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Rikki, this was a great read! You brought up a lot of points that I hadn’t even thought about! 

I like how you stressed that anonymity is why graffiti can be such a good platform for opinion expression. I hadn’t even considered that until I read your post and realized how true it is. People are often scared to express their opinions because they might have a different take on things and don’t want to be judged, or maybe they’ve always wanted to say something but have been too scared of the repercussions. This “no-strings-attached” graffiti mentality means that people can finally express unpopular opinions and say things that have been on their mind or need to be said. And then in turn, like you said, this can inspire discussions and interactions surrounding the issues brought up. 

The one thing I’m wondering about is if hate graffiti happens because it is all anonymous. Do you think that graffiti could be encouraging hate crime? If these hateful ideas had consequences do you think they would have been expressed at all? I honestly have no idea. If the people who have these negative opinions weren’t given an anonymous platform to encourage them, would they just find some other way to express them?

Another good point you brought up (and that I never realized) looked at why real estate value increases when public art is present in an area. Everyone wants to feel accepted, so it makes sense that living in a community where there is evidence of opinions being expressed and respected would be ideal. 

I loved your ideas on how negative graffiti can have positive outcomes as well. The fact that the group opposing the hate may develop a stronger desire to make right of the situation and join together to do something about it could mean that the negative thoughts are suppressed. Could this possibly create a kind of war between the making and taking down of hate graffiti though? 

Thanks so much for the post and for opening my mind to a lot of new ideas :)

Rose 

Prompt 8: Ending Taboo and Bringing Out the Best

Before I took this course, all I knew about was how graffiti can be impactful for individuals, as a form of self-expression and self-discovery. However, over the course of this class, I have learned that graffiti can actually have a much larger effect on the world as a whole and can be impactful to society in many ways.

( Image found at http://boredbug.com/15-controversial-street-art-pieces-banksy/ )

           One of the post attractive things about graffiti for a lot of artists is that it functions as an anonymous platform for people to be free to express themselves and their opinions. It can function as an opportunity to talk about many issues and topics that are normally considered taboo, or too risky to talk about. This can include political views, human rights issues, and anything else. Graffiti brings these issues into the light and forces people to think and talk about the issues, reflect on them, and address the issues and how to fix them.  The first step to becoming better as a society is learning to recognise our flaws, and graffiti can help us see them and begin to become better.

           In a previous class, we discussed how the presence of street art can increase the property values within a neighbourhood. Public art makes people want to get out and see it and makes people proud of their neighbourhood. Getting out helps people communicate and get to know the other people around them. Additionally, it may make people in the area feel freer to express themselves, encouraged by the free expressions of the artists. This can provide a sense of belonging, creating a stronger community, and encourage people to speak up for what they believe in and start trying to create positive change. This kind of healthy, open environment that graffiti can create is one people want to be in, and that is the reason why neighbourhoods with graffiti are considered more desirable.

(Image found at http://www.valleyrecord.com/news/game-of-tags-vandals-target-public-property-as-fast-as-state-can-cover-it-up/ )

           Finally, something that has been brought up multiple times in class is how the impact “negative” graffiti can have is not necessarily always negative. In cases where especially offensive graffiti has been created, whether it be a racist, sexist, or otherwise discriminatory message, people have banded together voluntarily to remove the art as quickly as possible. Even in less extreme cases, groups like our guest speaker, Paul’s, voluntarily get together to clean messy, low-quality graffiti off small businesses that are negatively impacted by it. This is done for no other reason than that these people think it is the right thing to do. These examples show that even in the worst-case scenarios of graffiti, it can draw people together and bring out the best in them, driving them to try and improve the world around them and make it a better place.

           From bringing sensitive issues into the light and allowing them to be talked about, to contributing to the connectedness and free expression in communities, to drawing people together over a mutual desire to better their community, graffiti has a huge impact on society and on the betterment of it.

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Can Public Art Really Have An Impact?

To assess how graffiti can be impactful in society, we should start by realizing that all art has the ability to influence. Asides from adding an aesthetic appeal to an area, public art can be particularly influential because of its accessibility, the messages it spreads and the interactions it encourages.

At the beginning of our course, we were asked how we felt about art galleries. The general conclusion was that, for a lot of us, they can feel exclusive, and  visiting them can feel like an activity only done by a specific group of people. In my eyes at least, paying and taking the time to see art seems like something that is done by an older, upper-class population. Although this is not necessarily true, these thoughts are enough to make me turned off of going to art galleries. So, although art shown in this way might be very impactful for those who see it, the problem is that there is a lack of people who do see it, and possibly a lack of diversity in the people seeing it as well. 

Art galleries can often feel exclusive. Retrieved from: https://brocku.ca/brock-news/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Memories-exhibit.jpg

In contrast, public art has the power to be very impactful because it can be viewed by anyone in a community. It can also be accessed by a larger quantity of people. Anyone who walks, drives, or bikes down a street with graffiti will see it whether that was their intention or not. So what does this mean? It means that the ideas expressed by public art are exposed to everyone, not just those who go out of their way to see it. Depending on the content it displays, public art therefore has the ability to impact an entire society.

So in what ways can it be used for society’s betterment? An obvious way is in the spreading of positive messages. A lot of people struggle with mental health issues or simply feel down on occasion, and public art that displays a happy message or positive words can have a hugely positive impact on a person. In a well-exposed area of a city, a message like this can bring up the mood of many people who might not have even known they needed a pick-me-up.

Positive messages can make a person’s day. Retrieved from: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/69/42/32/6942329b35b621556e523a2f00fdb5ab.jpg

We are all familiar with Banksy’s work by now. He’s arguably the most famous graffiti artist of all time, and this is largely due to the fact that his beautiful artwork has hidden messages that bring light to important topics. As an example, the mural he made relating to the jailed Turkish artist, Zehra Dogan, had a political message about unfair imprisonment. It was a simplistic and massive piece, bound to attract attention and strike up conversation. I had never before heard of Zehra Dogan’s story, but if I were to see it somewhere, it would definitely catch my attention and I would look into the matter more. This spreading of awareness is very important if we want changes to happen in our world. The only way that unjust circumstances can be dealt with is to raise awareness about them, as changes happen if the pressure to change increases. 

Other artwork by Banksy include, among others, messages about the depressing reality of becoming a fast-paced adult. This particular piece shows a child standing under colourful rain while a business man rushes angrily by under an umbrella. Banksy also made a statement about the need for stopping war by showing a masked man throwing flowers instead of bombs, and created a painting of a business man holding a sign saying “0% interest in people”, alluding to the fact that people who say they want to help you often just want to make money. Highlighting these issues can all contribute to the betterment of society by increasing interest in current issues and making people want things to change.

One of Banksy’s influential masterpieces. Retrieved from: https://assets.change.org/photos/5/ay/kp/BYaykPuIgxUuheH-800x450-noPad.jpg

In addition to raising awareness about social injustice, public art can be made with the intention of educating people. Just a few weeks ago at our school, a train carriage was set up as a replica of one that took people to Auschwitz during the second world war. Inside the carriage, which was located in the centre of campus, were photos and texts about the progression and effects of the holocaust. The carriage had a somber presence but was very intriguing, and I saw many people go in to check it out. Because the holocaust happened so long ago, a lot of people are not very educated about the topic and this was a perfect way to inform them. It is so important that we remember what happened and realize the destruction that can come with directing hate towards a group of people, which is similar to what Trump is doing right now with the Muslim community. We must learn from our past mistakes and recognize the red flags so we can avoid another catastrophe.

Another idea that we learned about in class was the initiative on campus to bring awareness to sexual assault. It involved placing pin wheels on a lawn that represented the amount of people who were victims of sexual assault on campus. The sheer number of pinwheels was meant to be an overwhelming sight that would draw awareness to the topic and make people realize how big of an issue this was. Rather than going to a museum or fair with the purpose of learning about a subject, in which people have to willingly do, public art creates an opportunity for everyone to learn something quickly and without having to plan for it.

