MURAL/TRASH CONTAINER ART TO BE UNVEILED

On Friday, February 5, 2016, the City of Tucson Environmental Services Department will unveil and begin delivery of five metal trash containers that have been painted with murals as part of an effort to reduce graffiti.  Environmental Services contracted with the Tucson Arts Brigade to coordinate the project. Additional funding was provided by the Graffiti Resource Council in Washington, DC.


Five Tucson artists have designed and painted the trash containers which will be provided to businesses that have a high potential for graffiti and tagging. The City, working with the Tucson Arts Brigade hopes the program will also improve urban aesthetics and ultimately save taxpayers money on graffiti abatement.

Five artists were selected from 44 applicants who ranged from established painters to first-time muralists. The artists are Johanna Hand, Sasha Lewis, Niki Glen, Porter McDonald and Ruben Moreno. The city provided $5,000 in funding for the pilot program, which was matched by the Graffiti Resource Council, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit vandalism prevention organization.

Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik said, “City leaders have been working on this program for quite some time. Even though such initiatives may not end the exorbitant cost of graffiti abatement, they can potentially help save money as well as beautify the city.”

The unveiling of the trash containers will be held in the parking lot, behind the Chicago Store in downtown Tucson on Friday, February 5, 2016 at 12:30 p.m. All five of the trash containers will be on display before being delivered to the business customers participating in the program.

Murals and Sustainable Design: New Contexts

"SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES" 

A new How & Nosm mural in Rochester NY, part of their Wall Therapy program

When it comes to community identity, there is nothing like a mural to trigger dialogue. With the mural movement in full swing almost every large and medium city in our nation now has murals, and new mural organizations and initiatives are popping up everywhere.

From San Luis Obipso to Boston  and Rochester, NY these new murals, and aesthetics, are forcing city councils and residents to struggle with complex issues.

These issues range from first amendment and property rights to sign codes and developing a process to approve designs. These are healthy conversations that promote civic participation and engagement in the arts. Who are we as a people? What images define us? What makes a mural offensive to someone? In July for example a David Choe  mural in Hawai’i was painted over hours after it was finished. Little did local residents know this might have been a once in a lifetime opportunity to be stewards to one of the most important and talented artists of our generation. 

Artist David Choe in his studio. Image: Ramin Talaie/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A new ROA mural in Rochester, NY has perked controversy as well. Synthesis Collaborative who hosted the well know artist and many others in a program called Wall Therapy.  The organizers write:

“Essentially, what we are doing is a community-level intervention in the form of mural art in the public space.  The walls are our vehicle for inspiring and rehabilitating our community.  We are intervening visually to address a fundamental collective need of our citizenry, the need for inspiration.  In addition and quite literally, the walls on which our “therapists” will paint are being resurfaced and rehabilitated…given new life and energy.”

ROA in Rochester with Wall Therapy
Photo: Stephen S. Reardon www.uglypancakes.com

Cities that have established mural arts and public arts programs have to contend with these issues and have managed to organize and rally support when controversy arises. With public art it almost always does, and sometimes this is better than being ignored. I think it’s fair to say that most people hope their art inspires, unify and promote all things good. However many well intentioned muralists with no community design and feedback process are running into challenges, especially if they are parachuting in with little knowledge for the places they are working.

My question is what is the responsibility of the artist for contributing to and offering meaning to these conversations – or is it our job to paint and move on?  What is the responsibility of the host agency? Is the responsibility of the host to employ an additional step to site preparation and planning, specifically a Community Arts Integration (CAI) plan? I’ve been watching as this process has taken root since I first started writing about the concept several years ago. In implementing a CAI plan artists and hosts are provided with a wealth of information and strong context for the project.

The idea that artists are critical to the sustainable design and holistic development of our infrastructure is an idea whose time has come. It’s great to see groups like Wall Therapy making the leap towards the inevitable changes we, as a species are engaged in. 

 

Spring Mural Project Unveiled Nationwide

Mural news has not slowed down in the past few months, but if you check the Tucson Arts Brigade and related blogs, you will see why I haven’t posted in a while. Here in Tucson the Tucson Mural Arts Program has been getting some traction. The Barrio Centro mural will be unveiled in June, and a second project "Inside the Overpass" will start the same month. 

In the Bay area there are a number of new mural projects. One that I’ve been following is the True Colors Mural Project Directed by Juana Alicia, with assistance from Cece Carpio

The mural will be unveiled Saturday, June 4th, 2011 1-4pm. 2111 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704

"This dazzling mural, created by the True Colors Mural Project, depicts a world that faces environmental, social and moral challenges, while expressing the dreams and hopes of a young generation as they prepare to become the future leaders and guardians of this planet. Patterns of color create powerful images weave their way up this three-story mural, which is illuminated on the interior stairway that faces Martin Luther King Jr. Way."

The Chicago Public Art Group continues to create new works, most recently unveiling

the Osterman Beach Comfort Station. This multi media project is the work of lead artist Andy Bellomo and artist team Will Nicholson and Brett Whitacre and made possible in part form the Chicago Park District for support. You can see work in Chicago just east of Sheridan and Ardmore.

Back in Philadelphia How Philly Moves under the direction of lead artist JJ Tiziou continues to inspire thousands. As you can imagine this is a project of the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts program, who continue to innovate and experiment with large scale environment altering works.

This multidisciplinary work captures the Philadelphia spirit through images of dance with mutiple opportunities for interaction and viewing of the work. The final work is currently being installed at the Philadelphia International Airport.

There is much more to tell you, like the now infamous MOCA LA Art in the Streets exhibit, perhaps the first serious exhibition of graffiti and street art in the United States. It's also been a really popular exhibit bringing hundreds of new people to the museum. It's great to see all of these projects coming to fruition. Send us your mural news!