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Urban Planner: March 25, 2009

By Vicky Peters

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Photo courtesy of Dan Bergeron.


ART: The Institute for Contemporary Culture at the Royal Ontario Museum hosts “Talking Street Art,” a panel discussion in conjunction with its current “Housepaint Phase II: Shelter” exhibit. Panellists include city councillor Adam Vaughan, MOCCA artistic director David Liss, Housepaint curator Devon Ostrom, and Toronto street artist Fauxreel (a.k.a. Dan Bergeron). The panel tackles the questions of street art legitimacy: Does street art have a place in a gallery setting? Can exhibited artists maintain street cred? How is street art different from mere vandalism? And what kinds of penalties does the artist risk? Royal Ontario Museum, Loblaws Group entrance, south end (100 Queens Park), 6:30 p.m., FREE.
WORDS: Authors at Harbourfront Centre presents an Open Stage Night poetry reading in honour of the upcoming National Poetry Month (April). Twenty published poets, all under the age of thirty-five, were picked by a draw to represent the new faces of Canadian poetry. A small jury will be assessing tonight’s performances and the winner will receive an invitation to read at this year’s thirtieth annual International Festival of Authors in October. Harbourfront Centre, Brigantine Room (235 Queens Quay West), 7:30 p.m., $8 (free for members and students)
BUSINESS: David Frum and Chris Turner have been invited as keynote speakers for Ryerson Business Forum‘s Blinded by the Green event today. Uber-conservative David Frum will be addressing the implications green initiatives have for the economy and for government while green-leaning journalist Chris Turner will argue that businesses have no choice but to adapt environmental strategies if they want to succeed in the coming century. Arcadian Court, Simpson Tower (401 Bay Street, 8th floor), 12–6 p.m., FREE.
FOOD: Community food organization Not Far from the Tree hopes to create Toronto’s first community orchard with a redevelopment of Ben Nobleman Park. The group has organized a neighbourhood meeting in the park’s Ward 21 location but has kept the meeting open to the public in light of future city-wide community garden endeavors. Not Far from the Tree is joined by development partners Growing for Green, the project’s landscape architect Jane Hutton, and by Toronto Parks and Rec staff to discuss the orchard proposal. Cedarvale School (145 Ava Road), 7–9 p.m., FREE.

Comments

  • http://null spacejack

    “Does street art have a place in a gallery setting?”
    Haha, what an old question. Back in the early 80s some of the better-known New York graffiti artists started putting their work in galleries (even going as far as installing entire chunks of brick wall) and people wondered the same thing. I think the answer was “no”.
    Anyway, considering that National Geographic had a big graffiti feature way back in 1982 or so, somehow I don’t think this stuff is as “street” or cutting-edge as people think it is.

  • http://www.torontoist.com David Topping

    Keep in mind, spacejack, that the fundamental problem hasn’t yet been resolved, which is that street art off the street in a gallery, fundamentally, isn’t street art. (The word “street” is less of a synonym for cool and more a marker of the form’s location…) I think it’s still an interesting question that hasn’t been resolved yet.

  • http://null DevonOstrom

    re: Spacejack
    Crap! You are right. I am going to call everyone and cancel the whole thing. Thank you for saving me a bunch of trouble.
    I guess we thought that because the Tate Modern did it recently and that this is the first major exhibition of street art in Canada that it was worth talking about. Maybe it was something to do with the wider issues it raises or the quality of the work in general. Regardless, I am sorry.
    Actually we should consider canceling art in general. All those people painting with brushes. So played out — yo I am sooo with you: I used to like old school cave paintings but it has all been a bunch of super lame sellouts since then.
    Here is the website, might want to check it out before I take it down later today: http://www.housepaint.ca

