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= Sherryl, Chris, Christine =

 

Concepts
Photo Essays
Service Site
Bios
Explore Chicago Graffiti

- Concepts -

Tag: A graffiti tag or scrawling of one’s graffiti name on a surface is the original, lowest level of graffiti. This type of graffiti is done quickly and designed to be done numerous times so recognition of one’s self is seen in as many places as possible. This builds street credibility and therefore helps gain respect and fame in the graffiti community. Ferrell, in his book, Crimes of Style: Urban Graffiti & the Politics of Criminality, best describes the definition of tag as saying, “When graffiti writer’s tag, they write a practicized, stylized version of their subcultural nickname, or “tag”. They also often write an alternative personal tag, the name of their crew, or even the tag of other writer’s in their crew (Ferrell, 70).”
Piece: A piece is more than just a tag and a throw-up. Writers create specific images and designs, place them in a “piecebook” and use them as later guides for later murals. The time to do a piece can range from twenty minutes to a couple of hours. Graffiti artists use a variety of different colors to fill-in and outline the piece to make it stand out. In the eyes of graffiti artists, graffiti beautifies a city full of blank, emotionless buildings into canvases where they paint creative pieces of artwork to give the city something stunning to look at in the eyes of the common person.

Negative Morpheme: Morphemes are known as symbols, usually found in groups that have certain significance to a certain type of people, such as a language might have. A morpheme is also described as certain dialect and certain writings and scrawling that can have deciphered meanings so only certain audiences can understand them, such s gang symbols. A negative morpheme is a gang sign that is a morpheme, but is written explicitly towards offending another person, rather than bringing pride to one’s self. This is the way this meaning holds pertinence in this scenario. When symbols are written by certain gangs in efforts of putting down other gangs, these are a prime example of negative morphemes.

Graffiti Blasters: To many individuals, graffiti is seen as a crime, as vandalism. Many people have tried to have a “clampdown” of graffiti so that they can “take back their community.” Because of the neighborhood’s concerns in Chicago, Mayor Daley created a program to help clean the districts in Chicago. This program is called Graffiti Blasters. It was started in 1993 and Chicago became the first municipality in America to have financial responsibility for removing the graffiti off of private property. Mayor Daley earned about $4 million to purchase nineteen baking soda machines that would remove the graffiti from property at no additional fees.
Hip-Hop: Hip hop is a form of expression whose roots are embedded deep within the African culture and their traditions. It all started in 1967 when Kool Herc brought this culture into New York. It became popular because it gave adolescents a chance to express themselves. It has five elements. These five elements are known as MC’ing (which is rapping), D-Jay’ing (using turntables), writing (through the use of aerosol art), dance (such as breakdancing, up-rocking, popping and locking) and knowledge. Knowledge is the most important element because without it, no one can get anywhere. This element is what holds and pieces everything together, unifying everything that is taught to individuals who want to learn more about hip hop.

 

- Photo Essays -

Sherryl Nadonga: My essay is entitled Graffiti: A Perspective Outside the Can. Many individuals have different perceptions of what the meaning of graffiti is. In this specific Explore Chicago class, we have based much of our acquired knowledge from the class excursions we went on, the public speakers that we have listened to and through the books we read. These perceptions are encompassed around the ideas of vandalism versus the idea of graffiti being a source of expression-a positive action. I will demonstrate how graffiti plays a big role in some individuals’ lives and that graffiti is more than just “spray painting” on walls and property.


vs.

Chris Reiter: I did my photo essay on contrasting the graffiti of Chicago, and more specifically of Humboldt Park with the graffiti of Cleveland, Ohio. My thesis was to show that the politically charged graffiti of the near North side is directly connected and interwtined with the community and its way of life, whereas, the graffiti from cleveland, and especially the East side is mainlt based on independent artists' who concentrate on tags and throw-ups, rather than pieces, and graffiti connected to the comminuty. This is a picture of the riverbank wall along the Cyhohoga River, with downtown Cleveland in the backdrop.

