Elena Camp in front of her mural. Photo by Norka Montenegro for Patch
Creativity takes courage.
Henri Matisse
For me, the best art is accessible art. Immediate, gratifying, and inspiring to us all, it grabs us or at least makes us do a double take. Street art are cultural signposts greeting us throughout our day, commemorating moments, adding color to daily lives.
Street Art is a Creative Outlet
To some, like Elena Camp, street art is a form of self renewal, “something beautiful that everyone can see” (Patch). Camp, who is creative director for Venus Williams’ brand, EleVen, visits and contributes her own urban murals to the Miami scene. According to the New York Times, Miami is “one of the street art capitals of the world.” A multidisciplinary artist and marketer, Camp is one of many creatives who seeks inspiration in urban canvases. Camp, who designs whimsical textiles influenced by her Venezuelan roots as well as Barcelona and Miami, has recurring themes in both canvases: tropical plants, animals, like flamingos, who form an art deco inspired heart.
Street Art in a Sticker
When I first moved to New York, another mecca, in the late 90s, I remember seeing the faces of Andre the Giant all over the city. Obey, it read. Though simplified and stylized, I recognized the wrestler’s face from The Princess Bride. He was an icon and the sticker was an icon inserted throughout the streets of the city, adding character and mystery as to the who and why of its placement and wording. Later, I found out about the street artist, Shepard Fairey, who is also known for is other his iconic stencil, the Obama campaign poster, Hope. Using four letter words, Obey and Hope, these high contrast stencils of iconic men were effective campaigns for street art and public empowerment & protest.
As a sticker collector since the 80s, I can’t help but smile at the launch of the History of Stickers Museum in Toronto. It celebrates the influence of this adhesive format, from a U.K. stamp from the 1800s to a vintage Velvet Underground album that contains the Andy Warhol designed banana sticker. Curated by the editors of Peel Magazine and launched by the “world’s largest sticker store,” StickerYou, the exhibit celebrates the art and artists of one of the most accessible formats around.
HTTPS://T.CO/JVLVEX2ZLA— PEEL MAGAZINE (@PEELMAGAZINE) FEBRUARY 10, 2020
Street Art is a Public Dialogue
From Banksy’s cameos to commissioned murals to tagging, street art in its many forms is a dialogue with the public and protest. Its platform brings together all levels of expression, from textile design inspirations to stories and portraiture to interactive scenarios, to trompe l’oeil. Murals demonstrating feats of color, composition, and graphic design at times collide with local turf wars marked by expressive if at times cryptic script.
Max Sansing is a Chicago artist who started out as a graffiti artist and now tells stories with symbols in his murals influenced by graphic design and portraiture. A Southside Chicago native, even Sansing has had his run in with gangs. At one site, he agreed to leave a gang member memorial free of his paint.
In Banksy’s case, his work always prompts an immediate response. To some, his Valentine’s mural was defaced. To others, being tagged was just street art dialogue. What do you think? Add your voice to the dialogue:https://twitter.com/bbcrb/status/1228611375984934912/photo/1
For some travelers, street art has become a destination. Promoted through art festivals, cities like Montreal encourage visitors to visit throughout the course of a year. Occurring in the beginning to mid June, the Montreal Mural Festival seeks to democratize the viewing of art.
At the festival this past summer, artists painted while visitor’s watched.
In this watercolor I painted of Miss Van’s mural, the woman artist captivates a female audience of different ages and races. The fantastical figures in the mural look down, equal players in this dialogue between art and the public. This moment is like a dance, a modern urban dance with each figure equal player in the dialogue that is art.
Street Art Brings Us Together
The recent death of basketball icon Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, brought fans from all over the country to mourn together and honor his life. Street artists such as Masteez and Fumero Ism celebrate their lives and father–daughter bond in colorful, vibrant murals, found in the Lower East Side and Chinatown in New York.
The appeal of street art is its accessibility. It’s a form of art that’s democratic, on the streets, immediate in people’s lives. It’s a background color and texture that commands our attention and provides a colorful backdrop for commuters and visitors alike. It has smartphone selfie appeal. Go and have a look yourself. Map out murals near you anytime you want to go and see free art.
Or go visit: