(This is a sub-page of Big Ideas)
People have different opinons about graffiti in the vein of the age-old argument: art vs junk. Many defend it as street art, and it doesn’t take many
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to see why (yes, most of those are/were in Detroit).
But others disagree. The fact is, most graffiti is not as aesthetic as the examples above. Driving down Warren ave, or Woodward, or even along I94 and I75, there’s countless examples of plain old vandalism. And even ‘street art’ it still vandalism – either someone has to clean it up and the art is lost, or it goes unattended and sends out a universal message. Malcolm Gladwell talked about this second case in Tipping Point – the idea that when small crimes, particularly vandalism, go unattended, it sends a message that the area is unwatched – inviting chaos and chasing out hope. So, here are some ideas.
- Clean up graffiti for people. Do it for free. The cost of a sandblaster is hardly prohibitive. Do “driveby cleanings,” up and down Detroit interstates. Advertise free cleanings in Craigslist. Hire people who need jobs, and charge small fees just so that the hired help can get paid. Of course there are services that clean graffiti, but they aren’t useful for people who can’t afford them, or when there’s no one to call them.
- Allow your buildings to be painted. This could apply to churches, businesses, clinics, anything in an urban setting (or any setting, really). Put out an ad in Craigslist that you’re looking for people to design and paint murals. Offer money, or don’t. Allow the artists to sign their work. Have a rotating wall that gets repainted once a month, with people submitting designs that you choose from. Churches could ask people to chose something from the Bible, and require that they write why they chose it as part of their submission. Have an unveiling. Invite the local press. Make it positive.
- Hold a free gallery. Again, I’m thinking churches, but anyone with a space could do this. Solicit street art, painted on practical media (canvas, paper, found objects, etc), to be included in exhibits. Make it free for artists to bring their work, and let them keep all the proceeds. Use the event as a ministry opportunity (again, for churches) or advertising (for others). Hold several shows, with specific types or art or specific neighborhoods each time. This isn’t a new idea – galleries like this exist and do well.
Just a few ideas. Maybe naive. Maybe impossible. But, maybe not? Submit your own comments or ideas. Be nice :)
I love this!! I had an idea similar to this a couple years ago…cleaning up grafitti around CU, but we never did it. I did hear on the news or somewhere recently that the roads department are asking people to adopt a landscape and volunteer to help with landscaping and grafitti clean up – so someone’s doing it on a small scale :) It could be a huge opportunity to offer a free service to residents, or small business owners. I love the idea of letting people tag your property, purposeful grafitti. Love it.
Some good thoughts here. I think it worth noting the different types of material thrown on walls. There’s various levels of personal/political graffiti of the acerbic and generally humorous type. This has a tradition that goes back as far as the ancient walls of Pompeii. While often a pain in the ass it’s a form of free speech that probably deserves respect as such. Similarly the stencil graffiti often carries a serious message though generally using images as the medium. Next to this is the spray-painted graffiti contributed by artists (often under appreciated as such) who take a considerable amount of time and effort to generate often spectacular works … which if they were in a gallery would surely be admired. Cities such as London in the UK and many others frequently have space set aside for this form of art and the results are often spectacular explosions of creative genius. Finally there is tag. The graffiti equivalent of a dog wandering around a city pissing up a lampost. In New York the serious graffiti artists at some points starting campaigns to try and cut down on this destructive and artless activity. It’s frequently the stuff that is seen all too much around Detroit and causes great anger.
The boundaries are blurred of course – but that’s my take – that we have a mix of positive and negative activities taking place. I think your ideas are helpful.
Mac
5c.