What is Street Art?

Street art is produced in a public place and challenges the ideology that artwork is only displayed in museums or galleries.  It includes graffiti, stickers, poster art, mosaic tiling, video projections, street installations, guerilla art, flash mobbing, murals, wood blocking and stencil art.  That is just to name a few!

• Street artists use their art to express and communicate their message to people.  It’s displayed in an open space for anyone to see, judge, or appreciate with no marketing or scheduling. The city where the artwork is created also highly influences the direction of the artists. Street art is dependent on the environment, theme and culture that surround it. For example, in some environments the artwork is very political while in others it is colorful, urban or multi-cultural.  Artists also use social causes and changes such as anti-corporate or anti-war themes to influence their artwork.


• It is not to be confused with vandalism, although some find it a nuisance.  However, street arts' roots are graffiti but it is continuously evolving.  It has become a semblance of high art and is influencing a movement for artists everywhere. 


• Essentially, the worldwide theme for street artists is to appeal to a broad audience in a public space.  It’s slowly becoming a main stream form of art with several artists crossing over toward fame, nationally and internationally.  For instance, the Obama Hope poster by artist Shepard Fairey has become a popular form of street art in many cultures all over the world.