Artists Team Up, Teach Youth To Draw Graffiti

WCCO.com ^ | 8/2/08 | Heather Brown

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

Among the paintings, glassware and photographs always found at the Uptown Art Fair are about a dozen young people sitting at a long table with markers and several sheets paper. They sit side-by-side inside Calhoun Square drawing letters and names in their own personal way.

"You can really put yourself out there, show yourself in your art," said 16-year-old Nina Boswell, "It's wild, you know, and just out there everywhere. I'm kind of a wild person."

She goes by the name "Milli 9" as a graffiti artist, a medium that sometimes gets a bad name when it's associated with the graffiti vandalism. Her art is not.

Boswell was one of several students who took classes about graffiti art in July. The program was sponsored by local artists, Intermedia Arts, and a grant the Uptown Association applied for last year. Its idea is to give these students a space to express themselves beyond what we sometimes see on buildings.

"One of the best ways to curb graffiti is to be educated about it and empower its citizens," said Maude Lovelle, President of the Uptown Air Fair and Executive Direction of the Uptown Association. She said it's their biggest program in a series of programs to stop illegal graffiti in Minneapolis.

The classes were taught by two local artists. Peyton, a professional artist trained in Chicago, said he took part in the class for several reason. He wanted young to realize art can be a career. He also wanted to educate the public about the beauty of lettering, an art he said is becoming far more common in pop culture.

"I would like society to take a different look at this medium and see the positive natures of it," he said. "Look at it as an opportunity instead of a problem."

Peyton has been a mentor to young men like a Alex, a graffiti artist who now has a job as a graphic designer.

"I love it because you're communicating something to people," Alex said, "You're putting your art in people's face. People don't have to find your art. You bring it to them."

Each of the teachers and students would like to see more public space in the city devoted to mural art. Peyton said there are many students who would take part in this growing form of art.

"We will be someday in the history books as Picasso, DaVinci and O'Keefe," he added.

The student's art can be bought at the Uptown Art Fair through Sunday. The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

Wholly.....

Crap.

[divine_moment_of_facts]

Such a useful skill to get ahead in life!

[utherdoul]

not quite as useful as cleaning a room, or ditch digging or waitering. Those things at least would keep them off the government teat.

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

There are several train cars out there that have no spray paint on them.

Hopefully, this “program” will remedy this situation.

[ETL]

From Barack Obama's official website:

“I wanted to make an art piece of Barack Obama because I thought an iconic portrait of him could symbolize and amplify the importance of his mission. I believe Obama will guide this country to a future where everyone can thrive and I should support him vigorously for the sake of my two young daughters. I have made art opposing the Iraq war for several years, and making art of Obama, who opposed the war from the start, is like making art for peace. I know I have an audience of young art fans and I’m delighted if I can encourage them to see the merits of Barack Obama.”

-Shepard Fairey
http://store.barackobama.com/product_p/po26951.htm

See? It's all about "peace, love, togetherness" and "change".

Here are some of Fairey's other masterpieces. No joke. Most of his works are along these same lines. Check the link.

Source: The Jonathan Levine Gallery:
http://jonathanlevinegallery.com/?method=Artist.ArtistDetail&ArtistID=F65EBB86-3048-28EB-92D55AA4FC996E31&GalleryID=82C33C59-3048-28EB-92DB386C8C733405

From a 'thank you' letter Barack Obama sent to Shepard Fairey:
"Dear Shepard, I would like to thank you for using your talent in support of my campaign. The political messages involved in your work have encouraged Americans to believe they can help change the status quo. Your images have a profound effect on people, whether seen in a gallery or on a stop sign.'"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/16/AR2008051601017.html

[freekitty]

I wonder if these Artists are going to pay the clean up bill?

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

Don’t hold your breath....

[dalereed]

Put the artists and the gang bangers in prison!!!!

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Do they teach the young aspiring “taggers” to shoot citizens?...

That is, after all, an important job requirement.

For young gang-bangers.

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

Instead of arresting and prosecuting the taggers and bangers (criminals) in our little ‘burb, the local police chief sent his officers to the local vo-tech to learn spanish.

The crime rate has soared and the arrest rate has tanked.

PC is going to get us all killed.

[garyhope]

Graffiti is just visual pollution. It’s just vandalism and crap.

Self indulgent, narcissistic crap.

[BenLurkin]

Line them up against a wall...

[Daffynition]

[niteowl77]

"We will be someday in the history books as Picasso, DaVinci and O'Keefe," he added.

And those losers didn't even suffer for their art by laying awake at nights, worried that some contractor for BNSF would eventually run "Guernica," the "Mona Lisa" or any number of extraordinarily large floral close-ups through a blaster prior to the next repaint. It ain't fair, man.

[weegee]

So they are going to use this new form of caligraphy to work in graphic design making unreadable corporate logos?

How about getting prisoners-for-life to show them how to make wine from simple items and ferment it in a toilet tank.

[weegee]

He should’ve sentenced them to learn formal art training and the chinese alphabet.

[weegee]

"I love it because you're communicating something to people," Alex said, "You're putting your art in people's face. People don't have to find your art. You bring it to them."

It is visual rape. You can't refuse their intrusion.

It is all for their self-indulgent ego. Just like rap. "I I I. Me Me Me. My My My..."