(Photo: Sean Scheidt)
When I started working on the Baltimore Love Project four years ago, lead artist Michael Owen and I defined it as a city-wide mural project. After several months of pounding the pavement and telling the story of a mural project we discovered that people were confused. We needed to express ourselves differently. We began to define ourselves as a city-wide street art project. We discovered that murals were often viewed as a form of community art, not public art. So what’s the difference?
We found that many communities strongly support murals. They were willing to let an artist paint on the side of their buildings as long as the community had control over the image and the process of painting the image. They believed in community engagement, particularly in the process of creation. This is community art.
The Love Project proposes painting on the side of buildings which communities supported. However, the definition of the project is to paint the exact same image on 20 walls. It does not cater to the specific aesthetic or story of a community. To maintain the integrity of the image and provide exceptionally high quality art to ALL communities the process is also tightly controlled. We believe in community engagement but it happens after the art work is completed. This is public art.
Community art AND public art are incredibly powerful!
Community art can provide the euphoric experience of creation to everyone. A child has the opportunity to hold a paintbrush in hand and see a product of their own doing at the end of the day. A citizen has the opportunity to tell their story and see the reaction of others to their experiences. Community art empowers people where they are at.
Public art provides the challenge of new perspective. A thoughtful and highly skilled artist can establish new analogies with provocative concepts and the stroke of a brush. The creator confronts individuals with a new way to experience the world. He can show the world not only as it is but also as it can be. Public art empowers people with new outlook.
A city with a litany of walls can and should be home to both community art and public art. There is enough room for everyone to express themselves. There is enough room for new perspectives. The combination of both will lead to a healthy city that knows and expresses its story but is also striving to achieve.
In future posts I will delve further into the specific value of the Baltimore Love project. Much like a great wine, the power is in the nuance.
