Mark Megahan
Vandalism to one person is a masterpiece to another. Sure, any illiterate punk with a can of spray paint can tag the name of their gang on the wall in stylized cartoon balloon lettering. That doesn’t take any talent or imagination. However, there are some serious artists out there on the street creating some miraculous murals.
Vandalism gone wild
What started out as a vandalism talent war between gang taggers has evolved into ever more mainstream “street art.” Not only does it provide an outlet for aspiring young artists that won’t get them a criminal record, it “can be the source of civic pride, public artistry, and outdoor engagement in cities across America,” according to Forbes.
“Strategically placed art—on the side of a business, under a bridge, on the exterior walls of a community center—not only helps with the beautification of a neighborhood, but also, it can be a return of investment for commerce.”
There is a growing travel and tourism industry springing up around those who seek out noteworthy street murals.
Bold, facade covering designs with roots in common vandalism now reward urbanites with “insights into a city’s social, cultural, or political dynamics as well as the artistic aesthetics of a particular neighborhood.” There are some heavy duty pieces of “vernacular” art lurking in practically every city.
As Forbes points out, nobody would have ever expected vandalism to become so popular.
“What was once counterculture, displayed on the societal margins, has through the decades evolved many times over to include a viable form of public art that can contribute to the success of communities and businesses in an ever-changing urban environment.”
Mainstream mural arts
One artist, Banksy, has become so popular he just installed a piece on a bombed out building in Ukraine. The city of Philadelphia has its own dedicated Mural Arts Program.
In Los Angeles, one of the genre’s most vibrant cultural centers, they have a “Mural Coservancy.” Meanwhile, Miami is proud of their “Wynwood Walls.” All of these projects elevate bygone vandalism to much more modern forms visual disturbance.
While everyone expects Chicago to be covered in vandalism and murals alike, nobody expects the Navajo Nation to have a “Painted Desert” project which stretches across their sprawling domain from New Mexico to Arizona.
Houston is another mecca for street art murals. From coast-to-coast and on train cars all along the way, “mural magic is here to stay.”
Today, business and property owners can hook up direct with the artists to “transform outdoor wall spaces into public art.” Supply the paint and you can sponsor all the vandalism you can afford. Take the Beautify Lincoln project in Santa Monica and Venice, California.
They aim to use “street art to revitalize the area, make it walkable, beautiful, safe, and inviting.” The artist and “a few friends” created “40—50 murals on the ugly Lincoln walls.” What they ended up with are “hotpots,” places “with dense concentrations of artwork.” They turned it into “an art hub of Los Angeles.“
