Graffiti+Project

===Graffiti Project: **LACK OF OPPORTUNITY FOR ARTISTIC EXPRESSION** ===

**By Sharon Prew **


**1. Introduction** Looking at the lack of opportunity for artistic expression for young people in Darwin and surrounding areas, although organizations such as Corrugated Iron Youth Arts exist which provide many opportunities for young people to express themselves in areas such as drama, dance, music and art, the artistic expression for young people in the form of graffiti is naturally limited. Graffiti is not only about artistic expression but very much about the personal expression and gains to the young person. Research conducted by Mark Halsey and Alison Young both from the University of Melbourne in March 2002 showed that graffiti is most commonly done by young males between the ages of 12 and 25 years, it was noted that they come from a variety of social and socioeconomic backgrounds. It was also noted the majority do it for a limited time, 2 to 3 years. The research showed that what often motivates young people to practice the art of graffiti maybe to try and get a racist or political message into the public eye or as in the case of what is known as hip hop graffiti is about gaining notoriety and respect amongst their peers and other writers, graffiti is also an outlet for self expression and rebellion, a member of a graffiti crew can feel a sense of belonging. The reasons for young people becoming involved with graffiti can be varied, the lack of legitimate activities in their community, being introduced by their friends and peers, the perverse pleasure of participating in an activity that is illegal and that it can also evoke positive responses of self-esteem and satisfaction. **2. Consultation Process** The consultation process I took to access as many young people as I could, started with contacting youth organizations such as Corrugated Iron Youth Arts and the Youth Shack, I also distributed flyers to local secondary schools, put up posters at skate parks, local notice boards and hung a banner from the Jingili pedestrian overpass. I also contacted Darwin City Council by mail, to see what their plans were for tackling graffiti and what types of projects or events had been held before, an email was also sent to the head of the NT Police Graffiti Task Force, as they are working in conjunction with the Darwin City Council. After contacting Corrugated Iron Youth Arts by telephone, they were more than happy to allow me to hold a meeting in their hall at in Nightcliff. Through the advertising, I invited the young people to be a part of the meeting in which I took the role of facilitator. As a result of the meeting ideas were gathered as to what type of project would best suit what we wanted to achieve which was a legal graffiti project that young people could implement and co ordinate. I used a white board to brainstorm ideas also offered pens and paper for individuals to put forward their thoughts. We narrowed the ideas to three projects that we thought were the most achievable, then we took a vote by show of hands and a project was decided upon. I then asked for expressions of interest from young people who would like to form a committee and would remain committed to seeing this project through. Ten people put themselves forward so it was decided that they would become the committee with me continuing my role as facilitator. The committee that was formed at the meeting, sent letters to youth organizations, secondary schools and put posters around the community advertising a competition for the best graffiti designs, in which the major prize would be the chance to paint their designs alongside a top local graffiti artist, (their will be more than one space for painting). Runners up would have their work displayed at the museum for two weeks, in an exhibition agreed to by museum management. A web page was created by members of the committee, for the designs to be posted online with an online voting system. It was decided to leave the voting line open for 2 weeks after which time votes would be counted and the winners decided. I as facilitator approached a local shopping centre manager for the possibility of painting the side wall of the supermarket which was tagged and looked vandalized. The shopping centre agreed to the proposal as long as it was done tastefully. I also approached Bunnings Warehouse and other local art supply stores for donations of equipment, Darwin City Council agreed to fund the preparation and preservation of the mural. It was decided by the committee to involve the community to try to dispel some of the stigma related to graffiti. Graffiti is often seen as being related to crime and violence and can convey a sense of fear in the community, to show how much more pleasing these blank walls can be with a well designed mural, the public was invited to come along and watch the painting of the mural with a sausage sizzle provided by Corrugated Iron Youth Arts to raise money for their local youth projects. The event was held over a weekend period, between 9am and 5pm, at the old supermarket at Nightcliff Shopping Centre, through permission off Darwin City Council, we were able to close the drive through off that runs alongside the old supermarket. We placed signs up at the shopping centre and in the Nightcliff Mall, advertising that the event was happening and that all were welcome to come along. By opening the event up to the general public, we were hoping to achieve an awareness acknowledging that graffiti does happen, it is illegal, but if done in a positive way it can be very productive and may help to bridge the gap between our younger members of the community. A lot of the youth that take part in illegal graffiti have a great artistic talent and if channeled into the right areas, it may give them some sort of direction for their futures. In other councils including Darwin, it has been proven that projects like these give the youth a sense of pride and ownership, and that there is a mutual respect between artists, so the murals are rarely defaced. The resources needed for the event, were gained through funding from Darwin City Council, who offer an amount between $500 and $5000, specifically for these types of projects, and some paint supplies were donated from Bunnings Warehouse. The Nightcliff Woolworths donated refreshments for all participants involved. Corrugated Iron had drinks for sale to the general public as part of the sausage sizzle. **4. Evaluation:** As part of the evaluation process, we had a simple one question yes/no petition for any person walking by, which asked, Do You Agree with Legal Graffiti/Mural Projects? After a count of ticks at the end of the event, we found that the majority said yes. For the youth the committee came up with a questionnaire to get a broader idea of what they thought and what they might like to see in the near future, (questionnaire attached) and a $50 prize was up for grabs to any youth who participated in the questionnaire. After the event the person in charge of the NT Police Graffiti Task Force contacted me, as I had sent her an email asking for information on how the Police and City Council were approaching the graffiti problem in and around Darwin. We discussed our project plan and talked about the Graffiti Management Plan for 2008, both agreeing that graffiti needed to be tackled with a holistic approach. She asked me if we could forward details of our project and any other research on to her, so as to work together and to encourage more events like this one to continue on.
 * 3. The Event:**



Graffiti Report New South Wales, Dealing with Graffiti in New South Wales by Rachel Callinan. www.parliament.nsw.gov.au
 * 5. References:**

Darwin City Council, Graffiti Management Program 2008 www.darwin.nt.gov.au

Corrugated Iron Youth Arts, Bauhinia st Nightcliff