TRUE Skool Comes Under Fire For Promoting Art!
A mural created over the weekend during an event organized by TRUE Skool, a group in Milwaukee that works to empower at-risk youth through cultural projects, was this morning after coming under scrutiny by local officials.
Ald. Bob Donovan is calling for an investigation of the group and wants to “see why precious grants and resources are being used to ‘educate’ young people on how to create graffiti,” according to a statement released this morning.
“In my opinion this outfit is nothing more than a front for propagating and endorsing graffiti,” Donovan said in the statement.
The mural, emblazoned with the words “Raw Love” and created with a group of students under the direction of professional artist Jay Sterling, who also goes by J. Bird, was designed to be temporary and was going to be removed today at 1 p.m., said Sarah Patterson, executive director of TRUE Skool. Things got heated at the site this morning, which Patterson said could have been avoided with if Donovan had simply called the group.
“I just think it is ridiculous when young people in the community see our aldermen go on TV irate…when they try to do something positive and are being called criminals and vandals,” said Patterson, who said Donovan attended the group’s block party last year.
“It is really sad – we still have those who view art as not valuable,” she said.
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A similar situation has occurred with our program “Paint not Prison” here in Southern California. While the Ventura County probation department is a proud supporter, sending youth on probation for Graffiti offenses to work off community service hours through arts education and community organizing, we have come under fire from some other officials, and have had to really communicate with the Graffiti Task Force and City Council to explain that “Graffiti is Art, and Tagging is Vandalism”…there is a difference. Someone even put on their comments to the newspaper regarding a positive article about our program that “they should just chop the young persons hand off.”
In our city of Oxnard some youths owe over $100,000 for vandalism (being fined at a rate of $1000 per tag), thus ruining a young person’s financial future. We are working hard to change the law to lower the fines, and pushing for the city to offer community service options, and restorative justice and redemption through muralism and arts…..or at least let them clean it up themselves… This really is an economic justice issue when fines for graffiti are higher than a DUI and people have no ability to pay. As they say art is in the eye of the beholder….Keep up the good work…Arts for Action gives a shout out from here on the West Coast..