Art at home ain't enough: Ignoring the Inner Curmudgeon

Inti with mural, Wynwood Walls

I already visit museums when I can, but am lax about attending other arts-related functions.  Last week was a good reminder: attend events! Go to lectures, even if your inner curmudgeon pfffs at the description: "The writeup is probably better than the talk itself. And that'll be great: disappointment AND misused babysitter time! Irritating in advance." 



On Thursday I checked out a Penny Stamps lecture on Wynwood Walls, one of the largest, devoted sections of murals in the country, occupying what was once yet another expanse of industrial wasteland. Ahhhhmaaaazing! The narrative of its creation, and the thriving community it gave birth to, was an easy feel-good to myself as an audience member (woohoo, creativity saves the day!), but the message extended far deeper, as in: public art can change you. It can change your life and the way you view the world. It's not a brand new message by any means, nor did it show pie charts with crunched up data, but the delivery was strong.*

Plus we got to see slides of the work of globally renowned street artists, listen to Tristan Eaton extol the virtues of spray paint (the most malleable and democratic of art supplies!; and responsible for his artistic success), hear a jet-lagged French artist Kashink explain her decisions to: depict only male figures (we are too trained to "perfect" female figures, and she neither wanted to rebel from or add to that tradition), to ink on a thin mustache daily for the past several years, and why funtivism wins out over activism.  Such a blast to be transported outside your life for a couple hours. And like all the best events,****

a Tristan Eaton/Kamea Hadar collaboration, from the former's website 

(NOT from Wynwood Walls)

Wynwood Walls -- "Street Art Heaven"

"Florida on my mind #Orlando" -- @Kashink1 on Instagram

detail of one of eL Seed's "calligraffiti" murals...

"Perception," 2016, photo courtesy Ahram online 

...which actually spans 50 buildings across a slum in Cairo

Fascinating coverage from New York Times, The Telegraph, or in the own artist's words (including Ted talk); Pilerats underscored the mural would have been a jail worthy offence if  the prohibitive Egyption government had detected the mural's creation.
 
*Though Widewalls cites studies linking increased property values with more public sculpture/murals/etc.