U of G uses public art to convey a message. Retrieved from: https://wellness.uoguelph.ca/education/sites/uoguelph.ca.wellness/files/public/pinwheels-SAFE.jpg

Finally, public art connects people in a community. This can be through physical interactions or through voicing thoughts. For example, people often use graffiti as a platform to share their opinions because it might feel like the only way to be heard. It can give people a voice. When people who might never otherwise talk to a group of people like the ones who made the art see their messages, they are introduced to a very different view point. This may change their way of thinking and their stance on a subject. This can make society as a whole much more open-minded and considerate in the thoughts they have and the actions they take. 

Additionally, public art can encourage interactions between people of different wakes of life. There’s a popular wave of musical public art that involves painted pianos being placed in random areas with anyone allowed to play. I’ve seen kids, older people, business people, teenagers etc, being excited by the idea and trying their hand at the instrument. People who would never normally interact are brought together in this case by music and it’s a beautiful thing. Relationships can be created by art.

Although graffiti and informal art is such a controversial topic, I am so glad it exists. Even though some of it can have negative effects, the majority is harmless. In fact, it has the possibility to be very influential and promote discussion, equality, and open-mindedness in society.

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Loved this! You perfectly highlighted the main difficulties that come with graffiti clean-up: that people have very strong opinions on whether it’s good or bad so it’s hard to make everyone happy. I liked the points you brought up surrounding how to deal with this issue, because if you simply remove all graffiti you’re only making one side of the argument happy. To make the other side happy, I agree that it’s important to let some of the nicer graffiti remain where it is because there is nothing negative that comes from it and it can even be a positive thing in a community in terms of its artistic value. That being said, removing poorly done graffiti is also a great idea to please the other demographic. The only difficulty here might be in deciding which graffiti is good and which is bad. Everyone has different opinions on things, with some tagging being artistic and some “art” being poorly done. Is there a way you can think of that could be an easy way for committees to make this decision? Could they involve the public in helping decide? The graffiti deterring paint that you brought up is soooo cool! I had no idea it existed, I haven’t seen anyone else bring it up and it sounds like a perfect way for small businesses to make graffiti removal easier if they are really against having it on their walls. Do you think people would be willing to spend money on these kind of preventative measures? I also love your idea about having a committee that organizes for people to get volunteer hours from graffiti clean ups. If this could be advertised in schools I’m sure it would be a really popular idea, it seems like a lot more fun than some other gigs and I definitely would have enjoyed doing it. These are both great ways to save money as well. Thanks for the great post!

Dealing with the Grey Areas

Addressing the topic of graffiti within communities proves to be controversial, as many citizens tend to have conflicting opinions towards it.

On one hand, there are those who enjoy seeing graffiti in their city and feel as though it contributes positively to the area where it is found. Conversely, many people view it solely as vandalism, and would prefer that it is eradicated altogether. Essentially, these outlooks boil down to those who identify graffiti as street art, and those who perceive it as vandalism.

Finding a compromise between both sides of the argument may prove to be a challenge, but I believe that there could be a solution that citizens could agree upon.

(Image from https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/art-crime/0/steps/11888)

In regards to what graffiti should be removed within a city, I think that this really depends on its content. I think that if it is offensive or hateful by any means, it needs to be removed.

I do not necessarily believe that all tags or simply poorly-done, visually displeasing graffiti warrant removal, however this depends on on their location and the budget of the removal. For example, if a tag was found on a business owner’s property and they did not want it there, it should be removed. If the same piece was found on public property, it may not be a great enough issue to spend time, money and resources to remove it.

If the piece is visually appealing, or has a positive message and thought put into it, I think if the location of the piece is suitable, it should remain there as it does not have a negative impact on the city.

(Image from https://www.widewalls.ch/is-graffiti-art-or-vandalism/)

I believe that for property owners who are strongly against any forms of graffiti being placed on their walls, it is their responsibility to pay for it to be removed.

 If there is not already graffiti on their walls, they could apply a barrier coating to their walls. Barrier coatings are clear coatings which lead to extremely easy cleanup of graffiti, and are typically cost-friendly and safe to use. When applied, graffiti can be removed by high pressure rinse of hot water on the walls (https://www.reliableplant.com/Read/8967/graffiti).

 Though this would still require time, money and energy, it would use a lot less by preventing the graffiti rather than removing it after it is already there.

(Image from https://www.sherwin-williams.com/painting-contractors/business-builders/paint-technology-and-application/sw-article-pro-antigraffiticoa)

For public areas, I believe that if the graffiti is to be removed, it should be funded by the city’s municipal government. In order to minimize the costs, there could be a committee in charge of the removal that allows those who need to obtain community service or volunteer hours to dedicate their time to removing it. By regulating the graffiti through volunteers, the budget for removing the graffiti would only need to be spent on the products required to do so, as the actual process would be done by volunteers.

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To Remove Or Not To Remove

Since graffiti takes on so many different forms, addressing its presence in a community should be a flexible and individualized process, and one that the community itself has a say in.

I think that without a doubt if a person is caught doing graffiti, they should be the ones to pay for its removal, but only if that’s what the property owners want. If the graffiti is a hate crime, there should be legal action taken for promoting hateful ideology. In other cases, I don’t think it should be treated as criminal activity because it can undoubtedly be a positive addition to a community.

Communities should have a say in the graffiti that is present. Retrieved from: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/resizer/QZqvnJno1kMBBeKNkv8L5VGRmqY=/1200x0/filters:quality(80)/arc-anglerfish-tgam-prod-tgam.s3.amazonaws.com/public/LEEZ3QQ2I5FXVOGKCLD4HFA2OI

The issue becomes a lot more complex because most graffiti makers are never caught, and other people must pay for its removal. In the case of this “hate graffiti”, I think the government should be responsible for getting rid of it because it can make citizens feel unsafe and targeted. Even profanity and offensive images may be disturbing to community members (i.e. families), and should be considered for removal using taxpayer money. I think a really good way to monitor and assess the urgency of removing new graffiti would be to have a website where community members can report negative graffiti, and others can vote on whether they want it there. This removal process could even be a job opportunity or a volunteer gig, much like Paul Deacon’s current volunteer group, with groups hired to tackle different areas where removals are wanted. Another method of deciding what to remove would be to develop a grading criteria in order to easily assess the appropriateness of the graffiti and its need for removal by these groups.

Hate graffiti stems from negative intentions should not be tolerated. Retrieved from: https://shawglobalnews.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/geoocalhate1-e1467672103676.jpg

In terms of graffiti that is not hateful, such as political messages and art, I believe removal should be left up to the decision of property owners. As unfortunate as it is if the owner is not happy with the graffiti on their property, if it’s not hateful then at least it’s not a threat to the community. It’s apparent through our class discussions that a lot of people support certain types of graffiti, so in my opinion having it all taken away would be a crime in itself. Graffiti can add a huge richness to a space, especially to an otherwise very plain setting. This is an idea that even H&M recognizes, with their use of informal wall art as a background for selling their products. Graffiti is also a medium through which locals can have their voices heard and their thoughts expressed. There are real artists in the field and covering up the work they do would be devastating for them and for the community that supports them. The website idea I earlier proposed would be a good way to determine which graffiti is important to the community and which is unwanted, since it’s the people who use the space that are directly affected.

An example of positive graffiti that should not be a criminal offence. Retrieved from https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4314/35634747260_dd53f37db5_b.jpg

The problem still lies that certain areas are more prone to graffiti, and after covering them up they could simply be repainted. To address this issue, I love the idea of commissioning pieces to be created in these areas, to deter other unsightly work from being done over top. This is also a way for emerging artists to be recognized, and the city could pay them as part of its arts budget. It would ensure that the wall art being done is of high quality, and is a way to keep everyone happy. 

