As a budding blogger and photographer, I wholeheartedly appreciate the arts. The one form of artistic expression that I don't quite understand, however, is graffiti.
I guess I just don't understand why people risk their lives crossing highway ramps or hanging from bridges to write words that no one can even understand...AND I've noticed that many times the same word/message is written several times in the same area. Really? I got the point the first time. You didn't need to write it on every concrete slab down Rte. 95.
I've only been to Philadelphia, PA once but the lack of typical graffiti was a breath of fresh air. Instead of, well, whatever that is above, they have gorgeous murals on the sides of buildings, columns and overpasses.
After returning from the City of Brotherly Love, I did some research.
According to the Philadelphia The Mural Arts Program website, "the program began in 1984 as a component of the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network, an effort spearheaded by then Mayor Wilson Goode to eradicate the graffiti crisis plaguing the city. The Anti-Graffiti Network hired muralist Jane Golden to reach out to graffiti writers and to redirect their energies from destructive graffiti writing to constructive mural painting."
WHY ISN'T THIS DONE IN EVERY CITY?
Next time you see a ridiculous, nonsensical "tag" (as the kids say nowadays) on your way through town, think of how much better your city would look with these true pieces of art.
Who wouldn't love to discover a mural of a sea turtle on the way to the beach? Or a painting of an orchestra with musical notes coming to life on their way to the Veterans Memorial Auditorium? Or a picture of Del's frozen lemonade hand-in-hand with an Iggy's doughboy while sitting in traffic on 195 East?
The arts should make you think, spark a conversation and encourage a smile. The arts should not confuse the heck out of you and require a team of men in neon yellow shirts to paint over you during rush hour.
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