STREET ART 3.0

By Evan Pricco, managing editor of Juxtapoz Magazine.

We are at an interesting crossroads in the genre of art dubbed "Street Art." It's popularity has far exceeded that of any other genre of art, probably in the history of classification of art. This isn't hyperbole; just look around. Street Art has gone through museum retrospectives, gallery shows, Academy-Award nominated films, helped elect Presidents, seen its fair share of praise, criticism, backlash, and created international art celebrities in just a few short years of existence. And the crossroads that most concerns me and most of us who truly care about Street Art's past and present, is who will try and control its Future. 

Inevitably, Street Art was going to become Marketing 101. That initial rush of street artists contributing to the urban landscape, whether for political or aesthetically reasons captured the attention of those who create ad campaigns and make brand awareness decisions. And why wouldn't it? Those who grew up loving and supporting Street Art grew up a little bit more and got jobs in the creative fields where they could take their inspirations and readily turn them into effective advertising campaigns. I don't fault them, nor do I think I criticize this ongoing Street Art Economy that continues to grow and expand. I mostly think, if art is good, if art makes people react and feel something, that regardless of its aesthetic, it comes with merit. Street Art has a connection with populism, with people who once felt intimidated by museums and galleries and the staunch conservatism of certain institutions. Street Art sort of let everyone in, and rallied against old school art politics and the way our urban landscape was being taken from us by corporate interests. Well, who didn't think the corporate interests were going to join the party? 

What I'm hoping to discuss at Nuart this year is all the different playing fields that Street Art is now entertaining. There have been fantastic public art projects that have popped up in the last 12 months, one in particular was my backyard of San Francisco. It saw independent organizers buy out advertising space throughout the city and give it to artists to takeover. I've also been participating in curating projects for companies that want Public Art experiences for their campaigns, and to be honest, I have found the end results to be quite well-done. And of course, we have venerable organizations and events like Nuart. There are now world-renowned festivals that pose questions and create spaces for Street Art and city politics to come together and make something significant and progressive in regards to Public Art. 

I'm not saying there is a right answer for how Street Art should evolve. But I love hearing all sides and all opinions about its current state. Is there a perfect symbiosis? I'm looking for it...

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