When people hear the word graffiti, they almost instantly associate it with a negative connotation. This is because graffiti has long been a topic for debate, with factors such as the location of the graffiti and the content of the art.
It is understandable that people do not want their property marked without consent, but there is an easy solution to allow artists to freely express themselves while showcasing their work publicly: give them a place to do so. Graffiti is a type of art, usually spray painted, that can publicly be displayed on walls or other public surfaces. Graffiti can contain images or written words to convey social messages that usually symbolize or represent something far more than what people view as just “scribbles.”
Graffiti should only be considered vandalism if it is done at a place that has not given consent to the artists to create their work or if the message or content of the message is vulgar and inappropriate. It should not be considered vandalism if artists choose to paint at abandoned locations because there is nobody in charge who can give or not give permission for them to create their work.
There should be certain areas around the city where artists are allowed to freely access and make use of to produce their masterpiece. This would encourage artists to paint in legal locations without fear of repercussions instead of illegally painting an area that they did not have authorization to do so in. Graffiti itself is beautiful and generally brings life to dull areas. It’s thought provoking, artistic, striking and can convey socio-political messages. On top of that it requires a lot of skill.
Here at TAMUK, all the buildings are brown and unflattering. It would be an interesting idea to allow our talented art students to show off their talent by allowing them to graffiti one wall per building. Think about it.
If we paint one of the dull looking walls on each building, specifically tailored to that building’s theme, our campus will thrive with life.
The music building can have one wall painted with music notes and instruments, communication with journals and TV’s, science with test tubes, engineering with calculators and the list goes on. That would really make our campus stand out amongst other A&M branches and other universities around the country.
As the saying goes, art inspires, and if students see a beautiful piece of art tailored to their major right before they step into class, their inspiration to excel in the classroom goes off the charts, thus benefiting the university as a whole.