{"id":49524,"date":"2021-08-19T15:01:34","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T23:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2021\/08\/19\/cannabis-meets-art-at-happy-munkeys-immersive-van-gogh-party-in-ny\/"},"modified":"2021-08-20T01:45:22","modified_gmt":"2021-08-20T09:45:22","slug":"cannabis-meets-art-at-happy-munkeys-immersive-van-gogh-party-in-ny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2021\/08\/19\/cannabis-meets-art-at-happy-munkeys-immersive-van-gogh-party-in-ny\/","title":{"rendered":"Cannabis Meets Art at Happy Munkey\u2019s Immersive Van Gogh Party in NY"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re the prime example of legacy to legal,\u201d says a clearly proud Vladimir Bautista. \u201cWe are the heart and voice of cannabis culture in New York.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Happy Munkey<\/a>\u00a0co-founder and Harlem native is speaking at\u00a0Pier 36<\/a>, the Lower Manhattan gallery and performance space that has hosted acclaimed events this summer. The current showcase is the very cyber-chic\u00a0Immersive Van Gogh<\/a>, a presentation that brings the artist\u2019s creations to life with moving projected images on walls, floors and ceilings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The two Happy Munkey After Hours<\/a> parties, on Aug. 11 and 18, signaled a coming-of-age for what has been an underground scene in New York. It was also a kind of cross-fertilization between New Amsterdam and Old Amsterdam.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Happy Munkey\u2019s origins lie in a trip the group\u2019s other co-founder, Ramon Reyes of Washington Heights, made to the Dutch city that happens to host the\u00a0Van Gogh Museum<\/a>. The sight of people openly getting high at the cannabis cafes blew his mind. Reyes, who was already a veteran illicit-market cannabis dealer, recalls: \u201cI thought, we need this sh*t back here in New York!\u201d<\/p>\n

The following year, 2017, Happy Munkey was incorporated as a media and merchandise brand, registered in New York and New Jersey. Somewhat below the radar, they were also hosting \u201csmoke-easy<\/a>\u201d gatherings, where aficionados of the herb could gather in a safe, friendly and non-judgmental space.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

With the\u00a0passage<\/a>\u00a0of New York state\u2019s Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA) this spring, Happy Munkey saw the moment had arrived for above-ground \u201cconsumption lounges.\u201d At the Pier 36 affairs, smoking and vaping was permitted (and encouraged) on the riverfront balcony\u2014although not in the indoor parts of the premises. As licensed sales of adult-use cannabis have not yet begun in New York, the event was officially BYOC (Bring Your Own Cannabis). Schwag bags, however, included such goodies as CBD-infused chocolates.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Happy Munkey co-founder Vladimir Bautista speaks for a camera at the Immersive Van Gogh After Hours party.
PHOTO Happy Munkey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Happy Munkey is now producing a\u00a0podcast<\/a>\u00a0and online magazine. These efforts are especially dedicated to advancing the presence of people of color in New York state\u2019s burgeoning legal cannabis business.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bautista emphasizes Happy Munkey\u2019s activist commitment. \u201cWe got thousands of signatures for MRTA,\u201d he says. Alluding to a more conservative legalization bill that had been pushed by New York\u2019s now disgraced and outgoing Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Bautista adds, \u201cWe fought for the right version, with social equity provisions to help the little people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Keith Hurd, director of marketing for Immersive Van Gogh, also spoke to Cannabis Now on the Pier 36 balcony, where the Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty were visible through the haze of cannabis smoke and vapor.<\/p>\n

\n

\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

A post shared by \"😁\"\"🐵\"\"✌🏿\" (@happymunkey_)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Speaking of the After Hours party\u2019s inception, Hurd recalls that after seeing the exhibit, with its floating images and vibrant colors: \u201cPeople said, \u2018wouldn\u2019t it be wonderful to have this experience after you smoke\u2019\u2014and now in New York, you can. The next thing I know, someone put me in touch with Happy Munkey, and here we are.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Immersive Van Gogh was masterminded by Italian digital artist Massimiliano Siccardi, in collaboration with David Korins, creative designer of the Broadway hit musical\u00a0Hamilton<\/em>. The show is also opening in other cities across the country this summer. And Happy Munkey is considering teaming up with the exhibit for similar After Hours events in some of those towns\u2014the group\u2019s first foray beyond New York.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to go to every other state where it\u2019s legal,\u201d says Bautista, intimating that Denver might be first in line.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The post Cannabis Meets Art at Happy Munkey\u2019s Immersive Van Gogh Party in NY<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n


\n
\nRead More: Cannabis Meets Art at Happy Munkey\u2019s Immersive Van Gogh Party in NY<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe\u2019re the prime example of legacy to legal,\u201d says a clearly proud Vladimir Bautista. \u201cWe are the heart and voice of cannabis culture in New York.\u201d\u00a0 The\u00a0Happy Munkey\u00a0co-founder and Harlem native is speaking at\u00a0Pier 36, the Lower Manhattan gallery and performance space that has hosted acclaimed events this summer. TheContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":190,"featured_media":49525,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[50,15436,69,208,3960],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49524"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/190"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49524"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49526,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49524\/revisions\/49526"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}