Coalition BROOKLYN
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M a g History of Graffiti
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NEW UPCOMING artists. The DO’S
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In My Shoes All New Styles Instructions on Moss Graffiti A More Natural Look
Table of Contents
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From Tags to Riches The Roots of Graffiti
3 & 4 5 & 6 7 & 8 9 &10 11 &12 13
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A More Natural Look
From Tags to Riches
The Roots of Graffiti
The Roots of
Graffiti Graffiti art is an art form. The reasons, including aesthetic criteria, as to why it is an art form far outweigh the criticism of illegality, incoherence, and nonstandard presentation. The objective of this paper is to explain how graffiti art overcomes these concerns and thereby can be considered as an art form.
ings are art in the form of graffiti. Their markings would qualify as vandalism only if they appeared on private or public property without permission. The same answer holds for the present day, genre of graffiti known as graffiti art.
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Suppose that Leonardo, Monet, Picasso, or any of the recognized artisans of Western European culture were alive in the present day. Then, suppose that one of these famous artists decided to paint a masterpiece on the side of your house or on your front door or on a wall in your neighborhood. Would Picasso or Monet’s markings be graffiti or art or vandalism or graffiti art? The answer may vary across people, but I would claim that those mark31
Graffiti art originated in the late 1960’s, and it has been developing ever since. However, it is not readily accepted as being art like those works that are found in a gallery or a museum. It is not strictly denied the status of genuine art because of a lack of form or other base aesthetic elements. Most of the opposition to graffiti art is due to its location and bold, unexpected, and unconventional presentation, but its presentation and often illegal location does not necessarily disqualify it as art. In this paper, I elucidate how some forms of graffiti can be accepted as art.
This type of graffiti is known as graffiti art, subway art, or spraycan art. The arguments of vandalism and unconventional presentation as negating the ability of some graffiti to be art is usurped by an explanation of those properties apparent in some forms of graffiti that do qualify it, aesthetically, as art. To show this, I provide a historical context of graffiti, and then I provide persuasive evidence that graffiti art is art. The origins of graffiti go back to the beginnings of human, societal living. Graffiti has been found on uncovered, ancient, Egyptian monuments, and graffiti even was preserved on walls in Pompeii. Graffiti is the plural form of the Italian word grafficar. In plural, grafficar signifies drawings, markings, patterns, scribbles, or messages that
Coalition BROOKLYN
CHICAGO
M a g History of Graffiti
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are painted, written, or carved on a wall or surface.
NEW UPCOMING artists.
Grafficar also signifies “to scratch” in reference to different wall writings ranging from “cave paintings”, bathroom scribbles, or any message that is scratched on walls. In reference to present day graffiti, the definition is qualified by adding that graffiti is also any unsolicited marking on a private or public property that is usually considered to be vandalism.
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ing of one’s name or nick-name. That is, tag signifies one’s name or nick-name. Murals for community enhancement and beautification are also a form of graffiti even though they are not usually thought of this way because most murals are commissioned. These are more colorful and complex. They take considerable amount of skill to complete, and murals can be done in a graffiti art style or a traditional pictorial scene. The last form of graffiti is graffiti art which is the creative use of spraypaint to produce an artwork that is graffiti or done in a graffiti-like style, and this the is the concern of this discussion.
& DONT’S There are various forms of graffiti. One of the simplest forms is that of individual markings such as slogans, slurs, or political statements. Examples of this type of graffiti commonly are found in bathrooms or on exterior surfaces, and this graffiti is usually handwritten. Another simple form is that of the tag which is a fancy, scribble-like writ-
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1960’s when teens used permanent markers to tag or write their names, followed by the number of the street on which they lived, in subway cars. This trend originated with the appearance of “Taki 183” which was the tag of a Greek American boy named Demitrius. Tagging soon became a way to get one’s name known throughout the city. However, it should be noted that tagging appeared in Philadelphia before New York. The monikers, “Cornbread” and “Top Cat” were well known in Philadelphia, and when Top Cat’s style appeared in New York, it was dubbed as “Broadway Style” for its long skinny lettering.
