Our visit with Rich Stremme was one of my most favorite and the most interesting visit so far due to how much I learned. First, I didn’t know that there was a difference between street art and graffiti. I thought they were both the same. Street art is usually art that is allowed by the community/government and an artist is commissioned to do an art piece. Graffiti, however, is an art that is not commissioned by the community/government, and oftentimes is counted as vandalism. Through Rich, I also learned that street artists often have a distinctive style or moniker that is easily recognizable. With him, it was the crosses he put all over the city. For many others, it may be a signature or a distinct symbol, but most street art has a recognizable thing that makes it unique to a specific artist. Also, I learned that street art can be political. Most art is political at times, but street art is directly political. Because many people will see a piece of street art everyday, artists try to incorporate a political statement in their art for maximum awareness. Once Rich mentioned the politics of street art, I began to think about my local murals. One mural close by is one of Haile Selassie. That mural as a whole is political because Haile Selassie symbolizes African pride and means a lot to the Rastafarian community. Other pieces of street art that I see in Harlem for example have political motifs as well. All in all, Rich’s visit was very eye-opening to me, as I learned about a different side of street art and graffiti.
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