Participants from the Urban Curators project recently transformed derelict areas of downtown Providence into an outdoor gallery space when they took to the streets and indulged in a little impromptu ‘curating.’ Passing residents were pleasantly bewildered when they stumbled upon a series of gold-painted frames haphazardly taped to graffiti-covered walls and the crumbling exteriors of abandoned sites. The intention of the group, which initially assembled as a collective after participating in RISD’s Semiotic Disobedience workshop last fall, was to highlight the urban ‘beauty’ of locales that most would condemn as decrepit and unsightly.
That’s brilliant!
[...] Many of you may have seen this in Metropolis this month [I did about a week ago] – but I had forgotten all about it before I saw this post over at Inhabitat. [...]
Hi, thanks for writing about us! We just hung about 40 more frames in Providence, pictures our on our website if your interested!! http://www.urbancurators.com
its a simple concept but very powerful in many aspects. it obviously takes time to do it and i feel it nessesary to express my appreciation to those who took their own time to do this.
Interestingly enough, I’ve been doing this in Miami for about 6 months.
http://robotwore.livejournal.com/4839.html#cutid1
its well intentioned but i dont like the practice of framing graffiti or other works of urban art. these already have a site specific context as created by the artists and doesnt need an external authority to frame it and recontextualize it. let it be appreciated on its own merit free any curatorial intervention.
Simple idea. Everyone should do it in thier own cities. Miami, Detroit, Topeka. Frame your environment. Frame social problems. It’s not about the artist. It’s about the issues.