Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Why is your city so marred with tagging? This, to me, is vandalism, not art.
Is it because of hip art students from RISD? Not that they're the vandals, but in Boston over the years, it's not unheard of for students from the art colleges here to be arrested for tagging.
Whether downtown, historic Thayer Street (!), the lovely Elmwood area, the ramps and walls along your highways, it's disgusting.
Is it that the city has no money, no pride?
I realize it's tough to clean, but have some pride, Providence.
I am constructively complaining, FYI. I like some aspects of PVD, but the rampant graffiti bothers me.
Sure, it's here in Boston also, and all along the red line tracks throughout Quincy and beyond. Most people feel Boston is very beautiful, and don't even notice any graffiti. I report it often on an app the city of Boston offers for this and other issues.
Here, I feel it's out of control, especially this year, on Boston's Storrow Drive and the walls around the Mass Pike/rail lines.
You may tell me to stop complaining, and just clean it myself. Well, I cannot legally clean it without permission; it's not my property.
I'd love to clean graffiti, even in my future visits to your city, by spraying over any areas that are easy to reach. -- but I must accept it, and hope the city and landlords will address it.
Anybody else notice? Not to worry, as there are more important problems in your city? It's artsy and creative?
Again, not here to cause trouble; it's just that I care.
Why is your city so marred with tagging? This, to me, is vandalism, not art.
Is it because of hip art students from RISD? Not that they're the vandals, but in Boston over the years, it's not unheard of for students from the art colleges here to be arrested for tagging.
Whether downtown, historic Thayer Street (!), the lovely Elmwood area, the ramps and walls along your highways, it's disgusting.
Is it that the city has no money, no pride?
I realize it's tough to clean, but have some pride, Providence.
I am constructively complaining, FYI. I like some aspects of PVD, but the rampant graffiti bothers me.
Sure, it's here in Boston also, and all along the red line tracks throughout Quincy and beyond. Most people feel Boston is very beautiful, and don't even notice any graffiti. I report it often on an app the city of Boston offers for this and other issues.
Here, I feel it's out of control, especially this year, on Boston's Storrow Drive and the walls around the Mass Pike/rail lines.
You may tell me to stop complaining, and just clean it myself. Well, I cannot legally clean it without permission; it's not my property.
I'd love to clean graffiti, even in my future visits to your city, by spraying over any areas that are easy to reach. -- but I must accept it, and hope the city and landlords will address it.
Anybody else notice? Not to worry, as there are more important problems in your city? It's artsy and creative?
Again, not here to cause trouble; it's just that I care.
I'm touched by your concern.
I work in Boston and there's graffiti in equal abundance. Should I judge Boston by the same measure you judge Providence? And at least some of our graffiti has a RISD touch of style. Boston's? Not So Much.
Since both cities are equally affected, maybe you can donate 10 hours to graffiti removal in your own city, and I'll do likewise in mine?
Why is your city so marred with tagging? This, to me, is vandalism, not art.
Is it because of hip art students from RISD? Not that they're the vandals, but in Boston over the years, it's not unheard of for students from the art colleges here to be arrested for tagging.
Whether downtown, historic Thayer Street (!), the lovely Elmwood area, the ramps and walls along your highways, it's disgusting.
Is it that the city has no money, no pride?
I realize it's tough to clean, but have some pride, Providence.
I am constructively complaining, FYI. I like some aspects of PVD, but the rampant graffiti bothers me.
Sure, it's here in Boston also, and all along the red line tracks throughout Quincy and beyond. Most people feel Boston is very beautiful, and don't even notice any graffiti. I report it often on an app the city of Boston offers for this and other issues.
Here, I feel it's out of control, especially this year, on Boston's Storrow Drive and the walls around the Mass Pike/rail lines.
You may tell me to stop complaining, and just clean it myself. Well, I cannot legally clean it without permission; it's not my property.
I'd love to clean graffiti, even in my future visits to your city, by spraying over any areas that are easy to reach. -- but I must accept it, and hope the city and landlords will address it.
Anybody else notice? Not to worry, as there are more important problems in your city? It's artsy and creative?
