Graffiti as art
By Julie Rausch
It’s often associated with vandalism, but graffiti — that colorful urban art — will be the subject of an unusual art event.
The School of Art and Design is presenting a retrospective of alternative art with New York guest artist Guy Richards Smit, video presentations, a faculty lecture, a bluegrass band, food and local graffiti artists from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, March 31, as part of the Art and Architecture Lecture Series.
Lectures and video presentations will be in 210 McKnight Art Center. Food, music and a graffiti display will be in the McKnight atrium.
The afternoon of unusual entertainment starts with a video from 1-1:30 p.m. that includes interviews with graffiti artist Keith Haring and footage of him at work, as well as assessments from major museum curators, critics and dealers. Before his death in 1989 at age 31, Haring became internationally famous for his exuberant style of "art-writing" inspired by street graffiti.
Haring’s video will be followed by Jody Cutler’s slide lecture, "Kilroy Was Here: Graffiti and the Outer Limits of Art" on historical and contemporary graffiti from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Cutler is a visiting assistant professor of art history.
Smit is a musical performer — his rock band is Maxi Geil & Playcolt — a stand-up comedian and a watercolor artist. The heart of his art is a stand-up comedy video series based on a fictional character Jonathon Grossmalerman (German for "big painting guy") who delivers slapstick humor with a sharp edge. Smit, as Grossmalerman, dresses in Las Vegas duds and delivers scathing and off-color commentaries on "the bloated egomania of ‘80s art powerhouses" as he satirizes artists of the contemporary art world. The videos will be shown 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Smit will be on hand to answer questions after his "Jonathon Grossmalerman Series" videos are shown.
Following Smit, the activities move to the McKnight atrium for what organizers are calling an "outrageous food display" and reception.
From 4-5 p.m. the band Split Lip Rayfield, originally from Wichita, will play. The band recently released its third album "Never Make It Home" on Chicago’s Bloodshot Records label.
In a recent Wichita Eagle review, the four-member band’s recording was described as "laden with a mature spunkiness that is purely enjoyable without ever becoming annoyingly over-nostalgic." Band members sing songs such as "Drink Lotsa Whiskey" and "Dime Store Cowboy" and play guitar, harmonica, mandolin, banjo, kazoo and a bass made from a gas tank.
Several local young graffiti artists will create a graffiti display in the McKnight atrium. Kevin Mullins, assistant curator for the Ulrich Museum, said graffiti artists tend to be young rebellious individuals who are not inclined to participate with mainstream galleries and academic art disciplines.
"Graffiti has an element of vandalism," Mullins said. It’s mostly illegal and that is why we see graffiti art show up seemingly out of nowhere on building facades, railroad cars and on underpasses, he said.
Gangs are associated with graffiti because they use symbols to mark their turf. Graffiti artists are often called taggers because they try to develop their own individual style, or tag, said Mullins.
There is a demand for some graffiti art in Wichita and elsewhere, Mullins said. "Some building and store owners hire graffiti artists to do signage for them. Also some art galleries show graffiti work." For example, the local galleries Trish Higgins Fine Art and Project have shown graffiti art, Mullins said.
Call 978-3233 for reserved tickets. Prices start at $7 with discounts available. Tickets for the video and lecture portion of this event are nearly sold out. However, people who did not get reserved tickets for the lecture and video presentations may come for food, music and the graffiti display in the atrium for a charge at the door of $4 for adults and $2 for students.
