Mural

Looking at the powerful new works from the San Juan Street Art Festival tells the tale that the world is in a Renaissance of creativity. Everywhere you turn, entire districts of new artwork are being created in urban centers across the earth. Seeing the works in San Juan, Miami, Valparaiso, Barcelona, Auckland, Toronto and Bologna shows that power that murals can have to help define and redefine community. Politicians and city officials with intelligence have recognized the power of artwork…

Howard Mallory was an early pioneer in the modern public art movement in Chicago and an important player in the Black mural movement that happened on the south and west sides. He participated in the painting of the Wall of Respect on 43rd and Langley, a pivotal piece in Chicago’s public art scene. He was also well known for his sculptures, masks, pots and ceramics. Back when “Power to the people” and “Right on” were part of a new lexicon…

This article is an interesting combination of both the beauty and difficulty found in the mural movement, not just in St. Petersburg but throughout the US and the world. On one hand, murals are becoming more accepted and acknowledged as benefiting the community and aerosol writers are being recognized as for their contributions to neighborhood beautification. On the other hand, aspiring muralists are working for cheap or free to create their works and their personal contribution of time and labor…

CRP has been taking a close look at Danny Solis’ initiative, Art in Public Spaces. This program has all the makings of a good idea. It is an an antivandalism initiative that’s intended to control and limit defacement of public property. It points out the former Mayor, Richard J. Daley, spent millions of dollars on costly and ineffective Graffiti Blasters. However, CRP has two concerns. First, it appears, according to this article, that Solis has only spent $13,000, which brings up…

The Shawmont Valley Association made an intelligent step forward when they chose not to cover a retaining wall with anti-graffiti coating. The community decided that a Mural would be the best long-term solution to their problems with ongoing vandalism. Indeed anti-graffiti coating doesn’t make a wall look any better and hasn’t proven to be an adequate deterrent despite all of the hype around it. Murals promote community engagement, help decorate and empower a community and improve the look of unsightly…