I was recently notified of a graffiti art project in Times Square featuring a mural made by artists sponsored by Dunkin’ Donuts. The mural is a picture of the NYC skyline with a large Dunkin Donuts coffee cup in the center.
I’ll be honest, my first impression was that the work was blatant advertising without much g-art value. Particularly if you grab some serious artists, I wanna see them and their creativity set free. Secondly, this piece doesn’t look like graffiti art when you would see it in Times Square (particularly when you could see the real deal in the same neighborhood). So, my initial reaction was not very excited.
However, my second thought was … something along the lines of … Hell Yeah and Thank you D-Donuts!!! Here’s why.
1. D-Donuts would put up an advertisement in Times Square whether it was this piece or not. This time, they let real g-artists work on their ad. Period. They could go to any of the thousands of design studios in the city instead of street artists. But they didn’t. I have to believe the corporate money is flowing to g-artists this time. Anytime corporations recognize the art that is a critical to the culture of the city (NYC), and want to support it financially, I am a fan. A Big fan.
2. D-Donuts is NOT trying to play up some sort of “street cred” they get by using graff artists … as far as I can tell. It’s coffee … in a painting made by some serious artists. Nothing more.
3. Most importantly … see number 1.
Graffiti artists are true artists that convey true complexity, depth, and unique character that is comparable to many artists that are in museums today. I love to see corporations recognize this truth and support those artists.
Peace.
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