WALL SCRAWL

One of the most common complaints I hear from fans - and even those who are not fans - of Art Alley has to do with the random tags/scrawls/lettering that is less about art and more about someone having a can of spray paint or a marker in
the one place he or she can use it on a building without getting in trouble. While I don't necessarily encourage this, it is a critical part of Art Alley's rejuvenation process.

The "Wall Scrawl" - as I call it - takes various forms. Sure, occasionally it is done with malice, but more often it is simply someone having fun and lacking situational awareness of where they are placing their mark. I've even seen parents bring their little kids to The Alley with a can of spray paint for some good old 21st Century fun, Rapid City style. No one expects little kids having fun to produce a great mural or even really notice where they are having their fun, but there isn't anyone - and I mean no one person - who doesn't want families to involve themselves having fun in Art Alley simply because they don't have the skill sets, time and materials some of the other artists do. Art Alley is for everyone.

 In the end, whether it be malice, lack of situational awareness or simply exuberance the end result is the same, Wall Scrawl. But that is why it is necessary. If the art in Art Alley did not eventually become "tagged" over with wall scrawl (or whatever), it would get to a certain point and then stay the same, and that is not what Art Alley is all about. Art Alley is about constant change. The wall scrawl serves the purpose of creating "art erosion" so to speak, so that something great can take its place. Further,
I think the most important places for Wall Scrawl to eventually show up is on the best work, because if it didn't the best pieces and murals would never change. A large part of what makes Art Alley so great is the way that it changes every day and Wall Scrawl helps make that happen.

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