Yo, homies, last night, Gail and I ventured into East San Diego to the Center for Community and Cultural Arts. It was the night of closing ceremonies for an art exhibit featuring 30 years of graffiti art, presented by the youth group Writerz Blok. Writerz Blok began about 12 years ago as a way of steering youth away from illegal vandalism and towards learning the art of graffiti. It is gang neutral, and its classes are incorporated into the public high school curriculum of 8 area high schools. The program started the nation's first graffiti park offering over 10,000 square feet of paintable walls, attracting hundreds of youth, artists from all over the world, community members, and visitors each month. The program is raising awareness, increasing respect, and achieving more wide spread appreciation for graffiti as a legitimate and museum -worthy art form.
The exhibition was titled Contents Under Pressure. This is a dual reference to paint in a spray can and urban youth needing creative outlets.
The vibe was friendly, with minimal depiction of violence, etc.
There was a graffiti art contest going on. We were impressed by the seriousness of these young artists! I had memories of former students, and how much they like to practice writing in graffiti style, which was not allowed at all in school.
Hip hop is definitely part of the culture, with deejays, dancers, and rappers performing.
There was graffiti art all over, by such artists as Sake, Izzy, and Kleenhouse.
Gail tags the wall with "P Girl and Yummy D", fine hip hop sounding names, but actually the names of her two cats.
More unbelievable moves like this guy spinning on his head!
Art display of spray cans.
A vase and flowers made from sliced up spray cans. Work by Kleenhouse.
It was a fun evening of being in a different culture, seeing the positive influence of community programs, and enjoying some amazing art.
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