Arts Management and Technology Lab: The power of the arts is undeniably transformational for individuals and communities. Public art specifically can enhance our outer world and allow anyone to view free, accessible art. This article examines murals as a specific form of public art to explore how their creation can generate lasting social, civic, and cultural impacts within the communities they inhabit. The following offers a historical perspective on the evolution of mural-based works and the impact of technological integration on public artists today.
7 comments:
Murals are one of my favorite forms of community art. They have the ability to really seriously preserve the founding rational behind a community, and also just give the gloomy communities of some U.S cities some color. I'm a huge hater of billboards. I think they should be banned federally, and the way that we can compensate for the sudden lack of advertising infrastructure is through art in the community. It not only reduces the ugliness of the community by ridding us of billboards. But also gives every building some much needed color. I also think that more forms of street art should be legalized. Graffiti artists should definitely be more involved in the decoration of cities in America. Some of them have some amazing talent, and it could really just improve the vibes of our cities and towns. We have the right to protest, but that doesn't mean we hav the right to murals. Many of these spaces are private property, and that means we cannot dictate what happens on them.
The history of murals is an interesting one that spans to the beginning of human life. Humans make art to share experiences and feelings. I love how murals add life and color to communities. Graffiti is one of my favorite art forms. One of my favorite tours that I have done was a graffiti tour of a city with my mother. Graffiti artists each have a personal touch that once you figure out what it looks like you can recognize in pieces around the city. Art is political and murals and graffiti are forms of art that can especially lend themselves to a political nature. There is a lot of censorship that can happen in art especially when larger institutions commission someone who decides to make a statement like with the MOCA and the coffins wrapped in dollar bills. Private commissions are nice because they provide artists with wages but that can also mean that the artists lose their artistic freedom.
I have always noticed murals and public art in any city that I go to. In my own hometown there are several murals downtown depicting either the history of the town or the people that live there. They are beautiful works of art that hold a lot of history about the town. In any place that I travel, I try to look at murals and understand what they are trying to convey. There is history behind them and each one has something to share with the audience. I think it is super interesting to think that the concept of wall art that tells a story is one of the oldest forms of painting and art that has been created by humans. Throughout history, murals have been shared and taught to different people who each use their own experiences, culture, and history to create something new out of the concept. I would love to learn more about the history of murals and trace how the art from travels around the world and developed as new people changed and added to the tradition.
Street art is one of my favorite types of art, especially in major metropolitan cities. In San Diego, there's a lot of art by this one street artist, Shepard Fairey, and his work is incredibly striking. He is the originator of the Obama Hope image, and his work in San Diego perfectly encapsulates the culture of the region. He highlights marginalized groups, especially Latino and South Asian people, and his work has this bright, bold style to it that always makes me emotional. My favorite is this one right by an area I frequent often - Hillcrest, a city full of mainly Mexican immigrants and their thriving businesses, called Viva la Revolución. Recently, the art was tagged and defaced, and it's heartbreaking to see such a positive message in a city currently full of fear and hostility be warped into one that says, "We don't want you here. You created this city from the ground up, and we don't care. Leave."
It is really cool to think about how far back wall art or murals go back in history. In a way you can even think about wall art and murals as a way to look back at history, and the technological advancements that are then shown in said art. Wall arts and Murals are an asset of human history, and they should be preserved in order to preserve the history of the pieces of art for future generations to see. Art is art and there will always be a person or people who will enjoy any piece of art. Just because you do not appreciate a piece of art dose not mean that someone will not find it stunning. I have heard of cases of privately owned business asking artists to create murals on the outer walls of their business, and I wish that more business would do this. If only to allow more artists to create their art and show it to the world.
I had never thought to connect modern murals with ancient cave paintings in the way that this author did. When I think of cave paintings, the obvious uses are to preserve the history and stories of a society. I think first of history and how those paintings teach us about the past. When I think of murals, however, they are such an expression of the present that I had never considered their use to future generations. I see a lot of murals commissioned by businesses to beautify their buildings and catch the eye of passers by. In that way, there is less of a continuation of the human story through visual art, and more of a reflection of our economic society. THere are also many murals, particularly in cities, that detail the lives of famous people or even just the people in a neighborhood. This type of murals reminds me more of cave paintings, where they are the literal representation of a land’s stories.
I love murals. I think their scale and their integration into cities makes them impossible to ignore. This also makes them one of the most accessible types of art.
I grew up in an arts hub, and murals were on every other street corner! I also remember loving the murals whenever I’d visit San Francisco, CA. San Francisco's Mission District has many dedicated to Mexican history and culture. I’ve read online about a group called Precita Eyes which coordinates these murals. They find local artists to work together with. Remembering these murals that I visited as a child, I looked up some images. Now that I'm older, I can truly grasp the allusions embedded in these pieces. Some murals depict war and oppression: The Salvadoran Civil War, campesinos in Nicaragua, etc. Some are more light: picturing dancers, san fransisco’s famous victorian houses, etc.
I think murals are a beautiful way to show off art and make cities more lively.
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