Tony’s involvement in the “I Have a Dream” mural in King st and the screening of the documentary in Newtown this month has landed him in the pages of the Sydney Morning Herald. Check out the article here
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From Millionaire to Bankrupt: The Rise of Tony Spanos
This video of Tony is the latest to come out on youtube and shows part of the rich tapestry of his life in Sydney and his entertaining approach to youth and environmental issues.
The iconoclastic Tony Spanos turned his attentions from the worldly concerns of a millionaire’s son to the concerns of those at the bottom of the economic rungs of Sydney’s society. Through a direct engagement/ hands on approach to trying to help bring a positive view of life to street kids Tony’s unstinting commitment has taken him to the edge of bankruptcy and ostracism.
Originally produced as part of a CERTIFICATE IV In Screen this documentary is about events that were current in 2008.
This edit hasn’t seen the light of day til now.
Directed by Alexander James.
Edited by Lew Keilar.
DoP Drew White.
Sound by Amanda Liok.
Additional photography and graphics by Lew Keilar.
The I Have A Dream Documentary
This documentary is about an unlikely partnership between two mismatched visual artists; a 3 storey mural created in the dead of night using stolen paint and a borrowed cherry-picker; and an illegal artwork that became Newtown’s unofficial symbol, standing at the gateway to Sydney’s Inner West. King Street’s Martin Luther King mural has endured for 20 years and, despite its origin as “Grafitti”, it has won a permanent place in the hearts of the locals who identify with its message of tolerance.
It’s the story of how street artists Andrew Aiken (a foreigner, committed christian and murderer on the run) and Juilee Pryor (alternative artist and single mother, struggling on the poverty line) created a series of remarkable murals that changed the urban landscape in Erskineville and King street in the 1990s, including the iconic Martin Luther King.
Tony Spanos was instrumental in helping the alliance between Andrew and Juilee take place and is featured in the documentary that premiers at Newtown’s Dendy theatre on Thursday 7th June 2012.
Tony helping repaint sections of the mural after a fire in 2011
Newspaper article from August 91