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Wow, I honestly loved hearing about your perspective and thoughts on this course because you have such a unique stance on things! I think most people are under the impression that graffiti is viewed negatively, but the fact that you always saw it in a positive light and even know how to do it (and taught it?) is soo cool. I had no idea they even had lessons for it. Sounds fun - it’s kind of tempting!

You did a really good job of incorporating our course content into your post as well and I’m so happy that the guest speakers were able to show you that other side of the argument. For me the thing that really stood out was when Paul Deacon came to talk to us and brought up the point that, regardless of if the graffiti is nice to look at or not, the fact that it’s done without permission is what can make it a negative thing. The second you get permission to change the look of someone’s property then there’s nothing wrong with it, but I can imagine that it being done without the owner’s knowledge or consent would be frustrating. Especially because it’s so expensive to clean up. I also had a more positive opinion on graffiti before this class, but after hearing that I can definitely understand why people get upset about it.

What’s your opinion now on graffiti? Do you think it’s okay if it’s done on private property? Or on public property? Is there a moral difference based on who owns the wall? I’m honestly still deciding. Thanks for the great post!!

Prompt 6: The Other Side

I would say I have more experiences with graffiti than the average person. I took my first class on graffiti in the tenth grade, and it taught me how to create graffiti and other forms of street art, as well as the meaning, importance, and culture behind it. I taught graffiti for a while after that too. I met several experienced, professional graffiti artists, and I became really close with the world of graffiti. But something that became obvious to me was that I was only really close with one little part of that world. The only exposure I had ever had with graffiti was very positive. I only saw graffiti as an art form, a culture and a community. I had trouble empathizing with people who saw it as a bad thing, whether it was vandalism, a nuisance, or a threat to their health and safety. I just couldn’t understand that at all.

               I realized that that was a huge problem. I felt that if I couldn’t understand both sides of the story, I didn’t really know about the world of street art at all. I couldn’t really understand what graffiti was and what it meant if I didn’t have the full picture.

(My favourite graffiti piece, on my walk home from high school. Found on google maps)

               When I saw this course offered under the list of first year seminar topics, I was initially excited because graffiti was something familiar, and something I was passionate about. But I also realized that this could be an opportunity to get that other side of the story that I wished I had. The most important thing I wanted out of this class was to learn to see the side of the other people graffiti was impacting – the police, and the people who had to clean it up, and even the business owners who street art affects.

               I’m really happy to say that I think I got exactly that. Obviously, the guest speakers were a huge part of this. I think when the first guest speaker came in and talked about why he does what he does, cleaning up the graffiti around the city, and how it affects the real people who own the businesses and the buildings, was the first time I really got it. I was finally able to empathize with these people and the trouble that street art caused them. And I think it made me a lot more open-minded towards the whole thing.

               But the guests weren’t the most important part of this course in getting the other opinions I wanted, and this kind of surprised me. The thing I got the most from, in my opinion, was reading everyone’s blog posts every week. I’m astounded by how diverse everyone’s opinions are on graffiti and street art. I don’t think there are any two students who have written the same post for any of the prompts or had the exact same opinions on everything. Every single person here had something unique to say about street art, and I think that more than anything has helped make street art so much mire multi-dimensional in my eyes.

               I don’t think anyone’s first thought when they think about the best place to learn about graffiti is a classroom setting, but I have to say, the things I learned about the perspectives of everyone in class and the different things street art can mean and be, I don’t think I could have gotten that anywhere else. For that reason, I am so happy I decided to take this course. I don’t think very many other classes have ever given me such an opportunity to expand my own thinking and challenge my own beliefs, and really try to learn from my peers, and I am so grateful for that.

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A Tour of Public Art in 4 Iberian Cities

Madrid. Lisbon. Córdoba. Valencia.

Madrid was my home last year, but when I traveled to the other three cities, they immediately struck me as stunningly artistic and unlike any cities I’d seen before. Lisbon and Valencia were brimming with murals, Madrid boasted pockets of wall art and tree blankets in various neighbourhoods and Córdoba had the most flower-pot-lined walls I’ve ever seen. 

Since the artwork I saw there is what inspired me to join this course, I felt like I should dedicate at least one post to it. Before my year abroad, I hadn’t thought much about graffiti. It didn’t bother me by any means, but I never pondered over its morality or artistic possibilities. It was simply expected in urban areas. Living on my own for the first time in a foreign place meant that I was always looking around, trying to absorb everything I could. This hyper-awareness made me notice details that I normally wouldn’t, and I gained a great appreciation for the beauty of the places I visited and the graffiti I saw.

Stencil wall art in Seville, Spain.

MADRID.

Let’s start with my home base. Madrid is a massive, bustling city and my host family’s apartment was in a prime location - only 10 minutes from the city centre and located between two funky neighbourhoods. There was scattered graffiti in these parts, and large murals and crocheted post coverings in other neighbourhoods. I found one art initiative in particular really interesting. About midway through my time there, I started noticing uniquely painted, life-size sculptures of a woman with a hoop skirt and bob haircut in different places around the city. As I later discovered, these figurines were based off of a famous painting called “Las Meninas” and various artists had been recruited to paint them by answering the question, “What is Madrid for you?”. They were then placed throughout the city and I would run into a new one almost every day. There were always people taking photos with them, perfectly demonstrating how art can bring people together.

A “Las Meninas” sculpture on my street in Madrid, Spain.

LISBON.

When my parents visited me, they took me on a trip to Portugal. In Lisbon in particular, there was an immense amount of graffiti. This was the first thing I noticed walking around, and is what distinguished it from other cities I had been to. The wall art would often be so dense that you couldn’t make out the original wall. It was also very diverse and beautiful, and ranged from tagging to doodles to artistic masterpieces covering entire buildings. Along with the old fashioned streetcars and wires overhead, the streets of Lisbon looked so urban and distinct that they were a touristic attraction in themselves. In all of its sunny urban artsiness, Lisbon had such a fun vibe and I think the graffiti played a large part in building its character.

Busy Graffiti in Lisbon, Portugal

CORDOBA.

What I noticed in Córdoba wasn’t graffiti, but I would consider it another kind of public art. Almost every street you walked along was adorned with flowers of some kind - often in pots that were nailed to the walls. The majority of the downtown streets were pedestrian-only as well, and this mix made the city such an adorable and friendly place to wander around in. I visited Cordoba in late May and art the time there was a patio festival going on. Citizens with garden patios could make their gardens available to the public in a city-wide celebration, which had people following a map and enjoying the beautiful home displays of flowers and gardens. Although this maybe isn’t what you’d typically think of as art, there is so much beauty in nature that it can be an art in itself, which is something that the city seems to value.

Flower pots hanging on a wall in Cordoba, Spain. This was not a rare sight, the city had flowers everywhere!

VALENCIA.

I traveled to Valencia by myself on a weekend trip, and on my walk through the old areas between the bus stop and my hostel, I was in awe of all the wall art I saw. Almost every wall was covered with murals rather than tags, and the quality of the work was what made the city really stand out from the others. The first street I walked down had what seemed to be commissioned pieces done for the Red Cross and were incredibly realistic and well done. Further along my walk I passed by a mini “cat hotel”, fully decked out with doors and windows with a cat hole in the middle leading to a little garden. Closer towards the city centre, the work became more abstract and political. This was by far the most stunning and picturesque graffiti I have ever seen. 

Red Cross graffiti in Valencia.

So what can be taken from all of this? Although I wanted to stray from conclusions about the morality of graffiti in this post, I’d like to stress how it can undeniably add a lot to a city, both visually and with its positive impact on the bringing-together of communities. I would say that in these cities especially, the graffiti played a large role in making them unique. If graffiti was always removed from walls, we would miss out on seeing an artists valuable opinions and ideas and we would lose some of our cities’ defining features. 

