The 1960’s and 70’s were a fitful time in U.S. history, with movements rising across the country to oppose issues such as the Vietnam War, the Cold War, racism, homophobia, and more. It seemed the U.S. government was not in touch with the people, and the people were pissed. All across the nation people took to the streets in protest. 

 

One of the many things that was taken to the street was art. 

 

Now household names such as Haring and Basquiat took to the streets in attempts to democratize art, express their political and social frustrations through paint, and just paint because they were scared, mad, or done caring. Overnight sides of buildings would be transformed. Those painting in the 60’s and 70’s were counterculture icons, anarchists, activists, rebels.  

 

Now that I am technically doing street art—not commissioned, done anonymously and illegally— I have been wondering about my connection to this street art history. Where do I fit in, and what am I building upon?

 

Unlike Haring and other activist artists for whom art and activism were inseparable, I see my art as slightly different from my climate activism, which takes up the other half of my brain. In fact, I intentionally separated my art and my activism. One was abstract, far off, frustrating. The other was concrete, satisfying, up lifting. 

 

I am not writing THE WORLD IS BURNING on telephone poles, but instead painting them bright yellow, orange, pink blue. 

 

I’m not an anarchist. And I don’t think I’m making blatantly political statements with my murals.

I do, however, believe that I have always painted as a form of resistance. This resistance is different from the unabashedly political street art of the 60s’ and 70’s, but it is resistance nonetheless. This is a resistance to waste, to ugly, to meh, fine, good enough. This is resistance to thinking that things are they way that they are for good. 

 

I am merging aesthetic and political art. Why not beautify a street and make a point: you can make change. Things are not the way they are for any reason besides that’s the way they are now. You have the power to change what you think is cemented. 

 

I do have a place in history, and I am standing on the shoulders of giants.