E100 Text & Image / Bendorf Spring 2015

What is public space?

What is vandalism?

What is graffiti?

What is street art?

Here’s what you said:

“To me, street art is often things that some

people are too afraid to say on their own. Since

there is so much anonymity in the realm of

street art, artists aren’t afraid to cross

boundaries with pictures or words.”

“I see graffiti as the bridge between the other

two terms since it can be vandalism and it can

be art”

“Street art has many benefits, but it can lead to

problems when it is unwanted. With an

appropriate intent, a community can always

benefit from street art.”

“Public space is a term that can be defined

many different ways. Is it for everyone? Can I

alter how it appears? Why are there so many

restrictions on it? I believe that the true

definition should be space that can be enjoyed

by everyone. It can be a place where people

can voice their opinions and not get punished

for it.”

“Street art is viewed as artwork that enhances

the beauty of the street and can give away the

political, racial and socioeconomic status of the

particular area the work is in.”

“I think vandalism and graffiti suggest a bias

much worse than street art. ”

“There is a fine line between the words

vandalism and street art. It is left to the viewer

to decide; this sometimes shifts the meaning to

the opposite of its original purpose. This fine

line is the problem the artists face when they

paint or draw in public space. They may have

meant to improve the medium but the

community may not think it belongs or is

appropriate. All of these pieces produce a

meaning and have a context; sometimes they

just are not in the right location to succeed. ”

“I think public space is made for the people,

which begs for the question, “why can’t people

use it for art?””

“The word ‘street art’ has a more neutral

connotation than the words ‘vandalism’ and

‘graffiti,’ but I still have a slightly negative

connotation with it. I cannot explain why, but I

often associate the word ‘street art’ with a

version of graffiti. Although I do not think street

art is bad in itself, my general assumption is

that it is bad because of the way that I connect

it to graffiti. I realize that this is an incorrect

assumption after deeper consideration, but my

initial feelings about street art are usually

negative. ”

“When I think of the word graffiti, messily spray

painted words in alleys or on train cars are the

first things that come to my mind. I think of

graffiti as usually vulgar and associated with

gangs… I think that street art is almost always

involving more artistic skill than graffiti. Street

art brings to mind images of intricate murals

that likely took hours or even days to

complete.”

“I personally love street art, because I think

that the expression of ideas is more

meaningful when it is not wanted. Even murals

and large billboards, are often more

enchanting for me than a piece of art in a

museum. I enjoy the spontaneity of street art

because you never know where you will find it,

and how long it will last. ”

“Public spaces and street art are linked

because public spaces are the canvas for

street artists. Public spaces act as the

influence, canvas and source for street art. ”

“Public spaces and street art are linked

because public spaces are the canvas for

street artists. Public spaces act as the

influence, canvas and source for street art. ”

“Growing up, I always thought that graffiti was

a bad thing because it involved destruction of

someone else’s property. Even though this

may be the intention of some graffiti artists,

many artists just want to let out their creativity.”

“The history of street art should blossom over the next couple

decades and hopefully will be encouraged rather than frowned

upon. I understand that some people may paint rude and

inappropriate pictures, which will always happen. Instead of

ruining street art for everyone, the local authorities should

implement a committee to decide if the painting is safe enough

to paint. All artists should have to go through this council

before they paint anything. A small fund could be set up for

removing the unauthorized paintings in the city.”

“In my perspective, I believe that art should

attract attention. Hence why public art causes

so much controversy. Why make a boring

piece of art when you could create something

that draws out intense emotion in the

audience. Varying opinion is inevitable. To be

honest, it is a sign that the public is

acknowledging the art rather than ignoring it.

Public art challenges stigmas and stirs

reactions. ”

“A public space is a place in which someone should have this

ability to express their ideas and opinions without worry.

This concept of freedom of expression becomes a

little blurry when it comes to physically changing aspects of a

location. For example holding protests, performing a certain

musical talent or spending time playing a game with friends are

all activities that do not affect the environment of a space...

Once a person chooses to to impact this natural or created

environment however, the experience is changed for the next

person who wants to use that place.”

“With regards to the audience of each of these acts, I believe they differ greatly.

Vandalism is mainly meant for the owner of whatever property was destroyed,

and could be used in a threatening manner to get back at a person. The

audience of vandalism is very limited and unless it is a huge act of vandalism,

only the owner and possibly the police will see it. Graffiti has the chance to

appear to a larger audience because it tends to appear in more public places;

personally I have seen a decent amount of graffiti on train cars as they pass by

or under bridges as I drive past... The intent of street art is similar to graffiti in

that the artists want to create a reaction within the general public who sees the

art; for example in Barcelona, when street art is created, thousands of people

see their creation in one day.”

“It can be easy to forget that being in public

and being in a public space are not the same. I

think that is why defining a public space is

harder than one might initially think.”

“Vandalism provokes images of destroyed

walls, red spray-painted x's and large words

covering something else. When I think graffiti I

think of words brightly spray-painted on the

side of train cars. Yet, when I think of street art

I think of murals painted on the sides of

buildings, and playgrounds with the United

States painted across the concrete. ”

“When I was little I was always told that

vandalism and graffiti were bad. Those were

things that gangs did, and they were illegal.

Thinking about it now, I find this very

interesting, because a lot of times what one

person considers vandalism another considers

a work of art.”

“Whenever I hear the word vandalism, I

immediately think something was broken or

destroyed by a delinquent kid. ”

“More and more street art nowadays is located

in private galleries. Years ago, artists could

easily display their art in public spaces,

however laws changed and so did the way in

which some perceived public space art. ”

“The two aspects that I believe influence

peoples opinions on whether something is

considered vandalism or not is where it is

placed and how permanent the work is. ”

“The reasons to paint on a wall instead of an alternate canvas

are the audience, the meaning, and the anonymity. The

audience changes because people who may not want to see

the art will see it anyways while passing by. This means more

people will notice and think about the artwork in comparison to

in a gallery or an auction. Another significant change is the

meaning, as the rebellious nature of street art demonstrates

anarchy, as the artist created this piece in spite of the

government. The change in meaning can easily alter one's

perspective on what the purpose of creating the art is. Finally,

the artist who paints with street art can much more easily

remain anonymous. This allows the viewer to judge the art only

by itself and its surroundings, as no background on the artist is

available.”

“The actions of the artist may promote

creativity and diversity, but also destroy

government and unity.

The main problem existing in street art

is the various legal ways artists can express

themselves without the need to destroy

property.”

“Street art (when not permitted) causes too

much damage and creates an insecure feeling

causing most people to feel uninvited. Public

space is reserved for everyone, and nobody

should feel left out due to safety concerns.

Artwork can be placed in public space if it is

universally wanted. Otherwise, the rebellious

nature of this style art causes too much

insecurity for it to be justifiable. ”

Debating the Texas

tree & billboard bill

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2015/

03/23/bill-would-allow-

businesses-to-cut-down-

trees-around-billboards/

Format: Things to

consider:

1. Opening statements

(include 3 arguments)

2. Rebuttals

3. Closing arguments

(include a quote from

Ways of Seeing pp. 129-

154 that supports your

team’s position)

● Audience

● Purpose

● Location

● Public space (What it is,

what it’s for)

● Images (What they are,

what they’re for)