Again, not here to cause trouble; it's just that I care.
What bothers me is that areas that have previously not had this problem, are no longer immune. I live in a small town, and it's starting to appear more and more. I think the penalties need to be increased, among things. Whatever they are, are no longer an adequate deterrence.
Unfortunately, the irony of our present society is that so many cry "my freedoms are being impinged upon" and then cause society to have to combat crime with effective means such as public surveillance.
Waterplace Park, for example, will probably end up with surveillance cameras as well as freeway underpasses.
In the meantime Report Graffiti Online or Call 800-TAGGERS
and anyone who considers graffiti "art" and not vandalism of another's property should be placed in stocks in the public square.
I would agree. I wonder if anyone is going to claim otherwise?
Well. Uh. Hmmm.
Uh, first off, I'd say "art or vandalism" is a false choice. Something can be both art and vandalism. The question of "what is art" is a hugely controversial one that's been debated since at least the dawn of the modern-art movement in the 1800s. My wife, an art historian, is of the very strong opinion that it is not only fruitless but also offensive to argue that something is not art. Anything can be art to the right person. Art is a matter of perception. People can say "graffiti isn't art" all they want, but many, many, many people would disagree with that statement, not least highly respected artists and art critics. Who are we to disagree with them?
Through my work in media, about six years ago, I got to know a graphic designer who, late at night, would go mark up the streets of Brooklyn. That was his real passion, not the work he did for my company. Gradually he got a significant amount of attention in the art community for his work. Today he is a reasonably successful fine artist who sells his paintings to wealthy New Yorkers for large sums of money. The paintings look exactly like what he was putting on other people's walls six years ago.
Now, is what he was doing on the streets right? I'd argue that's a separate question from whether what he was doing was art. I mean, of course it was art. The fact that it's on a canvas now instead of a brick wall doesn't make it any more art.
Which brings me to my next point: Is graffiti good? At the risk of being chased with torches, I would say yes, in the right context. You don't want graffiti that lacks panache anywhere, you don't want gang-related graffiti, and you don't want any graffiti at all on, say, Benefit Street. And maybe not in Waterplace Park! But there are urban contexts in which graffiti adds to the landscape. If you enjoy the feel of an edgy, young neighborhood, you're going to want to see some well-put-together graffiti there. It goes hand in hand with hipster bakeries and underground music venues and pop-up restaurants that serve dishes like "pork and clams/coconut milk, peanuts, fermented shrimp." Those neighborhoods look naked without it. The people who inhabit those neighborhoods want it. And frankly, the businesses in those neighborhoods should want it, too, because they cater to the people who want it. No graffiti, no cool kids, no cool-kid businesses. Capitalism!
Providence is a city with an vibrant arts scene. In the 21st century, graffiti goes hand in hand with an art scene. If you want an artsy city, you have to deal with that, even if it's not your cup of tea.
It's kind of funny that I'm sitting here writing this long paean to graffiti, because I'm generally not a huge fan myself and do think it should be swiftly painted over in most contexts. But I also like hip young neighborhoods (even as I barrel swiftly toward 40) and know they need a little grit.
To change gears a little bit, I disagree that Providence has an abundance of graffiti. Since moving here, I haven't noticed much of it at all.
Uh, first off, I'd say "art or vandalism" is a false choice. Something can be both art and vandalism. The question of "what is art" is a hugely controversial one that's been debated since at least the dawn of the modern-art movement in the 1800s. My wife, an art historian, is of the very strong opinion that it is not only fruitless but also offensive to argue that something is not art. Anything can be art to the right person. Art is a matter of perception. People can say "graffiti isn't art" all they want, but many, many, many people would disagree with that statement, not least highly respected artists and art critics. Who are we to disagree with them?
Through my work in media, about six years ago, I got to know a graphic designer who, late at night, would go mark up the streets of Brooklyn. That was his real passion, not the work he did for my company. Gradually he got a significant amount of attention in the art community for his work. Today he is a reasonably successful fine artist who sells his paintings to wealthy New Yorkers for large sums of money. The paintings look exactly like what he was putting on other people's walls six years ago.
