Maui and did some notable murals in Kihei and Wailuku, also one in Oahu.
In 2021 after Covid devastated the Maui economy I was asked by the National park service to return to AL to restore the Freedom Riders murals in preparation for the 65th anniversary of them being attack in Anniston in 1961. By then the murals were over a decade old and I welcomed the opportunity to upgrade them. I also upgraded a mural on the West side of town that’s now also part of the Civil Rights Trail. I finally talked them into doing one of my Jazz murals downtown on a wall 38 x 100 ft that was nothing but broken brick and rough concrete. It was challenging to say the least and the wall was between two courthouses and backed by the City Jail. I got great pleasure out of a layer walking to the far side of the parking lot facing the mural with his two security guards. He was too far away from me to hear him over the sound of my lift machine, but he was over there pointing at the mural and having a total tizzy Karen fit. I ignored him and kept working, but the experience was so life affirming. Now he and the rest of the his ilk with have to see it everyday for many years. The rest of the people in town love the mural, and I even had to threaten legal action against a Fox news affiliate in Birmingham that was using the mural without permission. They quickly compensated me after I “educated” them.
Now days I’m working on my web site and e-marketing education. I just finished another two story tall 100 foot mural in Gadsden AL for their Cultural Arts center. I’m thankful that at 68 I can still work on a south facing wall in direct sun for nine weeks, plus commute to the mural 30 miles each way. I’m currently competing for projects in different locations and hoping to move closer to the ocean again soon.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Anyone who goes into the arts and is hoping for a smooth road? would be quite naive. It’s not impossible, there’s one fellow I follow online who admits that when parents were passed out, he hit the lotto. The rest of us need to learn how to deal with and transcend the cards we were handed while we make our mistakes.
One of the most helpful books I ever read is, Failing Forward, by John Maxwell. He recounts the early lives and big mistakes, losses, failed businesses of people who eventually became well known “successes”..
Our concept of what defines success is up to the individual. I don’t watch TV very often, but when I do, the people who are held up as cultural icons? to me are anything but…
I used to have shame about the mistakes I’ve made, but now days I’m proud of the fact that I had the guts to try. At my age, I see all these guys who are retired, and have all the wrappings, but most of them are unhealthy and they haven’t had 1/50th of the interesting life and experiences that I have had. And, unlike them, I’m far from finished.
One program I started attending in Los Angeles years ago is Codependents Anonymous coda.org. In that I learned how to have healthier relationships with others and with myself. I re-established a spiritual connection free of religion, learned boundaries and got objectivity about how to make healthier choices.
To me as a creative, one of the biggest struggles has been throwing off the yolk of academia. Just think what a tragedy it would have been if James Brown had attended music school? I’m not against all art schools but many of the state univ art schools don’t prepare a student well, and create analysis paralysis. That’s my personal opinion after attending three univ art departments. Learning to do business and marketing should be a priority for any aspiring artist and I see so many young people doing a great job of that these day.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have an extremely diversified range of work/styles. I love sculpture, mixed media, painting, murals, metal, ceramics, stone, wood, mosaic. Being diverse in what I can offer the market has had a huge impact on whether I can stay self employed or have to go get a “real job”
I had one gallery owner in Los Angeles in the 1980s, disparage me for not offering one primary body of work and style. He could have chosen one of the series of images in a particular vein that I had to offer. He didn’t have to like all the other directions I’ve worked in. Instead he chose to condemn me for my diversity. Within two years of my conversation with this gallery, his business tanked and he was gone. I’ve been making a living as an artist for over 40 yrs. Later when I’ve viewed retrospectives of famous artists, I took great comfort in seeing the wide range of styles and imagery that had produced over their careers.
Another primo example is the celloist Yo Yo Ma, his background is in classical music, but he plays jazz, Asian operas, and all kinds of other experimental styles and collaborations.
Continuing to produce is the goal, and being open minded with a diverse offering of work has been my salvation.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I attended one year at Chamblee HS in Atlanta. To my good fortune they had a great art department and my instructor was MS Coleman. She was amazing and had us writing poetry, doing batik, drawing, painting, journaling. She was the #1 catalyst for my future art career. I was thriving and could see a path to a scholarship because of her senior students receiving them.
At the beginning of 10th grade I was even going to have MS Coleman for home room and I’d just been promoted to the Varsity Soccer team, since we were undefeated the previous season.
Without warning my father announced that our family was moving back to his home town in AL, so all the opportunity that had worked for was ripped away. It took me years to realize my father was a narcissist, and purposely sabotaged me.
What those experienced did do was cement my resolve, and as they say, “there’s no substitute for perseverance”.
My HS art instructor in Ala was also encouraging as I wrote about previously. At Jacksonville State Univ, Steve Griffith was a wonderful and inspiring teacher, and at Auburn Doug Olson was an older instructor who had a big impact on me and other students. I came to find out over time that the University had never given him tenue due to the political sniping that’s so common in colleges. I’d become president of the Art club and I spoke on Mr. Olson’s behalf when all the club presidents from the departments of the School of Architecture and Fine Art came together to nominate a professor for teacher of the year. My speech was compelling enough to persuade the rest of the group to select Mr. Olson. This award being given to him, effectively shamed the university into giving Mr. Olson full tenure after decades of teaching.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.josephgiri.com/
• Instagram: josephgiriartworks
• Facebook: josephgiriartworks
• LinkedIn: Joseph Giri
• Youtube: Joseph Giri