Edmonton has a mural program called “Giants of Edmonton”. A professional art studio creates these works, unlike The City of Toronto, who commission unemployed youth to paint murals. Edmonton’s murals are very institutionalized; so far the murals created are related to sports, volunteers and the military. The organizations involved even get to put their logos on the works. That is not public art, it is ADVERTISING! It seems like the City of Edmonton just wants to please local businesses by giving them an opportunity to advertise using public money! The program is supposed to deter graffiti by creating public murals, but the “Giants of Edmonton” does not give the graffiti artist any input. The mural program is completely removed from the graffiti scene in Edmonton. Shouldn’t a mural program that wants to deter graffiti involve the local graffiti artists that are looking for a legal outlet to beautify the city? The current murals look like something that would be hanging in a nursing home, complete with script font! Graffiti is a grassroots/underground movement. The “Giants of Edmonton” is the complete opposite of that. The city decides what to put up, not the local graffiti artist, or even local people (well, except for listeners of 630 CHED). I hope Edmonton will realize that a mural program that is far removed from the local graffiti scene will probably not be able to deter graffiti…
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Edmonton's Mural Program???
Edmonton has a mural program called “Giants of Edmonton”. A professional art studio creates these works, unlike The City of Toronto, who commission unemployed youth to paint murals. Edmonton’s murals are very institutionalized; so far the murals created are related to sports, volunteers and the military. The organizations involved even get to put their logos on the works. That is not public art, it is ADVERTISING! It seems like the City of Edmonton just wants to please local businesses by giving them an opportunity to advertise using public money! The program is supposed to deter graffiti by creating public murals, but the “Giants of Edmonton” does not give the graffiti artist any input. The mural program is completely removed from the graffiti scene in Edmonton. Shouldn’t a mural program that wants to deter graffiti involve the local graffiti artists that are looking for a legal outlet to beautify the city? The current murals look like something that would be hanging in a nursing home, complete with script font! Graffiti is a grassroots/underground movement. The “Giants of Edmonton” is the complete opposite of that. The city decides what to put up, not the local graffiti artist, or even local people (well, except for listeners of 630 CHED). I hope Edmonton will realize that a mural program that is far removed from the local graffiti scene will probably not be able to deter graffiti…
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Hey...cool blog...I am the artist that created the first couple Giants Murals- the Lois Hole and the Joey Moss. Your comment regarding the Giants program and its' absolutely un-graf. approach is spot on. . .I tried in the beginning to bring a more inclusive approach to their anti-graf program, but dealing with the City is a nightmare when it comes to these sort of things. . .a more useful program exists in Philadelphia (www.muralarts.com). Personally I would like to see a hundred legal walls in the this town and a more general sense of openness to FREE creativity in public space. But this town is all about CONTROL when it comes to these sort of issues. More graf, more murals, more art in public space...
ReplyDeleteMulder