Saying ‘Yes’ to Street Art: Graffiti in Action Found in typical art hubs to less expected locales, graffiti art is visually impressive. A side trip to these outdoor art displays can offer an untamed perspective of any tourist hotspot. Many places throughout the world have embraced graffiti as a way to enhance communities and to give more credit to the visual arts. Any vacation can be enhanced by stopping to look at one of these legal graffiti destinations found in several major American cities. The Graffiti Hall of Fame, Harlem, New York City Over the decades, communities in the Big Apple have made an effort to bring more value to graffiti art. Multiple locations across the state are left to the sacred hands of the street painter. The Graffiti Hall of Fame, which can be found at East 106th Street and Park Avenue, easily tops the list. New artists continue to add fresh paint to this wall in East Harlem. The walls, which surround a playground, were designated over thirty years ago as a safe place for street artists to create new works. Graffiti covers every square inch of these walls, encouraging a creative learning environment for the schools that use the playground. Downtown Arts District, Los Angeles Once a wasteland of old warehouses and empty factories, the Downtown Arts District in LA could be overlooked by the unobservant eye; however, the city has been conquered by the arts. Blossoming among the area’s run-‐down, vacant buildings are many studios and artist communities. Many of these developments bring massive walls of street art, ranging from graffiti tags (painted text and signatures) to realistic portraits and scenery. Several tours, guided by groups like LA Art Tours and Graff Tours, are available to bring you to hidden graffiti treasures throughout the city. The district lies roughly between Second Street and Seventh Street and between Alameda Street and the LA River. Leake Street Tunnel, London You can easily stumble upon graffiti in the streets of the UK without much effort, as London is the original home of renowned graffiti artist Banksy. The Leake Street Tunnel (located under Waterloo Station in London) is home to Banksy art, as well as graffiti art from many other local artists. Standing in the tunnel is much like a dream; a vast expanse of brightly colored tags and paintings never seems to end. The “Banksy Tunnel” is continually evolving as new artists leave their mark. Canal de l’Ourcq, Paris Every summer France hosts the Canal de l’Ourcq art festival, an event where artists
Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:16 PM Deleted: From Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:13 PM Deleted: is a worthwhile stop to discover Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:18 PM Comment [1]: I feel like graffiti often has a negative connotation, but could you explain how it gives more credit to the visual arts? Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:19 PM Deleted: on your way through a Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:19 PM Deleted: y Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:20 PM Comment [2]: City? I was a bit confused since it starts out by talking about the ... Big [1] Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:20 PM Deleted: makes the top of Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:21 PM Deleted: T Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:21 PM Deleted: . Once a wasteland of old ... [2] Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:23 PM Deleted: With Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:23 PM Deleted: come Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:23 PM Deleted: Roughly, t Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:23 PM Deleted: D Margaret Willden 6/7/2016 8:36 PM Deleted: ’s Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:23 PM Deleted: coordinates are Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:29 PM Deleted: t Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:29 PM Deleted: Since it is the original home o... f [3] Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:28 PM Deleted: y Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:29 PM Deleted: t Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:30 PM Deleted: unending in either direction Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:31 PM Deleted: L Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:31 PM Deleted: L Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:31 PM Deleted: . For the festival,
are permitted to create graffiti along the canal for tourists and locals to enjoy. Visitors can follow the water’s edge through 10 kilometers of street art created by dozens of artists with different levels of experience. The artists find whatever platform they can to display their masterpieces, from concrete walls to billboards t. Hosier and Rutledge Lanes, Melbourne Melbourne claims to be one of the street art capitals of the world, and the city’s officials have even designed a legal process to allow colorful art to brighten and inspire the area and its residents. Two of the most iconic graffiti hot spots in Melbourne are Hosier Lane and Rutledge Lane, two connecting streets on the south end of the city. The tall buildings and narrow cobblestone streets form a labyrinth full of graffiti tags and images. Graffiti art reveals a unique story between a country’s culture and the arts. Its artists make the arts accessible to all without a museum fee or a closing time. Many works of graffiti are continually changing and evolving, but if you can catch an iconic creation on your trip, it will be—at the very least—an impressive selfie and a distinct memory.
Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:32 PM Deleted: full Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:32 PM Deleted: done Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:34 PM Comment [3]: Are the artists painting on the concrete or painting on a canvas and bringing it there to display? Consider something like “paint their masterpieces upon” to clarify if the former is the case. Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:43 PM Deleted: o other surfaces Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:39 PM Deleted: . T Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:41 PM Deleted: One Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:41 PM Deleted: is Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:42 PM Deleted: Here Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:46 PM Comment [4]: Do we know what kind of images? Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:46 PM Deleted: that is filled Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:46 PM Deleted: with Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:53 PM Comment [5]: Can we consider the works iconic if they’re always changing? Just a thought… Margaret Willden 2/16/2016 9:51 PM Deleted: , if nothing more,