GRAFFITI OR ART? THE ANSWER IS STILL "NO"

Is this graffiti?

I say yes. It is the work of taggers armed with spray paint and mostly done in secret in the middle of the night.

Now is THIS graffiti?


The wall, bordering an alley, belongs to a resident who happens to be an artist herself. To brighten up the dullness of the alley she commissioned some young high-school artists in the Hollywood area to paint a 75' long mural on her fence.

A neighbor apparently didn't like it and called the city Department of Building and Safety inspectors, who determined that because a single word, "Like," appeared on the mural it was therefore a sign, not a mural, and was illegal according to city code. She was issued a $360 citation and told to remove the word. She did.

At which time the city came back and told her now it was an illegal mural and that they would fine her an additional $1,925 if she didn't have the whole thing removed.

The alley wall is now white again, painted over by the young people who designed it in the first place.

The neighborhood is divided on the issue. Some think it looks an awful lot like graffiti. Others think it definitely is art, even if it isn't everybody's favorite style. Some think the city ought to be tackling far worse problems than this.

The LA Times, whose photographer caught the last two photos above, shows the exuberance of the mural, the start of its demise and the heartbreak of the artist who championed the work of the younger artists and has been keeping readers apprised of the situation.

It would be an easy decision to know if this mural was a good or bad thing if you had to look at it every day in your neighborhood. Any more it is hard to know the boundaries of art, folk art, and graffiti. It is possible to like this kind of art in one place but not in another? Many people are taking kind of a "David & Goliath" approach to the whole thing - with of course the city being Goliath.

I'm not sure I know where I stand on this. I think the full-length mural, which is definitely not graffiti, is stunning but I'm not sure it should be in an "in-your-face" kind of place. What d'ya think?

And as always, thanks goes to the LA Times for making each day's newspaper worth reading!

A BIT OF MONDAY MORNING ART

I have probably said it before but I don't have an artistic bone in my body. To cover that sad fact, I always add that I believe the artists of the world need appreciators, so that is my role. I know it isn't all that important but somehow it seems to be the "plus" to counterbalance that "minus" in my life.

And maybe what astounds me even more is that aside from the execution of one's art, there is a conceptualization that needs to be there first, and that is where I am just boggled. How do artists "see" something in the first place? I just don't understand it because I don't have that either.

Well, all that is a weighty issue to be talking about on a Monday morning. What I like for these Mondays are funny things - and my favorite brother-in-law Don Smith e-mailed me a piece of art that truly made my day. I do not understand how this particular artist ever conceptualized something like this, but I'm glad he did, I'm glad Don sent it to me, and I've been laughing all morning over it. Be sure to turn up the volume on your computer before you have a go at it. And wait patiently for it to download. You need to do this to join me as an appreciator.

I'VE BEEN CHEATED!

Justine, my youngest grandchild, just finished up kindergarten at a private elementary school in Los Angeles. Her mom sent me a copy of her report card and I’d like to share with you what the art teacher said:

“The Kindergarteners began the term with a drawing project intended to help me assess their developmental level. After that, we did a series of template drawings, a potent way to expand fine motor skills as well as begin thinking about elements of design. At first, the young artists worked with standard colored pencils on white paper, but then repeated the template project using metallic colored pencils on black paper. These variations demonstrated the connection between media used and product produced. We then did a bit of watercolor painting, an introductory project primarily designed to teach how to properly use watercolor sets and appropriate care for brushes. The next few weeks were spent on the Multicultural Day assignment, creating a project reminiscent of Uzbekistani textiles. Other goals of this project included an understanding of the concept of putting a drawing “in repeat,” an essential element in textile design. After that, we did a cartoon unit, using a series of simple characters, Otto O’Toole and friends. Cartooning, in addition to being fun, is a potent introduction to representational drawing. Finally, the children did an abstract design project, using various colors of plastic electrical tape. One of the goals of this task was to demonstrate how art can be created from materials not usually thought of in that context.”

Can you imagine a kindergartner having this kind of exposure to art? Yes, it is a private school and the classes are much smaller than classes in public school and surely it must be easier to find time (and teachers) to make this happen. But when I read this, my first reaction was to feel sorry for myself.

Little Justine is having the kind of art education I wish I had had! I have such a love of art and so little understanding of it. Fifteen years of schooling and no one ever told me about elements of design and the connection between media used and product produced. Nor about the essential elements of textile design and about representational drawing. I could go on, but it probably was that way with you too, if you went to public school in California.

I do remember taking Art 1 in 7th grade for the first semester and I think Music 1 replaced Art during the second semester. But at that time it was more “exposure” than “experiencing,” giving us just a wee acquaintance with the subject. From that point on, both art and music classes were electives. Unless we chose them to the exclusion of other academic classes, our art and music learning was finished!

If little kindergarteners are being exposed to these kinds of things when they are five years old and are having hands-on experience producing while they are learning, and if that exposure continues each year (which it does at Justine’s school), how enriching it is going to make Justine’s life as she grows up and has all of Los Angeles’ creative community at her fingertips.

I read her report card and thought to myself that I’ve been cheated!