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I definitely agree with you that mental health is one of the biggest issues we face at university, especially in this day and age. The amount of people who I would never expect to be struggling and then share that they’re dealing with depression or anxiety is crazy. 

I mostly want to talk about how you brought up the impact that social media is having on our elevated distress because it is such a good point. I can personally relate so much. Whenever I see people posting pictures of themselves having a good time I feel like they’re happier than me, living a better life than me, have more friends than I do, etc, etc, and I instantly feel down. The anxiety that comes with needing to “live up” to this expectation we’ve created for ourselves and needing to post pictures of ourselves looking like we have perfect lives creates so much unnecessary negativity and stress. Maybe this need to appear “perfect” to other people relates to why it can be hard to open up about mental health issues.

Do you feel like if we all deleted our social media apps or were all living in a time before the internet, the majority of us would be happier?

Social media in reality just shows a snippet of someone’s life that is often posed and not reflective of reality at all. In fact, they’re more than likely dealing with some kind of mental health issues and making themselves seem popular or fun to the rest of the world as a way of coping. Do you think the reason why people are experiencing more mental health problems right now is solely due to the rise of social media? Or do you think there’s another contributing factor as to why we could be seeing an increase in anxiety and depression? Could there also be more pressure on us now to, for example, get good grades because of the increasing population/competition?

Thanks so much for sharing, loved the post :)

“I’m not ok”

The message I feel University of Guelph students need to know is the awareness of mental health. This time period we are in, mental health is very prone and a lot of people go through it. Although I feel it is not talked about enough.

Mental health is an issue that not just one type of person goes through it or one age group, everyone can have issues with it. I feel it is important to make it aware and to be talking about it so people can get help or not be afraid of talking to someone. A lot of people have difficulties with it and they end up not wanting to get help and just end up trying to suppress the emotions they are going through, which in the end it ends up getting worse. So people need to get a message out so people feel comfortable talking about what they are going through.

My previous blog post was about not giving people labels and accepting them for who they are and not judging them, which I feel ties into mental health because if we are all labeling people that is creating an environment where people will be scared to talk about and express their emotions, which then again will make people not feel comfortable with sharing what they are going through and then the mental health can get worse when it is not talked about.

 The way in which I would like to propose my message in graffiti and informal art is by, putting around the city of Guelph meaningful words, for example saying like believe in yourself, stay strong, your beautiful and more, I feel when people see things like that and even when I see things like that it brightens my day and shows me that other people in this world care for me. I feel mental health has gotten worse for the time period we are in and I believe millennials get hit by mental health the hardest because there is so much social media now, and so many people are so consumed by it. People on social media post the things people want to see like all the good times in their lives which makes people envy other people’s lifestyles which then mental health issues occur because they do not have to same life or do not look like a certain person.

The Idea about mental health is that you can hide it and not till you look a different way you can see it https://mymodernmet.com/mental-health-art/

By getting my message across I would have these pieces of informal art to be visible to the public, something that is not to big that it takes up a whole wall although something that is big enough to see when your walking passed or even driving passed, and also I would want it to be very bright in colour, because I tend to find something that has a lot of colour tends to make someone feel happy before even reading what was written. I feel with all these ideas and the message being said I feel people will be able to get the message quick with not having to think to hard or read a lot, although with little words still be able to feel the impact and get the message being displayed. Mental health is a huge issue going on in society and most likely on the campus of Guelph it is something that needs to be talked about so people can get help.

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“Doubt Kills More Dreams Than Failure Ever Will.”

-Suzy Kassem

This simple statement for me, means so so much.

And I know I’m not alone in needing to learn from it.

I have a friend who dropped 4 out of 5 of their classes because they couldn’t handle the stress. I have a few friends who failed one or two of their midterms and spent the next several days depressed and unable to focus. I have another friend who dropped out of U of G completely just a few weeks ago. I, myself, am writing this blog post two days late because I doubted myself and gave up before I started.

All of these situations share something in common. The negative consequence that a “failure” provoked was so much worse than the actual failure, and so much worse than it needed to be. In a society so focused on success and hard work, how are we supposed to feel if we weren’t able to put in hard work? How are we supposed to feel if we fail?

I’m honestly so impressed by U of G’s initiative to better mental health. I constantly see posters around my residence with inspirational quotes and with information about the various ways you can get help if you struggle with a mental illness. However, I also know that academic stress and feeling “stupid” in a demographic of intellectuals can hugely impact your mood and success, even if you’re not diagnosed with a clinical disorder. 

An example of the University of Guelph’s mental health initiatives. Retrieved from: https://dynamicmedia.zuza.com/zz/m/original_/d/d/dda843ea-9b1f-465b-b87e-fb3f39084bb9/DSC_1092_W___Super_Portrait.jpg

I think a really important message that Guelph students need to hear is that failures are not the end of the world. We focus so much on preventing failures with various academic help sessions, but there is no one to help you if it’s too late. If you already failed the test. If your assignment is already overdue. If you did poorly on your paper. Seeing the message “work hard” suddenly changes from inspirational to patronizing. 

Often, these setbacks make us feel incapable of accomplishing our goals, and the doubt we experience is what actually ruins us.

In an academically stressful environment like university, I think it’s so important that we talk about failures openly, share ways to push past them, and make it very clear that they are not the end. This issue has been a very personal struggle of mine for as long as I can remember. The second I get one grade I’m not happy with, I doubt myself, give up on myself, and everything falls apart. I personally need something to help remind me that the only thing stopping me from getting where I want to be is my own doubt.

So what is the best way to get this message across? 

In my last blog post I talked about how a little doodle inscribed all over the world created hope. I also saw examples of graffiti that spread hope by simply having uplifting messages. In order to share inspirational messages with students at U of G, these messages need to be written in areas where many people will see them and in enough places that they are seen many times. 

I think the school should have quotes about failure posted around campus on banners at times of heavy stress, like during exams and midterms. Not only would these messages encourage people to persevere after a setback, but they would also make people realize that they are not alone in how they are feeling. To be seen by the most amount of students possible, I think it would be great to put these banners outside test-writing sites, in the library, near buses and around residences.  

An example of an inspirational quote posted in a building at a university (imagine this, but written on a banner or poster so it’s temporary). Retrieved from: https://mu.oregonstate.edu/sites/mu.oregonstate.edu/files/feature-story/img_8177.jp

Some examples of my favourite quotes (and ones that could be used on school-wide banners) are as follows:

“I failed in some subjects in exam, but my friend passed in all. Now he is an engineer in Microsoft and I am the owner of Microsoft.” - Bill Gates

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” - Winston Churchill

“Giving up on your goal because of one setback is like slashing your other three tires because you got one flat.” - unknown

“Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up.” - Chinese Proverb

“You try. You fail. You try. You fail. But the only true failure is when you stop trying.” – Madame Leota

and, of course,

“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” - Suzy Kassem

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I LOVE those little free libraries!! 

I completely forgot about them before you mentioned them but I remember the year they started popping up and how exciting it was, haha. My mom and I used to go around checking out all the books even if we never took any home. And I definitely agree with you that it’s public art - even if it’s not painted! We have friends who built one on their front lawn and they always look like birdhouses or cute mailboxes, so they’re at least artistic on an architectural level! You could always argue that the books inside them are literary art as well ;) 

I like that you brought up how these pieces are prevalent in places with a good sense of community because it just further shows the correlation between public art and strong communities. I think public art is sooo important in bringing people together, especially with something as interactive as this. Even though the libraries you talked about are mostly intended for kids based on the bright colours, they stir up conversations in people of all ages and add a little happiness to your day. Can you think of another type of interactive display that neighbourhoods could install as a way to connect people in the area? Something like the anyone-can-play pianos? Maybe something to do with creating art? It would be amazing for a residential area to be packed with these kinds of things.

