History of Street Art in Baltimore
Art as a conduit for expression, advocacy, and change
Baltimore has a thorough history of segregation, inequality, and segregation, which have been further perpetuated through slavery, Jim Crow, redlining, and housing discrimination.
Consequently, many Baltimore citizens have been left feeling voiceless.
Baltimore residents have turned to art, as it has become a powerful conduit to amplify diverse perspectives and spearhead change.
Murals, graffiti, and glass mosaics have been some of the most prominent forms of artistic expression and advocacy.
Street art does what art museums and galleries cannot - it unpredictably, directly engages with observers- evoking powerful, provoking, imagery.
The location of the street art often works in tandem with its subject to form social and political commentary.
"Street art has the ability to provide a historical narrative to a disenfranchised voice. When the historical narrative is created by those in power due to media control, the people sometimes take to the streets to create their own narrative in order to level the playing field”
-Carmen Cowick
Murals
*Mural honoring Freddie Gray
The Baltimore Uprising of Spring 2015 catalyzed a surge of community-based street art, especially murals, that served to amplify culture, pride and grassroots activism. The uprising was fueled by Freddie Gray's death under police custody.
Now, there are more than 250 murals around Baltimore that amplify underrepresented perspectives and foster a sense of community.
Many Baltimore citizens view murals as the most provocative forms of art, due to the intricacy and intention behind their details. Murals not only work to bolster the Baltimore community within, but invite tourists and new members of the community to engage with the city's culture.
"We don’t want to just fund another mural that’s just pleasing to the eye. We want stuff that’s going to speak about what we’re challenging because when you’re in a community, when things are burning down, it’s the forethought. You don’t want to be having conversations about race on burning buildings on top of rubble on top of burned down buildings and if you have these conversations beforehand … that’s when they’re authentic that’s when they’re earnest."
-Anonymous Street Art Advocate
"I want to promote narratives that aren't mainstream"
-Gaia, street artist
"a kind of surrealistic approach to history"
-Gaia
Graffiti
Graffiti is another powerful, yet controversial conduit of expression in Baltimore. It commonly used to spread social, political, and personal messages, and yet, it is often condemned due to its illegal nature. Some also consider graffiti as more of an "internal language" of the city rather than direct political expression.
However, as graffiti evolved during the protest movements of the 1970s, it gained some recognition for its artistic creativity and its ability to spread political and social messages.
Baltimore has clearly recognized graffiti as a prominent form of expression by local authorities' establishment of Graffiti Alley, a half-mile long alley that serves as a legal conduit for graffiti.
Glass Mosaics
Glass mosaics have historically been used in buildings and residential homes around Baltimore, but they have a history of being built for white, middle-class, Catholic residents.
The implementation of this art in new homes has even been speculated to have further enforced housing discrimination for non-white, non-Catholic residents, further developing ethnic, racial, and religious segregation.
Now, glass mosaics are now being used to beautify impoverished areas around the city. Consequently, artists have transformed and elevated glass mosaics as a form of beautification and expression in impoverished areas to reclaim the power of art for the underrepresented.
Glass art has also been found outdoors on tree branches and logs around Baltimore, especially around Hampden. As fascinating as the juxtaposition of raw nature to glass mosaics is, the purpose behind the art is still unknown.
