Graffiti News & Blog

Now here’s a great story out of Minneapolis / St. Paul … The article highlights graffiti as ART versus graffiti as vandalism.  Although, I think they mean that it is not vandalism when it is on canvas or paper, but is vandalism when painted on a wall (illegally).  Sidenote:  Isn’t it ironic that the difference between “ART” and “VANDALISM” for some people has nothing to do with the image itself, but rather it is ONLY determined by permission or lack thereof to paint on the wall?  Anyway, this is a great idea for art fairs and it gets kids engaged in art.

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(WCCO) 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.