Just as a side note because I’m kind of sad I didn’t write about this instead... There was another fad a little while ago in my neighbourhood where people would build fairy houses in the nooks of trees at various parks. One by my house was fully decked out with hinged doors, furniture, and fairy caricatures. It was adorable. Did the fairy houses show up in Ottawa too?? 

Cute Art for Cute Families in Cute Places

A form of informal public art I find particularly provocative would be the Little Library Project that has be adopted around the world, including my own city, Ottawa. It might not hold this title across the globe but the concept is exactly the same wherever you go, a sweetly decorated box is displayed in a residential neighbourhood or maybe even in a more industrial area, holding books to be exchanged and later read. The concept is similar to the take a penny, leave a penny idea. A project like this might not be what people immediately think of when coming up with examples of informal public art but I think the whole idea is that it’s subjective. A lot of effort is usually put into the decoration of the display cases, adding a sense of wholesomeness and friendliness to the surrounding community.  

The look like they came from a fairy tale!

I like the way they are engaging to kids as well as older people, I think informal public art should always be this inclusive. It might seem as though this is more of an initiative to get people to read more than informal public art but I think it’s both. They’re put in areas of high foot traffic and have a specific aesthetic quality. They’re also not a government-official city art project with a specific structure and function related to city “success”. If an area wants something to foster community and stimulate residents visually and later intellectually, they just drop one down so long as its welcome by the property owner. 

The effect these little libraries have on me and I’m sure others, is a heartwarming and generally uplifting experience. When randomly coming across one on a walk or commute, I always smile and look inside. I don’t usually have anything to exchange but it’s always nice to see what new or different that day. They’re just one of those things that make a neighbourhood a little extra welcoming and community-oriented. 

This one is from a neighbourhood in Ottawa I visited often. It’s one of the things all the families in the area are connected to and appreciate. This neighbourhood is known for its especially strong community, they have events like dances, organized charity initiatives and sporting events all within the one area. I think little things like this really contribute to the reputation. 

It’s really an opportunity for an artist to clearly communicate with a group of people through the decoration of the display. Whatever they want people to feel when they come across it, people probably will. Bright flowers, images of peace/love or nature are all things that will take people’s minds off of any negativity they might be thinking of or struggling with.  

This box really illustrates a particular artist’s style, an almost cartoonish illustration, showing kids playing and what looks like two friends talking about their days. This one is in the UK so they really are all around. 

I think everyone can appreciate these instalments but I think they would resonate more with families with young kids because they are the ones typically out and about during the day, experiencing things like this that neighbourhoods have to offer. 

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Finding Kilroy

(Prompt #4)

Do you recognize this graffiti tag?

The Kilroy tag on a Washington Monument. Image retrieved from: https://images.mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/mf_image_16x9/public/kilroy.jpg

If you don’t, it’s likely because Kilroy had his prime days nearly 80 years ago, in the 1940s. The little guy is no Banksy masterpiece, but he’s still one of the most influential graffiti tags to date. 

I visited Washington with my parents a little while ago and the sketch was mentioned on a walking tour we did. It’s not the art itself that resonates with me, but rather the history behind it and how it was able to connect people all across the world in a time well before the internet. To understand its significance, here’s a quick little history lesson...

Throwback to early on in the second world war:

Tensions between the Axis Powers and the Allies were high, and the US set up many factories across the country to produce military machinery - a big industry being the production of ships. At one particular shipyard in Massachusetts, James J. Kilroy worked as a ship inspector. His job entailed thoroughly inspecting the inside and outside of ship tanks, with the amount of inspections he completed determining his pay.

Frustratingly enough, he was often made to do the tedious inspection a second time when his supervisors didn’t believe he had already done it. One day he angrily drew a doodle with the words “Kilroy was here” on the ship’s hull after inspecting it as evidence of his work in order to avoid looking over it again. The tactic worked, and soon he signed all of his inspected ships in the same way.

When these ships sailed across the ocean to the war zones in Europe, historians believe that soldiers of the Allied forces saw Kilroy’s signature and decided to carry on the legacy. In a sense, Kilroy “went viral”. Certain GIs began inscribing it at various war-related sites across Europe, Asia and Africa. The symbol quickly became known to the Allies, showing up at every location first and finding itself in the most hard-to-reach places.

For the Allied soldiers, the “Kilroy was Here” doodle did more than provide something to laugh about. Seeing the simple yet comforting image in a scary place made soldiers know they were not alone and created a sense of unity that started to symbolize the Allies’ success (it meant a well-inspected ship, after all). For the Allied soldiers in world war 2, Kilroy symbolized hope.

Artistic representation of a soldier recreating the Kilroy tag. Image retrieved from: http://cdn3.upsocl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/1200-22.jpg

Crazy, right? Maybe I’m too interested in world war history, but I find it so inspiring that a little drawing could have such a big impact on so many people. What resonated with me about this graffiti piece is its implications about the effect that public art can have on communities.

Public art has the ability of connecting many people from different many wakes of life. There’s something really meaningful about standing right where an artist stood and seeing the physical paint that they themselves put there - something that social media can never offer us. Knowing that people before you stood in the same spot and pondered over the art in the same way makes you realize how similar we all are and makes you feel a connection to people who you’ve never even met. 

Take Graffiti Alley as an example. Everyone is there for the same reason - to appreciate the art. When I went there, I felt like all of these strangers and I shared a beautiful connection. Maybe I’m overthinking things, but I felt like we all bonded in our realization of our similarities surrounding our interest in the art. Making eye contact with them felt like a non-verbal agreement of appreciation for the place, kind of like saying, “yeah, you too?”.

In the case of tagging, specifically with Kilroy’s tag, graffiti makes the world seem like such a small place. Knowing about Kilroy and knowing about his legacy if you were a soldier in the war would make it that much more exciting to find his tag somewhere. We all know about Banksy, and how he’s built up fame, and I’m sure we’d all be excited to come across one of his artworks in the flesh. Even with the simple “Toad” and “Cannuck” tags in Guelph, knowing about them beforehand and knowing the artist was in all of these different locations that you’ve been in makes the whole thing feel kind of like a game. In a sense, it’s like being “in” on an inside joke. 

In Kilroy’s case, this inside joke was so much more emotionally impactful in a time when people needed it. Kilroy managed to create a sense of togetherness when there was nothing but separation and destruction all around him. Who knows - maybe his funny face even played a role in winning the war.

References:

https://www.livescience.com/7577-kilroy-changed-world.html

http://mentalfloss.com/article/51249/whats-origin-kilroy-was-here

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Hey Mark! I loved reading this - the points you brought up really made me think and you summarized the articles you found so well. 

I didn’t come across anything about Arthur Kerrey when I was researching so it was really interesting reading about him. It’s so funny how someone can be a street artist by trade but not support other people when they do the same thing without permission. It must be hard to get to a point in your artistic career where you’re paid to make public art so I’m sure for a lot of people, informal public art is the only way to pursue their passion. I also can’t believe he runs a graffiti summer camp! I would have been so down to do that as a kid. Do you think it could actually deter kids from vandalism as they get older or do you think it might be encouraging a passion that could lead to illegal activities? I personally think learning how to make art with a spray can would be more likely to encourage graffiti making later on because these kids would already possess skills with a spray can... But to each their own, haha. 

I also found that article about the Around Town Wash Down and I completely agree with where Deacon is coming from as well. Tagging adds an urban feel to a place, and not necessarily in a good way. Especially when done on private property, it seems like kind of a rude thing to do because it will cost someone money to remove. I appreciate the work he’s doing to help people who can’t pay to remove it, but how he also recognizes the beauty in other forms of graffiti. It seems like there are a lot of people who are split on the subject and appreciate graffiti in some aspects but not in others. 

