Portland Street Art: the Gallery of the City
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Portland State University PDXScholar University Honors Theses University Honors College Spring 6-1-2021 Portland Street Art: The Gallery of the City Mia V. Pinzelik Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/honorstheses Part of the Game Design Commons, Graphic Design Commons, and the Illustration Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Pinzelik, Mia V., "Portland Street Art: The Gallery of the City" (2021). University Honors Theses. Paper 1060. https://doi.org/10.15760/honors.1086 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in University Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. STREET ART The Gallery of the City Thesis by Mia Pinzelik 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS OVERVIEW - 5 RESEARCH - 6 Street Art vs Graffiti - 6 Politics of Street Art - 7 Process and Materials - 8 Instagram Audit - 10 Survey - 11 Artist Interviews - 12 Street Art Ethnography - 15 CONCLUSION - 16 AUDIENCE - 17 DELIVERABLES - 17 Rule Booklet - 20 Street Art Pieces - 22 Game Board - 24 Card Deck - 26 Player Pieces - 27 Coins - 28 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY - 28 2 3 OVERVIEW Street art has been a foundation of As a lifelong Portland resident, I urban landscapes for over half a will specifically focus on the culture decade. Beginning in New York during and community surrounding Portland the 1960s, predominant Black and street art in my research. Secondary latinx communities began experi- research for this project will include menting with this practice of public the history of street art, the politics art associated with hip-hop music surrounding the art form, and the dif- and other subcultures of the time. ferent processes and materials used Work was often tagged with the art- by street arts. The primary research will ists’ name and street number such as include surveying the general public artist Jean-Michel Basquiat who went of Portland about their thoughts on under the pseudonym SAMO (The Art street art, studying how social media is Story, .n.d.). Since then, street art and used in the street art community, inter- graffiti scenes have grown and shifted views with active Portland street artists, throughout the world adapting to the and studying street art in person. This culture of the city. project will look to better understand Today, street art is as prominently the culture and community of Portland a part of our culture just as any oth- street art, the unique aspects of the art er type of art. Popular street artists, form, the kinds of people participat- such as Banksy and Shepherd Fairey, ing in street art culture, the difficulties are often recognized as household they face, and what defines this spe- names. Their pieces have been sold cific Portland subculture in 2020. The for millions of dollars and their work is goal of this project is to compile this shared vastly over the internet (Future- research into a board game illustrating Learn, n.d.). But beyond these often a general overview of the process and secret celebrities, the many anony- experiences of street artists in Portland. mous everyday street artists working in our cities are the ones creating the public galleries observed by the pub- lic everyday. Their work is viewed more often than the work in sanctioned art galleries and is done without permis- sion and without recognition. It is these artists that I am interested in learning more about. 4 5 RESEARCH Street Art vs. Graffiti Politics of Street Art During my research, I noticed the terms “The Broken Window Theory,” first out- for graffiti removal for the city of Port- street art and graffiti did not have clear lined in 1982 by James Q. Wilson and land and businesses. These funds went definitions linked to them both from George L. Kelling, theorized that loca- towards paying for the cost of graffiti people in and outside the scene. To tions appearing dirty and unkempt removal, purchasing removal supplies, combat this, I have formed my own send the message that the location is and to administer the ordinance. It definitions specifically for this project uncontrolled and unregulated there- is estimated that the city of Portland based on my research. When discuss- fore causing an uptick in criminal spends $2 million to $5 million on ing street art and graffiti centered activity. Despite Wilson and Kelling graffiti removal annually. Stores that sell around legality and the public’s briefly mentioning graffiti as one of “graffiti materials,” such as spray paint, general opinion, the two terms are these “symbols of disorder” and the are required to have materials be used interchangeably referring to lack of research to back up this theory, inaccessible to purchasers without unsanctioned art. When discussing “The Broken Window Theory” has had employee assistance as well as to the use of the terms in the Portland art lasting effects on the criminalization keep a log of individuals purchasing scene, the street art scene and graffiti of street art and graffiti culture. Many materials subject to inspection by scene are considered by many to be cities have adopted zero-tolerance the police department (Shoenberger, two separate subcultures. For discus- policies surrounding unsanctioned 2017). Due to the strictness and en- sion of these scenes, I am defining street art based on this theory result- forcement of these laws, the anonymity street art as unsanctioned work done ing in what would be a misdemeanor of street artists in Portland is extremely ahead of time and simply installed, offense now being considered a important for the artist’s safety. and graffiti as work made on the spot. felony. (Portland Street Art Alliance , Because of this, I will not be using any It should be emphasized that these 2017). These zero-tolerance policies names of artists in this project and definitions do not speak for all artists in can be traced back to the 1990s in instead use pseudonym or generalized the scene and there are many New York City during the Giuliani ad- information. artists actively creating work that blurs ministration and then would eventually the line between street art and graffiti. be enacted in cities across the coun- However, for this project I am choosing try, including Portland. to focus on artists who define them- In 1998, the City of Portland enact- selves as street artists and consider ed the “Graffiti Nuisance Abatement themselves a member of the Portland Trust Fund” aimed to help raise funds street art scene. 6 7 Process and Materials Due to the flexibility and freedom of of wheatpaste allows street artists to the practice, Portland street artists use paste their work quickly and efficiently a variety of techniques and materials to almost any surface they encounter. to implement their art work. The Port- The downside to wheatpasting in Port- land street art scene is particularly land is wheatpaste does not last in the known for its eclectic, extensive sticker rain resulting in its use mostly in the art scene with many considering it the spring and summer. sticker capitol of the world. Vinyl Do-it-yourself stencils are another stickers are the most popular due avenue many street artists use to to their durability in Portland’s rainy quickly replicate their work. Portland weather. Many artists also use free street artist Skam captures the sten- Priority Mail stickers from the post office cil making process on his Instagram as a cheaper alternative to the more @skamsticker. The process begins expensive vinyl (Green, 2017). Screen by coating the back of a printed or printed stickers have also become a hand-done piece with a flat color unique aspect of the Portland sticker spray paint. The piece is then scene with many artists screen printing adhered to a flat piece of wood with their own or paying fellow artists with a a light coat of spray adhesive. Once screen printing setup. smoothed out, the illustration is cut Wheatpaste is another common pro- out with an exacto blade to reveal the cess for pasting up work in Street art wood underneath. A sheet of fiberglass scenes due to it being relatively inex- mesh is then glued to the entire piece, pensive and simple to make. The paste excluding where the wood is exposed. is made with a combination of sugar Once the glue has dried, the piece is and flour mixed with water to create a peeled off of the wood and is ready to thick, glue-like substance. Wheatpaste be used. (@skamsticker, 2019). Many easily adheres any porous surface to artists often use stencils to replicate another and dries rock-hard with only their work on paper with spray paint a thin coating. The flexibility and ease and then paste these pieces up with wheatpaste. 8 9 Instagram Audit Survey The Portland street art community sharing the work and products of For this project, I conducted a survey A general theme in the responses mainly uses Instagram to connect other artists. to better understand how people in included associating street art with and share their work. All accounts are A commonality of many Portland Portland view street art and graffiti. I re- freedom of expression and rebellion. anonymous with artists never showing street artists on Instagram is the pres- ceived over 90 responses with the ma- Street art was understood as art made their face or sharing their real name. ence of a link to their Big Cartel store in jority coming from women ages 21 to by the people for the people and Many artists often share each other’s their profile bio.