“Art in the Streets” exhibit is no longer coming to Brooklyn

“Art in the Streets” in a quite popular art exhibit from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles focusing on graffiti-styled art. It was the Museum’s highest grossing exhibit in history. The exhibit closed on August 8th and was scheduled to move to the Brooklyn Museum this March. Those plans were cancelled, due to the high financial cost of moving the exhibit. There is still much interest in bringing the exhibit to New York, it just won’t be hosted by the Brooklyn Museum. Bringing a graffiti themed exhibit to New York is quit controversial. Opponents to the exhibit claim that they want to discourage any support of this criminal activity, which they see as nothing more than vandalism. Proprietors of the exhibit, such as graffiti artists themselves claim that graffiti is an art form, and where they do it is irrelevant; they don’t see spraying a building as a crime, they see it as a public display of their works of art. I can’t think of a better home for a graffiti exhibit than New York. Anywhere in the Five Boros one can find a sizable collection of graffiti without looking very far. It’s no surprise that an exhibit on graffiti attracted so much attention; graffiti may the most contemporary form of art. It transcends classes and ages. It has become almost an icon of teenage culture. Just look to the skateparks around New York, another teenage icon. Most often the ramps and other obstacles are covered in tags and other graffiti. A more and more common skateboard design is graphics designed with graffiti style font. The next time a classmate next to you is drawing, check to see what style he/she is writing in. Quite often it will be a graffiti style sketch. Legal or not, condoned or condemned, graffiti is hugely popular, and that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. The article can be found here.

One thought on ““Art in the Streets” exhibit is no longer coming to Brooklyn

  1. Graffiti art has become a vibrant and yet still controversial subject. It is clear that some graffiti artists are incredibly talented, and the “edge” of their design sense has infiltrated the common consciousness. But the form still prizes the illicit and stealth elements that are its genesis. Graffiti art in a gallery is an anachronism as much as a punk band in tuxedos playing at Lincoln Center. The incongruity of this allows us to think about art and its “place.” How important is it to see/hear art in particular settings? What about the formal dress of a classical concert, etc.? When the Cone sisters had all their art in their house, they were “shoppers” when it is hanging in a museum, they are suddenly “collectors.” Something to think about.

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