Photo by Lachlan Hardy from Flickr
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Do Now
In your opinion, is graffiti art? Why or why not? Optional: Add a photo of graffiti or street art you've seen in your neighborhood.
Intro
Graffiti is a controversial form of self-expression. There are many conflicting viewpoints about its value (or detriment) to society, but one thing is for sure: Graffiti has many forms, and the dynamic genre of street art has been recognized by educators, art students, museums, galleries, and art appreciators worldwide for more than three decades.
The Bay Area is home to many artists who have painted the town with their words and characters, and the Mission District was an original hotspot for street-based public art projects. Clarion and Balmy Alleys both have a long history of being dedicated to graffiti, murals, and street art.
Resource
Local luminary Barry McGee is one of the most well-known contemporary American artists, and a retrospective of his work is coming to the Berkeley Art Museum in 2012. An installation of his work is also currently on view at SFMOMA. Influenced by skate/surf subcultures and the Do-It-Yourself aesthetic that San Francisco is famous for, he was among the first street artists to cross over into museum territory, though he stays true to his graffiti roots. KQED's Gallery Crawl interviewed the influential artist in 2008 when he was working under the pseudonym, Lydia Fong.
Art's main job is to ask questions, and the graffiti/street art genre does exactly that. Here are some more questions to consider: When graffiti or street art is on view in a gallery or museum, how is it perceived differently? Are sanctioned murals more acceptable than spontaneous, "illegal" acts of art-making? If it's not art, what is it? What are your personal experiences with graffiti? Dive into KQED archives for more examples of local street artists in San Francisco.
To respond to the Do Now, you can comment below or tweet your response. Be sure to begin your tweet with @KQEDedspace and end it with #KQEDDoNow
For more info on how to use Twitter, click here.
More Resources for Follow-up Lessons
Gallery Crawl video and Educator Guide on Margaret Kilgallen, 2011
Spark video and Educator Guide about Mission District Street Art, 2010
Barry McGee and Margaret Kilgallen on Art:21
Educator guide about Lydia Fong exhibition, 2008
Is graffiti an art? yes… no…. Are all paintings art? Are all sculptures art? Does everyone that paint, with oil on canvas really wants to be an artist? I don’t think so. So i would propose an other question? Can graffiti be art? Yes, I think so!
To me, I believe that Graffiti is Art. If someone who paints on someone’s property and it looks amazing, then it IS art. If people who see the art and comments that it looks amazing then leave it to a YES. Niether they should care that it’s someone else’s property. The owner should also say it looks beautiful because it makes HIS property look beautiful.