LOOKING AT THE

CONTROVERSIALWORLD OF

IS GRAFFITI ART?WHAT DO YOU THINK?

A common question that looms in the mind of people everywhere….

American Urban Graffiti -- Chicago, IL

A BRIEF HISTORYEtymology• Originated from the Italian word graffiato ("scratched")

Ancient Pompeii – Graffiti caricature of a politician.History Lesson

• The earliest forms of graffiti date back to 30,000 BC in the form of prehistoric cave paintings and pictographs using tools such as animal bones and pigments.

• Graffiti in the classical world had different connotations than it carries in today's society concerning content.

• Historic forms of graffiti have helped gain understanding into the lifestyles and languages of past cultures.

Modernity• Graffiti is often seen as having become intertwined with hip hop culture and the myriad

international styles derived from New York Subway graffiti.

NYC 1978 – Subway Tagging

• In the 1980s when the creation of man-made narcotics, such as Cocaine, came the rise and evolution of gang culture in the US. The negative connotations of gang tagging on the urban streets have brought on more controversy over Graffiti than ever before.

WHY IS THERE SO MUCH DEBATE OVER GRAFFITI?

WRITING OR DRAWINGS SCRIBBLED, SCRATCHED, OR SPRAYED ILLICITLY ON A WALL OR OTHER SURFACE IN A PUBLIC PLACE.

Graffiti

But how do YOU define it?Food for thought…

• It is a common thought that graffiti is a voice for marginalized cultures.

• Without graffiti, the oppression of people would be unheard.

• Internationally, graffiti has given a voice to subcultures. But can we justify this reason for graffiti in the US?

LOOKING BACK – INTERNATIONAL GRAFFITI SINCE THE 1940’S

An Italian soldier 1943-1944

Berlin Wall – 1980s

Toronto, Canada – Graffiti 2004

Amsterdam -- 2008

Tehran, Iran

Olinda, Brazil

Nablus, West Bank, Israel in 2011

NOW LOOKING AT THE UNITED STATES…

Chicago, IL

Gang Graffiti -- Chicago, IL

Los Angeles, CA

Gang Graffiti -- LA

Detroit, Michigan

NYC

NYC – (some of this dates back to the 1970s)

Piedmont Park – Atlanta, GA

Unknown – emerged within the deficit scare in 2011

Gay Rights – Graffiti, California (The Civil Rights Movement of the 21st century)

THE PROJECT

• Option 1: Pick a group (no more than 3 people) and create a graffiti design using brown butcher paper, colored pencil, sharpie and markers that illustrates a political or social issue.

• Option 2 : Do the same thing above but individually.

• Option 3: Write a research paper -- “Is Graffiti Art?” Use 3 points that support your argument. Must be 8 pages and include 4 sources.

EXAMPLES OF POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES…

• Censorship

• Gender Issues (Feminism, Gay rights, etc.)

• Religion

• Race Issues

• Violence (teen bullying, gang, domestic)

• Government

• Education

• Healthcare

• Job market/Job security

• Corporate Greed

• Youth Rights

• Graffiti itself