THE CHALLENGES OF CATALOGING STREET ART By Elizabeth Karges Yarn art by Hot Tea Minneapolis, MN Yellow Lines Flower Painter by Banksy, 2007

What is “street art?”  Street art is an umbrella term defining forms of visual art created in public locations, usually unsanctioned artwork executed outside of the context of traditional art venues.  Graffiti is writing or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place. Sign in Montreal, QC ca. Feb. 2012

Why catalog street art?  Many (not all) view street art as a legitimate art form  Street art is transient and prone to constant alteration  Credit where credit is due? "If you want to achieve greatness stop asking for permission," Street Art by Eddie Colla

Eddie Colla’s response to Walmart:

Challenges of cataloging street art  How can we accurately catalog a work that is so prone to change?  Which iteration of the piece is most important? The original? The existing piece (assuming changes are made)?  Do we catalog each and every alteration made to the piece?  What happens when the work is completely erased or painted over? Banksy in New York City, NY Oct. 2013

Creative solutions:  Sweza: German artist uses QR codes that link to original artwork (sweza.com/graffyard/)

Creative solutions:  Graffitimapper.org: website/app devoted to photographing and geotagging graffiti art pieces

Challenges of cataloging street art  How are patrons going to search for street art?  What categories must be “filled,” and what terms do we use to describe them?

Graffiti Art Styles by Lisa Gottlieb  Modify Panofsky/Shatford frameworks  Panofsky/Shatford frameworks describe art from the top down  Pre-Iconography/”Of”: primary subject, objective and subjective meaning  Iconography/”About”: Secondary subject matter, symbolic meaning  Apply this to graffiti art:  Pre-Iconography/”Of”: literal translation of tag  Iconography/”About”: the artistic style of the tag expresses both the style and the message, a signature

Lady Pink: two tags Pink, 1984 Pink, 1993

Categories used to describe graffiti  A: Legibility  B: Number of colors  C: Symmetry  D: Dimensionality  E: Letter outlines  F: Linearity  G: Letter strikes H: Negative Space I: Letter overlap J: Use of arrows K: Letter shape consistency L: Fill effects M: Fill consistency

So what does that look like?  Style: Abstract, A1C2F3I5J2K2 (a.k.a. “Transcend”)  Legibility: Illegible (A1)  Symmetry: Asymmetrical (C2)  Linearity: Combination of curved and straight lines (F3)  Letter overlap: Intertwined (I5)  Use of arrows: Not integral (J2)  Letter shape consistency: Inconsistent (K2)  Number of colors: At least 3, can have more than 5 (B2-3)  Dimensionality: Often 2-dimensional (D1)

Ethical questions  Does cataloging lend credibility to the artwork?  If this is the case, does cataloging street art quietly condone acts of vandalism?  Street artists often expect that their art will not last. Are we fighting against the nature of the art form by preserving it?  Where do we draw the line between vandalism and street art?

Minneapolis street art