The largest illegal graffiti piece in the world. A naked statue of Donald Trump in New York’s Union Square. Fake clowns dressed as KKK members and hung from a tree in Virginia. These, among other works displayed across many cities around the world since 2001, belong to the “American Activist
Tag: graffiti
Do peace walls create a tranquil environment or a cordial divide? The ideas of creating a physical divide between those with contrasting beliefs for “peace” is anti-progressive. The first peace walls in Belfast, Ireland were built out of barricades that the local communities erected during the periods of intense rioting
In 2011, after Easter weekend, a mosaic mural appeared unannounced under a bridge in Encinitas, California, a beach town about 30 minutes north of San Diego. The 12-foot tall mosaic depicted the Virgen de Guadalupe, the Virgin Mary who was believed to have appeared before an Indian peasant named Juan
Decades Before Spray Paint Fascinated by traveling art I cannot help but feel a sense of glee when I get to admire a live mural go by me. Freight graffiti, a culture that has exploded into a national art movement has had an impact on the larger American pop culture
Now don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of the Pokemon Go app (I have seen and talked to more people outside in the last month than the last year). What I am not a fan of is blatant stupidity, idiocy- despite its inherent consequential tendency toward those
Mickey Avalon, born to a non-practicing Jewish family, from Southern California. He is known for his contribution to the American rap genre of music. From his early teens, Avalon worked alongside his mother dealing marijuana and followed in his father’s footsteps as a heroin addict. He prostituted himself to support
There has always been such debate over whether graffiti is considered art or not. Graffiti is defined as writings or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched or painted illegally on walls or other surfaces in a public space. But what if graffiti was legal? In Austin, Texas they have a
In San Diego during the 90’s graffiti was a huge issue facing the city. The public sphere was constantly being vandalized with graffiti, and the city had really no way of controlling it. Somewhere along the line, the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation discovered that the majority of the tagging
Even famous artists can still face criminal charges for their acts despite their reputations. Most popular for his iconic Obama “Hope” poster, world-renowned street artist Shepard Fairey was arrested earlier this year on a felony charge in Detroit for tagging several buildings. In July of 2015, he was arraigned on
There has recently been discussion in the local San Diego area regarding the opening of an art park and program where artistically talented individuals would be legally able to display their art. The space for this park would be at an underpass beneath the 163 Highway. The proposal was made