You talked a lot about the diversity of Canada and Guelph and how this might alter people’s opinions on graffiti. I’m curious to hear more of your thoughts on this! Do you think that immigrants to Canada would have different views on graffiti depending on the acceptance of graffiti in the country they came from? As a whole do you think they would be more or less supportive of it? And do you think that maybe they are in fact responsible for making some of the graffiti around the city and are adding a cultural diversity to our street art? Really insightful post! Loved the info you found :)

Is there a love/hate for graffiti in Guelph?

In any town, city, or country, diversity plays a role in why people have certain beliefs. Canadian government has been increasing immigration amounts as Canada is slowly becoming one of the most diverse countries in the world. The increasing amount of diversity in Canada has fueled a broad demand for different changes across the country. Let’s zone in and focus on the town of Guelph. In fact, Guelph deploys a diversity strategy which includes goals to “Support a workforce that is reflective of the community we serve, ensure equity in our employment systems, and plan and deliver services that are reflective of our community’s interests”. With that being said, it’s fair to that Guelph’s diverse community will bring altering opinions on graffiti and informal public art.

Arthur Kerrey is a local street artist who is deeply knowledgeable with the roots of graffiti in Guelph. Kerrey states that graffiti in guelph stems from a “hip-hop” culture and includes art such as business promotion art pieces, traditional murals, stenciled art, sticker art, and even three-dimensional art. He then goes on to claim that graffiti in Guelph boils down to “fame”. Is this Kerrey supporting the works of graffiti artists who vandalise walls or is he more focused on the traditional, commissioned art? Kerrey actually runs graffiti camps for kids aiming to deter people from tagging illegally in Guelph. It seems like Kerrey has a passion for street art as long as it is commissioned and done with approval.

A person gets to try graffiti on a sectioned off wall in downtown Guelph during the Street Art Walkthrough. Image retrieved from: https://www.guelphmercury.com/community-story/8904197-guelph-graffiti-gallery-photos-of-street-art-from-downtown-street-art-walk/

There are a few instances where public art have been commissioned in Guelph to create rather large murals. I am a fan of public art, especially when it is professionally done. Since there has been commissioned public art done in Guelph, it clearly demonstrates an interest and demand from people in the community. Here are a few examples of the professional artwork done around Guelph:

Here, a beautiful mosaic masterpiece is seen in the Guelph Enabling Garden (art done by Goldie Sherman, Katrin Wolters, Barbara Guy Long, Lynn Chidwick, and various community members). This piece of art represents expressions of hope and healing from hundreds of individuals in the Guelph community. Image retrieved from: https://guelph.ca/living/arts-and-culture/public-art/public-art-collection/community-coming-together/

Here, a painted mural pays tribute to the famous carousel in Guelph which opened in 1919 - it still exists today! In 2002, Greg Elliott was commissioned to paint this piece. Image retrieved from: https://guelph.ca/living/arts-and-culture/public-art/public-art-collection/carousel-mural

These two pieces of art are some of many formal public art creations that can be found throughout Guelph. It’s important to note that the City of Guelph has a section on their website devoted to inform and promote all of the beautifully commissioned artwork. 

An interesting article appeared on Global News about a volunteer group of 20 volunteers who carried out the “Around Town Wash Down”. These volunteers tackled graffiti all over town and even used matching paint (supplied by the local business Dulux Paints) to make sure the cover ups looked professional. The people wanted to turn this into a yearly event which is yet to be seen. What’s interesting is a person named Deacon (one of the volunteers) stated he enjoyed cleaning up the graffiti, but also noticed the opportunity to spice up boring walls in Guelph with professional murals. Here, we have a volunteer covering up illegal graffiti throughout town, but still advocating for professionally done artwork. In my opinion, this is amazing - it’s the best of both worlds. The cities sloppy/illegal tags are getting taken down, while people are demanding more professional public art to create more liveliness in Guelph. I am one hundred percent on the same team as Deacon. His opinion needs to be spread throughout the city as I would love to see more murals go up in Guelph.

3 of the 20 volunteers who took part in the “Around Town Wash Down” sponsored by Dulux Paints. Image retrieved from: https://globalnews.ca/news/4290848/guelph-graffiti/

Sources:

https://guelph.ca/plans-and-strategies/diversity-strategy/

https://www.guelphmercury.com/community-story/8904197-guelph-graffiti-gallery-photos-of-street-art-from-downtown-street-art-walk/

https://globalnews.ca/news/4290848/guelph-graffiti/

https://guelph.ca/living/arts-and-culture/public-art/public-art-collection/

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The Art With A Thousand Different Forms

According to Google, graffiti is a “writing or drawing scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place”. 

Because this umbrella term covers so many different variations of art, opinions on the matter are often complicated. I personally haven’t met anyone who is against all forms of graffiti. To say that would be like saying that you hate all people who go to Western. Sure, they might go to a worse school than ours (no bias here), but they are all unique people and there’s bound to be someone there that you like. That is, of course, unless you hate people in general. If you hate art in general, I can maybe believe that you hate all forms of graffiti. 

The majority of people in Guelph have mindsets relating to this ideology. Depending on the type of graffiti, people’s opinions on the subject change.

The diversity of graffiti. Image retrieved from https://weburbanist.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Graffiti-Types-and-Styles.jpg

So who is opposed to it and who is for it? In an artsy city like Guelph, I personally have never heard of anyone scoff at graffiti that is beautiful and artistically well-made. People seem to recognize that graffiti is made from different intentions, boasts a variety of different end results and does not call for the same consequences.

The graffiti people seem to have problems with is the type that is offensive or hateful.

The welcoming mood of a place can be ruined when a hate message is scrawled nearby. Like we discussed in class, racist comments have been graffitied in Guelph recently and these messages create negative vibes, making people feel unsafe and targeted in a community that should feel homely and comfortable. Hate graffiti is made with the intention of negatively affecting people and from the simple assumption that most people are good people, I think the vast majority of Guelph is opposed to this type of graffiti. 

In terms of typical graffiti tagging, property owners with buildings prone to being “graffitied” might be against it. It can make a shop or apartment building’s walls look messy and uninviting and could negatively affect business. In addition, graffiti on private property is not cleaned up by the city and the cost of removing it can be a large financial burden. 

One group in particular aims to get rid of this type of graffiti in Guelph. The “Around Town Wash Down” is a volunteer-led group that offers to clean up graffiti tagging and profanity on private property. They contact businesses and owners of buildings with unattractive graffiti, and offer to paint over it for free. (Read more about Around Town Wash Down here.) 

Volunteers cleaning up graffiti tags on the walls of a private business. Retrieved from https://vmcdn.ca/f/files/guelphtoday/images/events/around-town-wash-down-graffiti-paint-out.jpg;w=630

Other groups that may be opposed to certain types of graffiti include families and older generations. Nobody wants their children seeing vulgar images or swear words on their way to the park, and I can imagine it being somewhat disturbing for a kid to be surrounded by that type of graffiti in a public setting. From my personal experiences talking with my grandparents and from our class discussions, the older population also seems to have a more conservative stance on the topic and holds harsher views on the acceptability of graffiti. This could be because it is still a fairly new art form. Older generations are not accustomed to it and have not had a chance to see it as more than a new form of vandalism. 

Vulgar graffiti in Guelph. Retrieved from https://vmcdn.ca/f/files/guelphtoday/images/city-of-guelph/community-projects/graffiti/20160623-graffitiblood-ro.jpg;w=960;h=640;bgcolor=000000

The people who likely support graffiti are, apart from the graffiti artists themselves, people who have an appreciation for its artistic elements.

Sarah Sullivan, a neighbourhood program coordinator, believes graffiti should not be a criminal offence and wants to work with police to create a space where youth can make informal public art to express themselves (Guelph Mercury). She sees it as a way of connecting yourself to an area and as a way of creatively expressing yourself. Even Paul Deacon, a participator in the Around Town Wash Down, states that graffiti has a bad name and thinks that a lot of the artistic graffiti in Guelph is “great” (Guelph Today). Opinions on the matter seem to all come down to the type of graffiti being made.