  • http://undefined spacejack

    Yeah that was exactly the issue. The graffiti artists who put their work in galleries were, as I recall, often criticized from within the community for selling out (some pieces were selling for pretty good sums.)
    It seems to go in and out of fashion every 5-10 years, raising the exact same cycle of questions.
    Personally I’m not sure graffiti in a relatively healthy city like ours is quite as relevant as it was in a burned out NY ghetto that society had abandoned and left to rot, or in South American dictatorships where the government was “disappearing” dissidents.
    The National Geographic issue I remember had some train art was pretty spectacular. Trains were used because the graf artists could send their work to other cities.
    Eventually though it got pretty out of control; subway interiors were covered in tags and doodles and inspired the “broken windows” theories etc. Even back in 82 there were huge graffiti cleanup programs; graffiti practitioners caught by police were made to perform clean-up jobs.
    (This is mostly from memories of research I did for a project way back in public school. Wasn’t much of a graffiti scene in North York then.)

  • http://undefined spacejack

    Duude, I guess it came out way too harsh. I’m not saying such shows shouldn’t happen. I just don’t think the legitimacy question is quite as interesting or provocative anymore. I think street art is a bit over-sold as being cutting-edge or subversive as its primary feature, when it’s been fairly established as a conventional artform (whatever its legal status may be.)

  • http://null DevonOstrom

    I think the fundamental issues are access to art and to artistic production expression in public spaces — and that is why the form continues to be relevant.
    I agree that classic graffiti leaves much to be desired when just plunked down in the gallery — but we have moved on from that and are aware of that dynamic.
    I would only agree that it does not belong in a gallery context if it was less critical in content or exceptional in quality or less unique in form than the majority of other art done by people that are not street artists.

  • http://null DevonOstrom

    Ah don’t worry about it — I can be overprotective. I know what you mean. You should come and bring it up.

  • http://undefined spacejack

    Oh also, cave art wasn’t graffiti. It was more likely one of the earliest creative professions. Some historians theorize that these artists were compensated for their work, and that it even represented an early form of specialization. The quality of a lot of those early pieces imply quite a lot of dedication to technical craftsmanship. It’s much more akin to fine art.
    I guess what bugs me about the current graffiti scene is that its just so… pretentious.

  • http://null DevonOstrom

    Yes and modern street artists are compensated for their work by ahem…gallery shows. Lots of the work was in caves unfit for living in / ‘unowned.’ Also some of the first work was stencils – people filling their mouths with paint then spraying.
    The graff art scene is not that pretentious and actually aims to be the opposite through their work — maybe insular though. Scenes are always pretty pretentious, in-group out-group sort of thing.

  • http://undefined rek

    The issue has another (new?) dimension, with graffiti writers and street artists vandalizing gallery shows of street artists being recognized/transitioning/selling out.
    Pixadores storm São Paulo gallery

  • http://undefined spacejack

    Well I would be in the camp that says if you’re putting the work in galleries, it ceases to be graffiti; then it’s just regular drawing/painting/mixed media. Doesn’t mean it ceases to be art though.

  • http://null DevonOstrom

    And with artists being arrested while arriving at museum shows:
    http://multimedia.boston.com/m/21848342/artist_of_obama_poster_to_be_arraigned_in_boston.htm?pageid=26366
    And even localy where the graffiti bylaw which can discriminate against and destroy work done by artists that is legal — and wanted by the community.

  • http://null Show&Tell

    “Yes and modern street artists are compensated for their work by ahem…gallery shows.”
    Its true. No pretension here.
    http://www.showandtellgallery.com

  • http://null Show&Tell

    “Yes and modern street artists are compensated for their work by ahem…gallery shows.”
    Its true. No pretension here.
    http://www.showandtellgallery.com

  • http://undefined rek

    I went, it was pretty interesting but felt too short. A lot of what Vaughan said reminded me of Creativity Killed The Recession (and how I’ve yet to go to one of their gatherings).

  • http://null Show&Tell

    I went too, agreed that it was to short. Adam Vaughan really annoys me.

  • http://null Show&Tell

    I went too, agreed that it was to short. Adam Vaughan really annoys me.