Keep an eye out for "art" in the parks

[OakLeaf]

As long as we remember that the term "me generation" was coined 40 years ago to describe people who are now in their 60s. Coined by a man who helped lead a cultural movement that was derided as wastrels by the generation before him. And though we don't know how old the people were when they carved their initials and dates into the sandstone 120 years ago, it's a pretty safe guess that they were young adults or adolescents at the time, too.

[Crankin]

I hate graffiti anywhere. There was so much of it in Portugal, it obscured some really nice sites, both in the city and rural areas.
I know it's considered an art form, but it just seems like litter to me.

[Eden]

OK the current me generation… the one that's been so coddled and told they are wonderful, that everyone is a winner all their lives, that they haven't learned that their personal desires aren't the end all and be all to life. I can call it the "Everyone get's a trophy" generation if you'd like.

And I get equally annoyed at seeing people's initials carved into rocks/structures. I was no less ticked off at the quite large inscription proudly proclaiming that some midwest boy scout troop had stayed in the CCC shelter on the Wonderland trail in 1940 something…..

[Owlie]

OK the current me generation… the one that's been so coddled and told they are wonderful, that everyone is a winner all their lives, that they haven't learned that their personal desires aren't the end all and be all to life. I can call it the "Everyone get's a trophy" generation if you'd like.

Uh, thanks.

[Crankin]

This goes on in every generation.
We all suck!

[smilingcat]

Every generation has their share of rotten apples. Leaving a mark any kind in national park stinks. Be it pile of trash, illegal fire pits/camp fire cutting of trees for fire and even graffiti art. I don't care if it was done by Dali, Picasso, Rembrant, Peter Bruelgel or even Van Gogh, painting on landscape is not acceptable.

As for graffiti of petroglyph in Southwest, they are of historical importance to archeology and to anthropologist. They have different implications than the graffiti of today. And to me, it is this difference that is the difference between acceptable and not acceptable. Same goes to ancient Greek graffiti and those in Middle East.

Now that the woman has been identified, she will find it not so fun or "art" anymore. A case I remember was from Newspaper rock in Southern Utah. Idiot carved their name, address and phone number. This was about 40 years ago and the perpetrator ended up paying a fine and clean up cost. Back then he had to cough up tens of thousands of dollars. Newspaper rock now has a chain link fence around the front so you wont be tempted to carve anything into the sandstone. Carvings in newspaper rock I believe comprises of petroglyphs dating to pre-Spaniard days so no horses. Then later petroglyphs have Indians on horses (post Spanish)

I hope she gets to spend years cleaning her stuff off in the 100+ heat, 5% humidity with UV index of 100.

grrrr!!!!

[Eden]

I don't think anyone on TE meant to generalize, though. Just how it is as we get older. I'm generation X. And, apparently, we haven't done a damn thing. And Baby Boomers use far too many resources, straining carrying capacity...

Exactly - there's problems in every generation - it's just that each time we try to solve them we simply seem to make things bad in a whole new way…. and we probably notice the ones younger than us the most. It's not that I think *every* child of the current generation has gotten sucked into believing all the rot that's fed to them about being terrific just for existing, but the ones who have… ugh the feelings of entitlement and the narcissism.

Maybe it's also the accessibility of it all too…. this is the first generation who could do something like the systematic defacement of national parks and then nearly iinstananeously proudly proclaim it to the world via a medium that millions of people can easily see…

[rebeccaC]

Muirenn….there are waterbased, non toxic and no voc acrylic paints/markers used for graffiti. From the photos that looks like what Nocket used. Removal can be the problem Nocket should have had in mind...among other things

I think my generation (Y, millennium whatever) saw artistic graffiti/street art overcome the gang graffiti that freaked out older people. It was also fused with the hip-hop music of my generation. For me it was/is just about knowing and interacting with the neighborhoods where the art form lives on.

[shootingstar]

I don't see that way rebeccaC, because the graffiti art that I've seen looks permanently damaging..meaning it doesn't wash off just like that in the rain. Calling in paid staff, is very expensive to remove the stuff: they have other work...for a rapidly growing city like ours....there are other areas in need of beautification from ground level up because of decades of surbaban sprawl. I will be honest, I work for a municipality and we go to great lengths to figure out ways to protect outdoor mural public art from being graffitied.

Some great cycling-inspired outdoor public art carefully planned and painted by volunteer community groups in Vancouver have been subjected to graffiti. I don't appreciate it as an art lover. The artists who were commissioned by the city spent hrs. designing and preparing the wall surfaces, plus painting.

On a section of this outdoor mural art by a popular bike-ped path in Calgary, see the fine details of mapping? It's gone now. Because someone graffitied over it. So the city had to scrub it off and the details are gone.


http://cyclewriteblog.wordpress.com/...river-calgary/ The piece is actually part of a bicycle theme. Coincidentally this morning, I was cycling by the art in the same area and marvelled that it had not been grafffitied much yet. Probably because there are some planted bushes..plus I believe the police do drive by this area several times a day.

We need to put ourselves in the shoes of the real visual artists who have been approved/commissioned to have their work for free viewing by public outdoors. Ask yourself, would you want a graffiti artist spray painting all over your work?

My attitude is not generational...it is simply about how we value public property that's open and free for viewing.

[rebeccaC]

I guess I see water based hybrid acrylic paints and markers made from plant oils and resins, plant dyes and natural binders with no ammonia or formaldehyde as pretty good alternatives to the list of heavy metals and other toxic ingredients in the acrylic, varnish and oil based paints your Columbia article listed as hazardous waste....which they are. For a young cousin's art projects I've bought very earth friendly paint products at art supply stores....the same child safe markers that it looks like Nocket used.

[shootingstar]

It's not just the defacement. Acrylic paint is a hazardous waste. There are specific steps to take, even in an urban setting, to avoid compromising the natural and human environments. Picture set-up and disposal. Wet paint. Brushes. I wonder how she cleaned them. In the stream, perhaps? Not likely nothing was emitted in that scenario. And if any spray paint was used, propellants are a consideration. I'm sure some paint has ended up in water-runoff and entered the water table. Affecting soil substrate, flora, insects and birds that feed on flora and drink water, etc. etc. So what we have are water quality, soil quality, green house gas emissions. Yes, these are small projects, but these are pristine environments she has entered. Not just sad and not just 'me.' It's damaging. Oh, and a lot of the areas she is in may have significant cultural resources (like religious significance for tribes). It's very common, actually. In one cultural resources class I took that was conducted by tribal archeologists, they pointed out that a religious monument may just be a simple hill, something that looks like nothing to an outsider. Any changes to those areas have to be agreed upon by tribal governments, state historic offices, etc. etc.

That hill face with the obvious strata bothers me the most. It can't really be cleaned without causing damage. And the acrylics will leach over time, eroding the area and adding toxins to the environment on a greater scale.

Thx for this reminder, Murienn.

I actually dislike graffiti in cities and out in the parks, rural area. Sorry. And I do my own art at home, so it's not as if I lack art appreciation. I photograph and my personal blog contains highlights of what I see for planned public outdoor public art, when I bike around.

I give no blog highlights to graffiti "artists". To me, it's defacement of someone else' property ...and even public property that has been paid by taxpayers. We have to spend dollars to clean it off. Worse, planned outdoor public art installations are defaced sometimes.

Some of the "style" for planned art, adopts a graffiti style.. no problems with that if the artists got permission to paint an abandoned house...which actually there was series of homes, slated for demolition. So the whole neighbourhood was turned into a funky public artsy area for a few months.

An artist for any medium, should respect the environment and property where they practice their art..