Name__________________________________
Street Art and Graffiti
Mr. Wilson – Art
Vocabulary
Street Art- Is visual art found in public spaces. The term usually refers to
unsanctioned art, or opposed by the government.
Graffiti- Is writing or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on the wall
or another surface of a public space
Tag- Is an artist name or graffiti signature
Featured Street Art and Graffiti Artists
Banksy- Is an England based political artist. Most of his work comes from dark
humor and a stenciling technique and make a statement.
JR- Is a French graffiti artist. His works are large black and white images displayed
on a large scale. He calls this “the largest art gallery in the world”. His works deal
with commitment, identity, and freedom.
Posterboy- Is a New York City based artist who creates street art with only a razor.
He creates collages by cutting self-adhesive advertisements in the subway system.
His art has inspired others and developed into “the posterboy movement”.
Shepard Fairey- Is an American graphic designer and illustrator. He is the artist
known for the famous Obama presidential poster movement. His works are posters,
stickers, and banners that are posted on public property.
Knitta Please- Is an artist group who began in Houston, Texas. The group wraps or
envelops objects with knitted yarn. They call this yarn bombing. One of their goals is
to make street art “a little more warm and fuzzy”.
Pixelator- Is a group of artists based in New York City. Using the video screens on
the NYC transit systems they create a grid cap that pixelates the images on the
screen into changing art.
Is Graffiti Art or Vandalism?
You are choosing a writing assignment from the Graffiti RAFT. You must
choose a side/stance on if you believe graffiti is an art form or if it is just vandalism
to public property. You must support these ideas with valid reason. For example,
“Graffiti is art because it looks cool” is not a reason. If you were to say, “Graffiti is art
because it enhances the way we see our everyday world” you would be getting the
same idea across and opening up a paragraph to talk about what it means to have
art in the public.
Things to think about before picking a side
-What is Graffiti and how does it affect me personally?
-What does it do to my community and its property?
-Would I feel differently id the property were mine?
-Is there a line between graffiti and just spray paint on walls?
-What are the effects on the environment?
-What about the legal issues and laws?
-What would my community look like with no art?
-Should I be able to freely express myself without repercussion?
Your assignment must be a minimum of one paragraph (10 sentence minimum).
You must follow your English skills. These skills include your paragraph formatting
(points and details), proper spelling and punctuation, word choice, flow, and target
audience with appropriate language.
Grading Rubric – English 6+1