Furthermore, the 2001 and 2002 HeArt Project programs offered at the LAUSD continuation high schools proved graffiti art, murals and hip-hop elements could be a positive art form for teens. Man One joined other muralists and performing artists in collaborative workshops and projects designing various themed events with elementary and high school students.
Man One's passion for expression extends beyond his own work, and he takes an active interest in helping inner-city youth. "My heart's desire is to own studios in which youth can come and freely master their craft, whether it be painting, singing, dancing, hip-hop... whatever. I want to have places where young people can basically run it while I oversee it. I want to give them hope and encouragement that they can be what and who they want to be. Even now, I let kids know when I'm painting a mural so that they can come watch and help. I especially have a love for inner-city youth. I want to be an advocate, showing them that positivity can pull them out of negative situations. They do not have to be limited by their circumstances."
In November 2000, Man One's surreal art was featured at the launch party for creative marketing agency Zyrex, Inc.'s new promotional products division, Brandable and their online storefront Brandableonline.com. The event was positioned as an evening where innovative art, marketing and the Internet merge. Some 17 new 5x11 murals on unstretched canvas created while on the road with MTV's Campus Invasion Tour 2000 was the artistic focal point of the evening. MTV's high-profile interactive hip-hop music promotion set on college campuses nationwide chose Man One's style to be reflective of their cultural youth message, as well as his interest in youth progression. The murals remained in the agency for a month-long exhibit.
The beginning of 2001 began with two dynamic exhibitions, "Urban Frontier: An Eclectic Journey Through The Aerosol Movement" in Merced, California's newly renovated Multicultural Arts Center where Man One exhibited several of his mediums, and "Fusionary," an exhibit of two styles and visions merging. An urban art-forward exhibit for Culture Cache Gallery in the Industrial Mission district of San Francisco, California, showcased Man One and new female artist Freddi C.'s newest painting originals during the month of March as the gallery celebrated its one-year anniversary.
In celebration of the first annual Cesar E. Chavez legal holiday, March 30, 2001, a community large-scale mural, located across from The Accelerated School (116 E. Martin Luther King Blvd., corner of Woodlawn & MLK Blvd.), designed and painted by Man One, was in part of statewide activities commemorating one of America's foremost heroic visionaries.
Commissioned by the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation, Man One designed and painted the profiles of Cesar Chavez and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in honor of their remarkable leadership and contributions to our country. The mural was a collaborative project between the students, parents and community members of The Accelerated Elementary School, a LAUSD charter elementary school in South Central Los Angeles.
Man One brought on several L.A.-based artists to help complete the oversized project. Those artists were Posh, Rukus, Vox, Sacred and Midzt. Man One was joined at the unveiling by Helen Chavez and family members, Ethel Kennedy, Governor Gray Davis, Yolanda King, State Senator Richard Polanco (author of legislation), Olivia Irlando (Chavez' granddaughter and Accelerated School K-1 teacher), and LAUSD Accelerated School staff.
In a bold artistic statement, the trend in many creative offices is opting for the unique, original mural designs over the standard art piece or wall hanging. In April 2001, Man One was commissioned by Westlake Village, California, Edge Industrial Design to paint with aerosol a 15x23 mural on the interior center wall of their new office addition. Bold colors of fluorescent blues, bright chartreuse green, effervescent yellows and sharp purples adorn the wall via a design created by the industrial design firm and "tweaked" by Man One.