09 August 2009

It's no wonder why people graffiti

The flier to the right was created after events that took place on the 6th of August 2009.
Last week brought the 1st Thursday of the month on South Congress in Austin, Texas. From the website: "On the First Thursday of each month, merchants of the historic, pedestrian-friendly South Congress Avenue keep their doors open until 10 pm (and later in some cases), playing host to an array of events and activities."
Busking adds excitement to the free sights and sounds that make up the unique fabric of this strip of shops and any strip where pedestrians frequent in any city. It's actually directly tied in to your right to free speech from atop your soap box. At any given time, despite the City of Austin's efforts, one can discover a trumpet player, living statue, guitarist, dancer, percussionist, vocalist, painter, print maker, jeweler, glass maker, or even face painter - all free to witness and of course donations welcomed.
When the Right-of-Way Police come through, they sterilize the streets of all buskers. You can stay if you pay such as the vendor of cold treats in front of Lucy's in Disguise, but the ultimate message here is that the city's concern for being able to express the sidewalk in times of danger can be overlooked for money.
I came up with the title of this blog, "It's no wonder why people graffiti", when I realized that permission was needed to have a side-walk art show. If an artist wishes to express himself, he must pay and be filed away into a 10' x 10' square, "where the artists stay", either in a cubicle by Vespaio or by Guerros. The cops recommended the church across the street (where there's no foot traffic and the sun blazes the color right off your artwork!). When I asked questions after being asked to move my art, one of the officers sarcastically suggested "or we could confiscate the art work?" What a two-faced city. You deserve your graffiti!

3 comments:

  1. Have you ever guessed it is becuase we are tired of having hobos, et al, sitting on the sidewalk selling their crappy little paintings? We love our artists and you will see many performers down town all the time, as well as on 1st Thursday, however it used to be that you could not walk down the street without being harassed, asked for money and attention every step of the way.

    Just because you had a bad incident doesn't mean that the city doesn't embrace its artistry, you just cant hang out in the middle of the sidewalk or in front of someones business for hours with a table. There are established areas for this.

    If you think the city of Austin is trying to repress our artists, you are wrong, and obviously not from here.

    Also, stop spamming craigslist with your blog posts. Its obnoxious and very very lame.

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  2. I agree with the city, if you have good work then pay the fee or get placed in a business that displays art...like the rest of us artists. It's work, PR, time that must be spent. Bad Art is easy...Good art takes work. Peace Anguspaul www.anguspaul.com

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  3. opps web address was wrong it is www.anguspaul.net

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