Guelph has already implemented a lot of ways to celebrate graffiti by hiring artists to make paintings on visible downtown walls. In addition, a guided tour of graffiti in the downtown core (Street Art Walk) was hosted as a part of the Guelph Jazz Festival a few years ago, further emphasizing the respect people have for the art. The tour involved explanations of specific pieces and of why people tag, including a history of Guelph’s art scene. In addition, the city has talked in the past about ways to legalize certain graffiti art. This would involve having designated areas as safe zones for people to freely make informal public art (Guelph Mercury). This seems like an incredibly progressive idea and a perfect example of graffiti’s newfound recognition as a legitimate art form and as a form of expression.

The “Street Art Walk”: A Tour of Downtown Guelph’s Graffiti. Retrieved from https://dynamicmedia.zuza.com/zz/m/original_/7/f/7f0bf503-ff3e-4ac0-80c0-8ad4bb7ab2e7/StreetArt18_Super_Portrait.jpg

That being said, it takes work and time to make people realize that graffiti could be an acceptable and beautiful art form. I think the best way to do this is by ensuring that the higher quality pieces are being showcased. If there is hate graffiti or unattractive, poorly-done graffiti that has no message or positivity, I think it would be beneficial to paint over it to reduce the negative stigma around the art form. At the same time, well-done graffiti would be made more obvious and visible. Another way to bring attention to the matter would be for the city to host more events where street artists can gather and publicly show their art-making process. Similar events have been held in Guelph in the past, and it seems like an amazing way to raise awareness and create excitement about the topic.

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I loved how well-written and easy-to-read this was!! I almost chose to go to Western University so it’s really interesting to hear about the city I could have lived in. I agree with a lot of your points and I honestly respect London’s view on graffiti. From that first picture it’s so apparent that not all graffiti adds an artistic flare to a city, and often just looks messy. But it can also be amazing, which it seems like London has recognized by its decision to only paint over certain, less-professional graffiti scrawl. I think London’s decision to erase some of the messy work but leave the quality art was very justifiable.

I also love that you brought up that there’s likely more than one group of people making the graffiti. I really agree with that because the quality can vary so much. There’s no way it can all be filed together and generalized when way more work has obviously been put into some of it and not into others. You also mentioned people’s motives behind making it, like doing it as an attempt at rebellion vs being passionate about the art. I think that speaks a lot about the graffiti movement in general, with the motive really determining the vandalistic aspect of it. Since there’s such a mix of thoughtful and hateful graffiti, it would be so interesting to see if there’s a difference in the graffiti between university cities and non-university cities. The student population, like you said, seems to be really progressive and I’d be curious to know if we make a portion of the progressive street art around the city.

Who does it?

In London Ontario, there is a wide array of different types of graffiti, as well as different locations where graffiti can be found throughout the city. This extensive variety of vandalism and street art that all fall under the same category of graffiti leads me to believe that there are several demographics of people in the city that install informal public art.

The first demographic of people that I believe practice graffiti in London are younger teens, who may not be doing it to share art, but rather to try to rebel against the system. This is who I think is responsible for the vulgar words and images spray painted on signs, schools, and throughout skate parks in different neighbourhoods. Growing up, I remember walking throughout the area of my city that I live in and seeing the phrase, “The 9ines” sloppily and slightly illegibly spray painted on lots of walls and fences in my neighbourhood. I remember my friends and family talking about this occasionally, and they seemed to believe that this was a group of kids from the neighbourhood that referred to themselves by that title, and wanted to claim their area in a sense. This type of graffiti was viewed in a negative way, as it didn’t have much substance to it, and was often being covered up.

(Image from https://cleanworkslondon.ca/graffiti-removal/)

The type of graffiti from the previously mentioned demographic is regarded in the city quite differently than others. Though London has been known to be a pretty conservative city in the past, I think its views are becoming more progressive, maybe due to the population of University and College students that go to school there. For graffiti that is done in a negative way, whether being the message or its aesthetic, there are serious consequences for the artists being caught. (https://london.ctvnews.ca/london-teen-facing-charges-for-graffiti-in-downtown-area-1.1381086)

Conversely, for graffiti and street art that is done well, the city seems to appreciate it and regard it more as artwork than vandalism. This article mentions that a large group of graffiti artists of varying ages and skills were asked to transform a wall and bring some new looks to the area; https://lfpress.com/2017/06/25/graffiti-artists-both-young-and-experienced-transform-a-store-wall-and-build-community/wcm/6e707d11-f6dd-ae2a-5966-fc9ceacc0f66.

This brings me to the second demographic of people that I believe are the graffiti installers in London; artists who use street art and graffiti to share their art publicly. I think that this demographic of people exist in a wide age and skill range, and are the people who design the murals and paintings on the sides of walls, specifically downtown. This demographic typically does their graffiti very well, either by being visually appealing, or delivering a powerful message to those who take the time to consider it. Whenever I see this type of street art, I often see people stopping to look at it for a while or take photos of it, which is very different from the previously mentioned type of graffiti that doesn’t usually get looked at twice.

(Image from https://www.flickr.com/photos/ravensview/sets/72157627009634852/)

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The Unknown Street Artists of Guelph: A Wild Hypothesis

Guelph. Whatever first pops into your head, from a boring small city to aggy-land to I-only-know-the-university, my personal experience with being born and raised here is that Guelph is full of progressive thinkers, friendly families, hippies, artists, and meth heads. Yes, if you didn’t know, Guelph is a bit of a meth capital. Evidence of this can be seen if you ever go downtown and people-watch. Don't worry, it’s still a safe city. (If you’d like to read more about the meth problem, here’s an article by a cherished newspaper that recently went out of business: “Police, health services tackle growing 'meth crisis' in Guelph”)

Although I’ve never witnessed anyone creating illegal graffiti in the flesh, I’m going to take a guess and say that the graffiti artists in Guelph are split into three main groups, two of which are a younger demographic. Be prepared for the following paragraphs to severely generalize groups of people.

Artistic graffiti near my home in Guelph. Retrieved from: http://i.imgur.com/RYhVF.jpg

The first graffiti-making crowd likely consists of the “hippies” of the city, who make up a large population here. From electing the only green MP in Canada to having a hugely bustling farmer’s market to hosting a variety of arts festivals, Guelph is anything but square. Hillside music festival, in particular, has the biggest number of shoeless, dancing, tie-dye wearing stoners in North America (not a real statistic, but I would 100% recommend checking it out for yourself. 2019 tickets are already on sale at http://hillsidefestival.ca/). Hippies here tend to smoke a lot of weed, wear colourful clothes and not care if people judge them when they don’t shave their legs (like I said, generalization). They also tend to be very woke, artistically-inclined and lovely people.

Classic Hillsiders Having a Good Time. Image by Tony Saxon. Retrieved from: https://dynamicmedia.zuza.com/zz/m/original_/6/f/6f548e9e-7480-4809-9f83-5ad788707a24/B822593065Z.1_20160703175757_000_GRM1MT5VT.3_Gallery.jpg

I would imagine a large proportion of the positive and artistic graffiti in Guelph is done by this young, low-to-middle-income demographic. They aim to challenge social norms and spread political messages, so I’m sure that painting a wall with thought-provoking messages or colourful images would come as a second nature to them.

I have an aspiring-artist friend named Felix who actually does a lot of the tagging around the city. His artist mom is very proud of him and openly tells people about his graffiti work. There you have it: a perfect example of the open-mindedness of Guelph people.