Now, is what he was doing on the streets right? I'd argue that's a separate question from whether what he was doing was art. I mean, of course it was art. The fact that it's on a canvas now instead of a brick wall doesn't make it any more art.
Which brings me to my next point: Is graffiti good? At the risk of being chased with torches, I would say yes, in the right context. You don't want graffiti that lacks panache anywhere, you don't want gang-related graffiti, and you don't want any graffiti at all on, say, Benefit Street. And maybe not in Waterplace Park! But there are urban contexts in which graffiti adds to the landscape. If you enjoy the feel of an edgy, young neighborhood, you're going to want to see some well-put-together graffiti there. It goes hand in hand with hipster bakeries and underground music venues and pop-up restaurants that serve dishes like "pork and clams/coconut milk, peanuts, fermented shrimp." Those neighborhoods look naked without it. The people who inhabit those neighborhoods want it. And frankly, the businesses in those neighborhoods should want it, too, because they cater to the people who want it. No graffiti, no cool kids, no cool-kid businesses. Capitalism!
Providence is a city with an vibrant arts scene. In the 21st century, graffiti goes hand in hand with an art scene. If you want an artsy city, you have to deal with that, even if it's not your cup of tea.
It's kind of funny that I'm sitting here writing this long paean to graffiti, because I'm generally not a huge fan myself and do think it should be swiftly painted over in most contexts. But I also like hip young neighborhoods (even as I barrel swiftly toward 40) and know they need a little grit.
To change gears a little bit, I disagree that Providence has an abundance of graffiti. Since moving here, I haven't noticed much of it at all.
That graffiti is a positive indication of neighborhood hipness or a vibrant art scene is a real, very long, reach. It more often indicates a neighborhood's negative direction and visible disrespect for its sense of place. I know many people who live in "those neighborhoods." And have NEVER EVER heard, "The people who inhabit those neighborhoods want it." (sorry for shouting)!
I agree that grafitti can be art. But the problem is, the artist doesn't own the canvas on which he is painting (unless he's tagging his own house). So it is illegal and vandalism. If a property owner's wall is white, and someone comes along and paints on it, that damages the original color - by definition, vandalism (destruction or damage to public or private property).
So while the "is it art or not" can not be determined correct or incorrect, as it is subjective, the act of doing it on someone else's property CAN be determined as illegal.
Why is your city so marred with tagging? This, to me, is vandalism, not art.
Is it because of hip art students from RISD? Not that they're the vandals, but in Boston over the years, it's not unheard of for students from the art colleges here to be arrested for tagging.
Whether downtown, historic Thayer Street (!), the lovely Elmwood area, the ramps and walls along your highways, it's disgusting.
Is it that the city has no money, no pride?
I realize it's tough to clean, but have some pride, Providence.
I am constructively complaining, FYI. I like some aspects of PVD, but the rampant graffiti bothers me.
Sure, it's here in Boston also, and all along the red line tracks throughout Quincy and beyond. Most people feel Boston is very beautiful, and don't even notice any graffiti. I report it often on an app the city of Boston offers for this and other issues.
Here, I feel it's out of control, especially this year, on Boston's Storrow Drive and the walls around the Mass Pike/rail lines.
You may tell me to stop complaining, and just clean it myself. Well, I cannot legally clean it without permission; it's not my property.
I'd love to clean graffiti, even in my future visits to your city, by spraying over any areas that are easy to reach. -- but I must accept it, and hope the city and landlords will address it.
Anybody else notice? Not to worry, as there are more important problems in your city? It's artsy and creative?
Again, not here to cause trouble; it's just that I care.
This has been an everlasting problem in Providence for a good 20 years or so especially on the highway ramps as you mentioned. The city does make a honest attempt to clean up every now and then but they know once the re-paint the vandalized wall it just makes a new canvas for another hoodlum to paint on. Why is there so much you ask? Well Providence very small land wise with a high population density so there isnt enough highway ramps for every degenerate to vandalize so i guess they play the "i got there first game haha" which means the problem with graffiti will continue. And you are not complaining by any means nor are you the first to bring this problem up and it should be you have a point.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
