Can Graffiti and Other Street Art Forms Help a Neighborhood Understand Who They Are?
2014
BACKGROUND:
As part of GHC’s Creative Placemaking Project and our mission to support individual artists in the community, Urban Artformz Institute was created by one of three artists in-residence, the artist Seven. Seven was selected from a pool of over thirty applicants, a street artist known for his colorful murals, which often portray the diversity and beauty of humanity and the world we live in. He has a strong desire to mentor the local community, particularly the youth, through the arts.
What Urban Artformz and Seven Did:
Urban Artformz was a design studio located on the second floor of the former GHC headquarters. It offered a variety of workshops focusing on visual art (both street art and fine art), spoken word and poetry, and urban dance. It also hosted several summer workshops for youth in the community and small events such as talent shows and movie screenings. When not hosting, the space was used as a community internet cafe.
Seven not only led many of the workshops in the studio, he is also responsible for the many murals along Glass Street.
VISION:
The institute and studio aimed to reform and inspire the community through a wide variety of artforms. Special attention was given to influencing the youth and offering them opportunities to discover their creative talents. Alongside the vision for the studio, Seven’s participation in mural projects has added to the beautification of the Glass Street area, making local investment a greater possibility and instilling pride in the community.
