A Tasteful Collaboration

Graffiti tends to get a negative connotation. My question to you is, what do you think of when the word "graffiti?" Being from Atlanta, I tend to think of gang signs, profanity, and offensive drawings in bathroom stalls. Those types of graffiti can be found in any town, but When I think of graffiti in Chattanooga, I think of this:

This collage of street art was found on 304 E Main St, Chattanooga, TN. This building was on the south side of Chattanooga. I use the word "was" because the building has been torn down. The art found on this building has a pretty unique story. In short, this building was scheduled to be demolished. When a group of graffiti artists found out, they got together and collaborated on this elaborate project. Their goal was to "make this building look so good 'that it would be painful to tear down.'" I'd say they succeeded. This project turned heads within the Chattanooga community. Even some community leaders learned to appreciate this form of art and have since made efforts to incorporate this style of art into the community. You read more details HERE.

I love this unique collage of tasteful street art because not only is it aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but it's genuine. It's real. It's not offensive. It's honest.

- Austin

Asthetics

Street art can be quite diverse. Sometimes it can serve to promote a cause or bring certain issues to life (see the last post), it can be a means by which troubled youths express themselves and define to the public who they are, it can encompass the darker side of the culture such as turf wars between gangs, or to memorialize the fallen comrades of the artist. However, one thing is for sure: Graffiti is loud. Everyone notices it when they pass by, some not even giving a second glance, but it can bring a certain asthstetic value to it's environment.

Take for example this photo that I took on a walk around Downtown Dalton last week.

The graffiti on this bridge support gives life to an otherwise dull environment. The vivid colors of this piece turn a normal and boring bridge support that would never catch the eye of a passerby into a bright and colorful piece of artwork that now draws attention to an area that would be often overlooked.

Street art challenges us to take a closer look, and nudges our attention towards places that don't necessarily get our complete focus. One of the most beautiful things about graffiti is that it opens our eyes to the world around us by turning the viscerally mundane into a canvas for a bigger picture, encompassing not only the art, but the environment around it.

-Torrey

Interpreting Graffiti

Graffiti is a rebellious art form, but graffiti can speak to a city. When one walks through a city the images they might see are billboards, flyers, photographs in store windows, and graffiti. Graffiti is an outlet for artists that is not meant to be glamorized, or to sell a product. Graffiti is meant to sell an idea.

We found this image of graffiti in Chattanooga through a photographer Rosemary Williams. What we see when we look at this picture is the artist is trying to speak that many Americans are very blind to the things that happen around them. Take Chattanooga having a big issue with sex trafficking (Check out Second Life Chattanooga if you would like to get involved) and very few people helping with this issue. Also this is about those who are voiceless. With so many issues surrounding our city and no one speaking up to make a change. This what we interperate from this graffiti art. Tell us what you see.

Austin, Clark & Torrey