Modern graffiti art originated in New York City, and it was known first as “New York Style” graffiti. This art form began in the late 77357 48339 9875
s g a T m o Fr s e h c i R o t 5
Tagging is the simplest type of graffiti, consisting of the writer’s street name in one color. Tags are basically the graffiti writer’s signature; if they’re associated with a crew, they might also contain the crew’s name or initials. Tags can be seen everywhere and are done in spray paint, markers or pens. If a tag is put up over another writer’s tag or piece, it’s extremely disrespectful. Yes, yes, yes, the infamous tag. Hated by all, loved by the real. This is your signature, your sign, your John Hancock. I remember one day, I was finishing up a real nice mural. A lady who noticed and liked my artwork came and said to me “I love this kind of graffiti, it brings life to our streets, but i hate that tagging stuff, that brings our streets down.” And you know what i told her. I said lady if it wasn’t for that tagging I would have never learned how to do my first throw-up, and if it wasn’t for that first throw-up I would have never learned how to do my first piece, and if it wasn’t for that first piece then I would have never been able to do this beautiful mural. And that’s the truth of it all. Greatness has to start somewhere. People often ask me, How do you tag? And honestly, there is no one answer to that question.Tagging comes strictly with style. You cant have a no-style tag and expect to go all city with it, you’ll be labeled a toy and gain no respect. First 6
practice writing your name with regular letters, every now and then throw an arrow or write a letter backwards. See how the combinations work for you. Add quotation and exclamation marks, play around with stuff. Be real experimental until you find something that looks good. Decide if you want something real crazy, or if you want something nice and simple. There are writers out there that write their name real legible because they want everybody to be able to read it, not just artists. Then there are writers who make their name real stylish and crazy. Those tags usually look the coolest, but nobody can read them. I would consider making your tag in the middle of the two, then it will look cool while you read it, not look cool while your trying to read it. Once you find something that works for you, make sure you practice. Use sharpie markers on white paper and do your tag over, and over, and over. Get real good
at it. Make sure you can write it really fast for those rush situations. And please find real graffiti markers when you decide to take your signature to the streets, I cant even stress how ugly a sharpie tag looks, eww.
A more Natural Look... Imagine walking down a city street and, instead of paint tags, you find a spread of creative artwork growing in moss on a wall or building. You’ve found the latest in ecological guerrilla garden art — moss graffiti art. Artists and green taggers create graffiti using moss, which is completely harmless to buildings. These creative artists create a paint-like mixture of moss and other ingredients and paint it on vertical surfaces using stencils or creating art freehand. Learn how to make moss graffiti on your own and you can decorate your home with words of inspiration or your garden wall with plant names and pictures.
Ingredients -One or two clumps (about a small handful) of moss -2 cups of buttermilk -You can also substitute with yogurt (vegan yogurt can be used) NOTE: not flavored yogurt -2 cups of water -1/2 tsp. sugar -Corn syrup (optional)
How to make it 1. Finding the Moss
-Gather up as much moss as you can find or buy. Where you gather the moss is important. The kind that grows on trees won’t necessarily do well on walls. -Gather moss from pavement, damp bricks, cement walkway, etc. Moss from the woods doesn’t work as well and should be left in the wild. **If there is no moss on the walks and walls where you live, the moss milk probably won’t work in that climate.
2. Preparing the Moss
-Wash the moss to get as much soil out of the roots as possible. -Break the moss apart. Break into manageable pieces. -Then place the pieces in the blender.
3. Making Moss Milk
-Add the buttermilk/yogurt, water/beer and sugar. -Blend the mixture until completely smooth. You’ll want it to have a paint-like texture. **Alternatively, use one cup of ordinary milk to 1 to 2 tablespoons of moss. -Pour mixture from the blender to a bucket. -Whizz around butdo not liquify it because the moss cells must stay intact. **If the mixture is at a consistency where you feel it will drip, add corn syrup until the consistency you desire is reached.
4. Applying the Moss Graffiti
-Use a paintbrush to apply the moss-paint to the surface on which you wish your design to grow. **If possible, check back weekly to either spray the design with water (to encourage moss growth, especially if you live in a dry environment) or apply more moss-paint. -Check your moss graffiti regularly. Depending on your climate, sometimes it takes a while to grow your moss.