Positive graffiti in Guelph. Retrieved from: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/COPhXdOUYAAlL2_.jpg 

The second demographic that could be responsible for Guelph’s graffiti is the troubled crowd. However friendly and progressive and artsy most Guelphites are, there is also a large crowd of drug addicts who live in downtown hostels or on the streets. Most are unemployed and have low levels of income. This is the demographic I would imagine to be making the more vandalistic graffiti. The unfortunate circumstances that drug addicts have fallen into tend to make them hateful and angry at the world, so they are likely the ones writing swear words, insults, and negative phrases on downtown walls. Many steal bikes and break into cars to get money for drugs, so breaking the law to make graffiti would not be a difficult task. Again, no judgment towards the people. We are the lucky ones who haven’t fallen into that trap (knock on wood).

Finally, the last demographic of graffiti-makers are the legal graffiti artists. Guelph has realized how amazing street art can be, and over the years has hired many artists to paint the walls of downtown. This demographic of graffiti artists is likely older than the other two, as it generally takes time to become known for your art to such an extent that a city hires you to paint its walls. These artists are likely already successful or up-and-coming locals of a middle income level. Examples of this graffiti art can be found all over downtown, and adds a lot of character and charm to the city.

Formal graffiti art in downtown Guelph. Images retrieved from: https://guelpharts.ca/images/web_-_Fox_at_Red_Brick_by_Andrew_Frazer_2012_-_Photo_by_Sarah_Goldrup_2015.jpg and https://i.pinimg.com/originals/44/1f/4b/441f4b09df77cb487a47fa094b939562.jpg

So there you have it: some perspective on who might be behind the wall paintings of Guelph. If you have ever painted U of G’s cannon, count yourself included!

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Hey Christina! It was so interesting to hear a Torontonian’s perspective on graffiti. For some reason I had it in my mind that maybe it was more accepted there because there is so much of it, but it seems like it really is negatively viewed in most places, especially by older generations. I joined this class for similar reasons - I never had a strong opinion on graffiti and really want to hear other people’s perspectives and gain insight about the topic.

I think it’s so funny how your friends and you would draw things on school property to get an adrenaline rush because it says so much about so many illegal things. Often people do things just because they’re not allowed. And the second they are allowed, the activity stops because the fun has been taken out of it. It makes me wonder that if graffiti was legalized, would less negative graffiti happen? Rules can be so weird and sometimes it feels like no one really knows why they’re there, they just have to be implemented. In my high school there was a phase where someone would write sweet comments on the girls’ washroom mirrors about body positivity. I don’t understand how anything negative could have come from that - it made my day so much better when I saw them. But, of course, the school rules said it wasn’t allowed and they were all cleaned up the next day.

I visited graffiti alley for the first time this summer and it was so cool to see! I only had 10 minutes there because we were in a rush but I want to go back and look at everything in more detail. Do you have a favourite piece there??

Blog Prompt #1

Hi everyone, I’m Christina and I’m a first year student studying Psychology. I grew up in Toronto, Ontario, where graffiti is very common. One of the many reasons I decided to take this course includes being able to look at certain things from a different perspective. Graffiti can be looked at from many different perspectives and along with that, the roots of the art can be easily ignored. Part of the reason why I enrolled in this course includes how I have never personally thought about the stories that are behind public art. I particularly enjoy learning about the reasoning behind different activities. One thing that I found with this course is its similarity to psychology in the sense that you get to analyze the reasoning behind certain pieces of art, in contrast to analyzing a certain individuals behaviour and finding out why people behave the way they do.

Growing up, my first introduction to graffiti was in elementary school when my classmates and I would carve out words on our wooden desks and write sayings in the bathroom stalls with permanent marker. At the time I had no particular reasoning for doing this, although when I look back at it now I believe it gave my peers and I some form of an adrenaline rush. The fact that we knew we were not allowed to vandalize the school supplies made us feel powerful over the system, although the detention that followed shortly after made that feeling disappear. At this time in my life, my understanding of graffiti was very slim. I was taught that graffiti was wrong and not a form of art, instead it was strictly vandalism and was only seen in a negative light. This perception was created by my teachers mostly because they taught me that carving out words on a desk was wrong and was worthy of punishment, even if what was carved or written was not negative. The strongest influence of graffiti being a negative activity and something that should not be practiced was from my teachers.

My perception of graffiti all changed when I visited a hidden treasure known as ‘graffiti alley’ in downtown Toronto. Graffiti alley shows graffiti as a form of public art and not just vandalism. Seeing how beautiful the alley really was made my understanding of graffiti develop greatly. As I walked down the alley I passed by unique works of arts and many people taking photos in front of them. This alley is a popular attraction to the citizens of Toronto and tourists as it is always busy and full of photographers and people of all ages enjoying the art. It is interesting to see how differently graffiti is perceived in school versus in a public area. Graffiti alley has showed me that public art is a unique form of expression and emotion. One thing that I have noticed in particular when I visit graffiti alley is that it mostly attracts young adults. Furthermore onto this observation, I went ahead and asked my older relatives how they felt about graffiti and some in particular were very much against it. This makes me believed that graffiti is being somewhat reinforced in a positive light to our newer generations which is something that I would hope to continue on into the future considering I never had a positive view of it growing up. 

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A First Look at Graffiti: The Good, The Bad & the Ugly

Hey, guys! My name is Rose and I’m a first year bio-med student, travel enthusiast and animal lover looking to broaden my horizons and dive into the depths of the art world. I have been science-centered for too long and I’m so excited to bring art back into my life through photography and written topics surrounding informal public art.

Part of what inspired me to take this course was the life-changing experience I had living abroad last year. I spent nine months living with a host family in downtown Madrid, Spain, where I worked as an au pair. The breathtaking murals I saw in Spain and Portugal really caught my attention and made me appreciate graffiti in ways that I hadn’t before. In regards to the rest of my time abroad, I became somewhat fluent in Spanish, made the most amazing friends from all over the world, and grew a lot as a person. I also drank too much Sangria, partied too hard and realized I don’t want kids anytime in the near future. Nevertheless, I went into the experience blindly, not knowing a soul, and I could not have been more rewarded. It was the best year of my life.

Back on topic...

My first introduction to graffiti art was sidewalk-chalking the hell out of my driveway as a toddler. This was encouraged by everyone in my family-friendly neighbourhood (but then again, it was temporary). Later, in primary school, my friends and I would write our names or doodle on school walls, bathroom stalls and the insides of our desks. I don’t remember ever getting in trouble for it, so I wasn’t aware of the concept of vandalism. My self-made “graffiti” was very innocent and just for fun.

Typical graffiti art wasn’t prevalent in my neighbourhood so I didn’t have many preconceived ideas about it. My mom once told me about a study where people were more likely to litter in graffitied areas, so I saw graffiti in a negative light for a little while because of that. The media likely contributed to my perception of graffiti as well, making it backdrops for edgy crowds of people and making it seem like a place for secretive activity like drug deals. However, I never thought of graffiti as the cause for illegal activity and I didn’t have a strong opinion on whether graffiti was wrong or right.

This leads to my current opinion on the subject. I believe that the vandalism-versus-art discussion has everything to do with the location and quality of the graffiti. In unattractive urban settings, where there isn’t anything to look at in the first place, I see no problem with graffiti (unless it’s offensive in some way). We have already covered the natural land with man-made things and graffiti is simply another man-made thing, though one with character and charm. On the flip side, graffiti done in areas with wildlife or beautiful architecture seems to kind of disrupt the beauty and simplicity of the place.

In terms of quality, I can see how negative quotes and random word sprawling can ruin the mood of an area and be considered vandalism. However, when graffiti is done well, I am absolutely in awe of it. It feels no different than walking through an outdoor art gallery. However, it is always free and available and the fact that it can be done by anyone means it may be more relatable and bear more meaning to the people living in proximity. Just because a painting or poem isn’t in a gallery, doesn’t make it less of a quality piece of art. I’m so excited to find some graffiti “gems” in my city and learn more about the history of graffiti through this course.

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Disclaimer...

This blog was created for UNIV 1200, University of Guelph.

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of the University of Guelph.

The University of Guelph is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by this blog.