Guerrilla art in the city: Urban and social revitalization | Intellect Skip to content
1981
  1. Home
  2. A-Z Publications
  3. Art & the Public Sphere
  4. Volume 10, Issue 2
  5. Article
Politicizing Artistic Pedagogies: Publics, Spaces, Teachings
  • ISSN: 2042-793X
  • E-ISSN: 2042-7948

Abstract

Without a permit, a masterplan, or corporate or public funding, artists have evaded conventional norms to accomplish a feat: the urban and socio-economic revitalization of abandoned or depressed cities worldwide. In Rio’s favelas and America’s impoverished suburbs, artists are the political force that promotes local economies, defines collective identities, gives people a sense of belonging, while covering the land with beauty. To act at the city’s scale, artists teach their craft to the locals and use art to empower the community, and unveil needed urban policies, bringing economic development, expertise and collaborative action. As a result, public art becomes instrumental for infusing new life in marginalized neighbourhoods, and the city becomes the ideal canvas for free expression without bureaucracy. This article is a bird’s eye view of two public art interventions that have highlighted the political and pedagogical implications of a citizen-design approach to urban renewal. Ultimately, it is a call for artists to activate as impactful makers of urban transformations.

© 2021 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/aps_00057_1
2021-11-01
2024-05-02
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance, Housing and Community development ( 2019–20;), ‘ Vital signs 19/20. ’, https://bniajfi.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=3c1e1360ce12411c98baf9d8740e15c7, https://youtu.be/IFi_lxcNvDU and https://youtu.be/4CRDjnxqMYk. Accessed 20 August 2021.
  2. Beyes, T.. ( 2015;), ‘ Summoning art to save the city: A note. ’, Ephemera, 15:1, pp. 207–20.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Brokalaki, Z., and Comunian, R.. ( 2021;), ‘ Beyond the hype: Art and the city in economic crisis. ’, City, 25:3&4, pp. 396–418.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Favela Painting Official Web Site ( 2021a;), ‘ Favela Mosaico Rio de Janeiro 2018–2022. ’, https://favelapainting.com/FAVELA-MOSAICO-FP. Accessed 20 August 2021.
  5. Favela Painting Official Web Site ( 2021b;), ‘ Rio Cruzeiro Rio de Janeiro 2007-2008. ’, https://favelapainting.com/RIO-CRUZEIRO-FP. Accessed 20 August 2021.
  6. Griffin, S.. ( 2017;), ‘ 25 of the world’s brightest, most colorful places. ’, CNN, https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-most-bright-colorful-places/index.html. Accessed 20 August 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Grossinger, K.. ( 2014;), ‘ Street art gives voice to the community on low-income housing. ’, GIA Reader, 25:1, https://www.giarts.org/article/street-art-gives-voice-community-low-income-housing. Accessed 20 August 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Haas & Hahn, TEDGlobal ( 2014;), ‘ How painting can transform communities. ’, https://www.ted.com/talks/haas_hahn_how_painting_can_transform_communities. Accessed 20 August 2021.
  9. Jacobs, J.. ( [1961] 1992), The Death and Life of Great American Cities, New York:: Vintage;.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Lefebvre, H.. ( 1996;), ‘ The right to the city. ’, in H. Lefebvre. (ed.), Writings on Cities (ed. and trans. E. Kofman. and E. Lebas.), Oxford:: Blackwell;, pp. 147–59.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Lovaglio, E., and Scortichini, M.. ( 2020;), ‘ La città come opificio sperimentale. ’, MD Journal, 10:2, pp. 236–47.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Manzini, E.. ( 2014;), ‘ Making things happen: Social innovation and design. ’, Design Issues, 30:1, pp. 57–66.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Slater, J. B., and Iles, A.. ( 2010;), ‘ No room to move: Radical art and the regenerate city. ’, edited excerpt from the extended introductory essay , No Room to Move: Radical Art and the Regenerate City, London:: Mute and darc.imv.au.dk;, https://www.academia.edu/2033385/No_Room_to_Move_Radical_Art_and_the_Regenerate_City. Accessed 20 August 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum ( 2011), Design with the Other 90%: Cities, United Nations Headquarters, 2 East 91st Street, New York:, 15 October 2011–9 January 2012 .
     [Google Scholar]
  15. TEDx Talks ( 2012;), ‘ Creating a new narrative for place with paint: Jeroen Koolhaas & Dre Urhahn at TEDxPhilly. ’, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxeKddFQQAM. Accessed 20 August 2021.
  16. Turkey, T., and Pitch, J.. ( 2012;), ‘ Baltimore vacants: A documentary. ’, https://vimeo.com/67777137. Accessed 20 August 2021.
  17. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs ( 2021;), ‘ 2018 revision of world urbanization prospects. ’, https://www.un.org/development/desa/publications/2018-revision-of-world-urbanization-prospects.html. Accessed 20 August 2021.
  18. United States Census Bureau ( n.d.a;), ‘ Baltimore’s population data. ’, https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Baltimore%20city%20population&tid=ACSDT1Y2019.B01003. Accessed 20 August 2021.
  19. United States Census Bureau ( n.d.b;), ‘ Baltimore’s housing data. ’, https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Baltimore%20city%20housing%20units&tid=ACSDP1Y2019.DP04. Accessed 20 August 2021.
  20. Vey, J.. ( 2015), Life in Baltimore, from the People Who Call it Home: A Video, Brookings Institution and Brookings Creative Lab;, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2015/07/20/life-in-baltimore-from-the-people-who-call-it-home-a-video/. Accessed 20 August 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Wenger, Y.. ( 2021;), ‘ City to raze hundreds of vacant houses in stepped-up plan. ’, Baltimore Sun, https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-vacants-demolition-20130816-story.html. Accessed 20 August 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Lovaglio, Enrica, and Scortichini, Manuel. ( 2021;), ‘ Guerrilla art in the city: Urban and social revitalization. ’, Art & the Public Sphere, 10:2, pp. 175–83, https://doi.org/10.1386/aps_00057_1
     [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1386/aps_00057_1
Loading
Guerrilla art in the city: Urban and social revitalization
Art & the Public Sphere 10, 175 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1386/aps_00057_1
/content/journals/10.1386/aps_00057_1
/content/journals/10.1386/aps_00057_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): citizen activism; marginalized communities; pedagogy; politics; social art; urban renewal

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error