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| Tourist enjoying the ActivistArtistA Bay Gates Project. |
"Graffiti is a misunderstood concept for a lot of people," he says. "If it's an illegal wall they call it graffiti. And if it's a legal wall they call it street art. The first painting was done on a wall in a cave. We've domesticated it and put it in galleries. But its natural habitat is outdoors."
-Rolando Chang Barrero
For images on SunSentinel: Amazing Street Murals featuring work by Paul Caprio, Serafima Sokolov, Venom, Chanimal, Eduardo Mendieta, Craig McInnis, and others at The ActivistArtistA Bay Gates Project.
By Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel
HOLLYWOOD —
Picture this: Hollywood as a giant canvas, ready for street art.
Colorful murals already adorn 10 downtown buildings, where they have been both praised and panned. But because they bring an energy and sense of identity, Commissioner Peter Hernandez plans to ask Wednesday that the program be expanded to the beach and other high traffic areas.
"Art is subjective," he said. "Some have hated it. Some have loved it. But people are talking about it."
Like Hollywood, Boynton Beach has embraced public art, requiring developers to set aside 1 percent of their construction budget to fund public art in the city. Murals pop from the doors and walls of warehouses in theBoynton Beach Arts District.
Debby Coles-Dobay, Public Arts Manager in Boynton, calls it a "mini-Wynwood," a reference to the Miami district where artists have helped transform a neighborhood of rundown warehouses into a bustling cultural hub.
But what flies in Hollywood and Boynton might not work inBoca Raton. Or Fort Lauderdale. Or Davie.
A street mural might clash with Davie's western theme, says Davie Councilman Bryan Caletka. The idea of a city-sanctioned street mural isn't even on Fort Lauderdale's radar, says city spokesman Chaz Adams.
And Boca?
"They all want to live in country clubs," says Rolando Chang Barrero, a West Palm Beach artist who runs theBoynton Beach Arts District. "That's why they designed so many country clubs with doormen and color codes. They want it standard, they want it safe."
Hernandez brushes aside such concerns.
He just wants people talking about the arts project, launched a year ago in an attempt to bring new life, energy and crowds to downtown.
"Our mural program has really taken off," says Jorge Camejo, who launched the series as executive director of Hollywood's Community Redevelopment Agency. "[It] has proven that inspiration and imagination can alter the general public's perception of the area as effectively as the murals transform bare walls into works of high art."
Hollywood already has the most street art in Broward County, says Commissioner Patricia Asseff, who wouldn't mind seeing more.
"Las Olas doesn't have them," she said. "Delray doesn't have them. If it works and people love them, we've given it a shot. People are coming down to look at these murals. I guess it gives the area a certain character. If it draws a crowd, then that's a good thing."
"For now, Hollywood's mural program is limited to the Live Music District, running along Hollywood Boulevard and Harrison Street between 21st Avenue and Young Circle.
Each downtown muralist was paid $1,000 for their work. The artists include David "Lebo" Le Batard, Ruben Ubiera, Jessy Nite, Luis Pinto, Eduardo Mendieta, Evoca1, 2alas, Michelle Weinberg, Rob Robi and Tatiana Suarez.
"I like it – most of it," said Hollywood resident Michael Tam Kai. "It's better than a bland concrete wall. It gives these young artists an outlet. And it's free."
Fellow resident Rita Gambardella would rather see the blank wall.
"When I first saw them, I thought it was graffiti," she said. "Then I found out it was commissioned."
Terry Cantrell, chair of the Hollywood Historic Preservation Board, echoes her sentiments.
"Lebo went hog wild with what basically looks like graffiti," he says.
But he admits, Lebo's mural does indeed stand out.
Love it or leave it, Hollywood's mural series evokes a reaction from those who see it, says Barrero.
"Graffiti is a misunderstood concept for a lot of people," he says. "If it's an illegal wall they call it graffiti. And if it's a legal wall they call it street art. The first painting was done on a wall in a cave. We've domesticated it and put it in galleries. But its natural habitat is outdoors."
A map of the murals can be found at http://www.hollywoodcra.org (click on Downtown Hollywood Mural Project under the Redevelopment tab).
sbryan@tribune.com or 954-356-4554
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