In My Shoes 1969 The Beginning
Ivor L. Miller, author of Aerosol Kingdom: Subway Painters of New York City Humans have been writing symbols on walls since time immemorial. But it’s safe to place the origins of a New York style in the late sixties, as a younger generation’s artistic response to the public protests of the Black Power and civil-rights movements. Clearly something new happened with the invention of the spray can, the influence of psychedelic posters, and color TV. The Manhattanville projects just north of 125th Street in West Harlem were the residence of an important writer named TOPCAT 126. Sharp TOPCAT 126 came from Philadelphia in the late sixties, maybe ’68, and he started tagging the streets. [Tagging is writing your name.] And he hooked up with Julio 204 and TAKI 183, and they grabbed the torch. C.A.T. 87 In the late sixties, I saw the name TAKI 183 in little letters everywhere, and JOE 182 and Julio 204. One day I was playing stickball on 182nd Street and JOE 182 came
out. He was one of the hottest graffiti writers then. He said, “Look what came out in the papers!” There was a cartoon of a guy catching someone writing graffiti, and saying, “Are you JOE 182?” And the writer said, “No, I’m his ghost.” Because nobody could catch them. They were just like these mysterious figures. MICO It began in different neighborhoods. But we all had one thing in common: We wanted to be famous. I started writing in East Flatbush in 1970. Then slowly I met people from the four other boroughs. Everybody went to the writers’ bench at 149th Street and Grand Concourse in the Bronx. There was one for Brooklyn writers on Atlantic Avenue. In Washington Heights, it was on 188th Street and Audubon Avenue. We would hang out, see our work, and everyone could get autographs. C.A.T. 87 was from Washington Heights. TRACY 168 was in the first generation. COCO 144 used to live on 144th Street and Broadway, which is what the number 144 meant. LEE I met so many characters on the 149 bench. It was like a speakeasy, everyone came and traded stories. TRACY 168 I grew up in the Bronx. Me and my
friend FJC4 were dropping off some legal papers in Queens—his father was a lawyer—and we just took a marker out. We never thought we’d see the tag again, but on the way back, we caught the same train and it already had some other writing next to it. It was like a communication. At the time, New York was all dark. We had the Vietnam vets coming back, all pumped up. We had the war protesters. And we had the street gangs. C.A.T. 87 I was in the Savage Nomads. You had the Saints at 137th Street and Broadway, and in the 170s you had the Young Galaxies. But if I was C.A.T. 87 and the guys from other neighborhoods saw my name, instead of trying to beat me up they would ask for autographs. Jeff Chang, author of Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the HipHop Generation There were graffiti writers in many gangs, especially the larger ones like the Black Spades, the Savage Skulls, and the Ghetto Brothers. The writers would mark the gangs’ clubhouses and often their turf. At the same time, you had graffiti crews that moved separately from the gangs and could slip in between their territorial restrictions. Eventually, as the gang structures died off, the graffiti writers could be seen as the heralds of a new era.
Jeff Chang, author of Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the HipHop Generation There were graffiti writers in many gangs, especially the larger ones like the Black Spades, the Savage Skulls, and the Ghetto Brothers. The writers would mark the gangs’ clubhouses and often their turf. At the same time, you had graffiti crews that moved separately from the gangs and could slip in between their territorial restrictions. Eventually, as the gang structures died off, the graffiti writers could be seen as the heralds of a new era.
Style Wars
MICO We didn’t call it graffiti in the early seventies. We would say, “Let’s go writing tonight.” Graffiti is a term that the New York Times coined, and it denigrates the art because it was invented by youth of color. Had it been invented by the children of the rich or the influential, it would have been branded avant-garde Pop Art.
LEE It was a reflection of the great side of capitalism, where everyone wants to have the biggest stock or bond portfolio, or the fastest or most expensive car.
Hugo Martinez, founder of United Graffiti Artists In 1971, when CAY 161 and JUNIOR 161 painted the 116th Street station, they painted a top-to-bottom wall there. That’s considered a milestone. And Norman Mailer wrote about it in The Faith of Graffiti—that was the first book ever about graffiti. Around 1971, CAY 161 also painted the wing on the angel in Bethesda Fountain in Central Park. Everybody talked about that. That was when the Puerto Ricans took over Bethesda Fountain.
1971
Jeff Chang Your name is your brand, and writing your name is like printing money. Quality (aesthetic style) and quantity (the number of trains and walls you’ve hit) are the primary ways that the brand gains market share. If you’re the biggest name on a line or in an area, then you’re the king. After the New York Times wrote about TAKI 183 in 1971, there was more competition, which means style changed much more rapidly.
MICO In 1971, I was in the Sheepshead Bay layups one night—that’s the tunnel where trains rest in between rush hours. And we found the names of PAN 144, COCO 144, and ACE 137 on some of the cars. The paint was still wet. That opened our eyes to going all-city. COCO 144 I lived close to the IRT, and there was a layup between 137th and 145th Street between the stops. We were there every Saturday and Sunday morning, destroying the trains inside and out. My style back then was what we called a hit: just a signature, a single line. MICO “Hitting” was just about getting up, getting around. The more hits you had, the more famous you became. “Killing” or “bombing” was a little more intense. It means carpeting an
area—just hit hundreds of MICO, MICO, MICO, and kill that subway car. Or you could do a masterpiece, a really big piece that was generally planned out in a sketch. COCO 144 I was the first to use a stencil. It said COCO 144 with a crown on it (page 50). I was trying to develop speed, and I was able to put my name around at a faster pace that way. MICO The letters got more refined and larger and larger. We were each trying to outdo the other. I was doing social-political work, and unfortunately, I had no competition there. One of the most important moments in my career was when I was voted into United Graffiti Artists. Hugo Martinez I started United Graffiti Artists in 1972 as a collective that provided an alternative to the art world. I saw this as the beginning of American painting—everything else before this came from Europe. These kids were rechanneling all of those hippie ideas about freedom, peace, love, and the democratization of culture by redefining the purpose of art. They represented a celebration of the rights of the salt of the earth over private property.
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