Christine Dimaano: My photo essay is on the infamous hip-hop crew, in Chicago, TNA. Their crew consists of b-boys, emcees, DJs, graff writers, beat boxers, and poppers. They’re best known in Humboldt Park as creative and talented graffiti artists. In Humboldt Park, they have their own wall in which they can express themselves openly through a piece without the worries of getting buffed, or removed from property, because the owner of the building, Garcia’s Auto Parts, has allowed them to use the wall just as long as they help advertise and give credit to their shop. I interviewed two of the top graffiti artists, S-Rok and Teck, to help understand their views and concepts of graffiti that others may not be aware of. You can visit their site at www.tnacrew.com.

 

- Service Site-----> Marquette Park -

Area: Marquette Park is located near the corner of South Kedzie and 67th. It is in Marquette Park, which is a rather large park that includes basketball courts, a golf course and a lot of green grass. This area is a nice change from the cement and buildings that make up the main landscape of the Southwest side of Chicago. The building we volunteered in is a community center that includes a basketball two basketball courts inside, a theatre, stage, and recreational room for arts and crafts. The area surrounding it is considered ‘urban’ and definitely looks like an inner city. In this area one can find large businesses, family businesses, deli’s, and drug stores all lining the same street. Also at South 64th and Kedzie is the Southwest Youth Collaborative , which is connected with the University of Hip-Hop and directly connected with Marquette Park.
Break Dancing Class for Kids: Marquette Park organizes after school programs for children while their parents are away at work. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm Marquette Park holds break dancing classes for children between the ages of six through twelve. Marlín Estrada is the coordinator for this service site and she teaches about forty young, energetic children. With the help of several volunteers, she and others show them break dancing techniques such as the six-step and an up-rock. Before class comes to an end, the children form a break dancing circle where they can show off their new learned skills to the other children. All the children are eager to come back the next class.
Break Dancing Practice: During different times of the day, different levels of break dancing are taught. On Tuesdays and Thursdays after the younger children are being taught from 3:30 to 5:00pm, the older individuals have a chance to practice and increase their skills. Their moves consist of cleanliness, power, choreography and dance. Once they have reached a point where they have mastered a certain move, they are able to battle others. This is Luis, who is also known as “Shorty.” He is one of the volunteers at Marquette Park who help teach the children the basic steps in break dancing. He is only fifteen but he is one of the many skilled break dancers.

- Bios -

Sherryl- I was born and raised in Chicago and moved to the suburbs in 8th grade. I joined this Explore Chicago class to learn more about graffiti, the hip hop culture and how it influences society. I volunteered at Marquette Park. Volunteering at Marquette has many advantages in that I have helped many children attempt to learn more about break dancing. Hopefully, the volunteers have helped them gain discipline to assist in expanding and developing their skills. Overall, my knowledge about hip-hop has increased because I learned how the culture came about and discovered more about its history.

Chris- I was born in Cleveland, raised there until I was 11, and then moved to the suburbs. I was always interested in graffiti and participated in it around Cleveland until I was arrested. In hearing about this class I was very excited to get back into learning about graffiti and seeing it in a different city. Chicago's graffiti has amazed me and has given me a renewed love for the art. Part of this class was service learning, and I volunteered at Marquette Park. I was lucky enough to be able to help learn break dancing, and teaching it to young children at an after school program. Also, through volunteering at the Southwest Youth Collaborative I am able to once again take up graffiti, but legally.
Christine-I grew up on the north side of Chicago. I have always been surrounded by graffiti. When I entered this class I was exposed to different styles of writing due to the different locations such as the south side, the Humboldt Park area, and the Hyde Park area. Throughout the duration of class I have met more writers and “graffers” all over the Chicago area. I have a bigger understanding of tagging and piecing. And because of this class, I have gone to do service learning hours at Marquette Park which showed me another side of Chicago. I have grown attached to the younger children and I willingly go back to Marquette Park on Thursdays where I hang out with the children then I started to practice break dancing.