SMITHSONIAN LETTER

Smithsonian Folklife Festival
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
Cultural Research and Education
Cultural Heritage Policy

May 3, 2004

Dominic Painter
Executive Director
The MidnightForum

Dear Mr. Painter:

I am delighted to write in support of Midnight Forum’s Graffiti project.  As a folklorist and a museum curator, I have been in the position to watch as graffiti evolved from non-productive personal statements to a sophisticated, community-based art form over the past 30 years.  As with many forms of artistic expressions that trace their beginnings to grass-roots culture, there is a tendency for such art forms to evolve more rapidly than the stereotypes that surround them. Graffiti is an excellent case in point.

Graffiti, which frankly began as vandalism in the 1970s, evolved into an art form that won the praise and attention of art galleries and mainstream designers both at home and abroad in the 1980s. By the 1990s, major museums and designers were vying for works of graffiti by self- and street-trained artists, who often enjoyed substantial financial benefits for their creativity.  Meanwhile, graffiti also evolved into a positive mainstay of community life as graffiti writers began creating sophisticated wall murals that celebrated and commemorated community pride, events, and personalities.

When the Smithsonian Folklife Festival celebrated the art and culture of New York City on the National Mall in 2001, one of our most popular presentations was by Tats Cru, a group of graffiti artists from the South Bronx, who had turned their talents not only to creating magnificent community-based graffiti, but who also used graffiti to reach, inspire, and educate students. I understand that the Midnight Forum’s graffiti project has similar goals.

Developing a project that uses art in educational and positive ways is always a worthwhile endeavor. Nonetheless, it is challenging to find a medium “cool enough” to attract non-standard learners and sophisticated enough to please the community and critics that must live with the results. Graffiti is an excellent choice.

I wish you all the best with your project and look forward to seeing the results.

Best wishes,   Nancy Groce, Ph.D.