A History of Street Art

Wed., April 1-May 6, 8-9:30 a.m.

Time: 8-9:30 a.m.

Location: Online

Cost: $70

With Heather Shirey, Ph.D., Professor of Art History, University of St. Thomas

Art in the streets (including graffiti, murals, stickers, paste-ups, and other public installations) offers powerful means of expression for marginalized voices, shapes urban environments, and presents competing visions of community life. Unlike art made for museums or the commercial market, street art is often counter-institutional, engaging social issues from critical perspectives.

This course examines graffiti and street art in the U.S. and beyond, exploring their histories, motivations, and global connections. We will also discuss the rise of the mural movement, strategies for preserving and presenting street art, its increasing institutionalization, and its potential to foster social change.

Heather Shirey, PhD, is a Professor of Art History at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. Her research explores race and identity, migration and diasporas, and the role of monuments, memorials, and street art in shaping public space. As part of the Urban Art Mapping team, she co-created the George Floyd and Anti-Racist Street Art Database. Her work examines how street art documents collective experience and functions as activism, healing, and critical engagement." with "Art in the streets (including graffiti, murals, stickers, paste-ups, and other public installations) offers powerful means of expression for marginalized voices, shapes urban environments, and presents competing visions of community life. Unlike art made for museums or the commercial market, street art is often counter-institutional, engaging social issues from critical perspectives. This course examines graffiti and street art in the U.S. and beyond, exploring their histories, motivations, and global connections. Participants will consider the rise of the mural movement, strategies for preserving and presenting street art, its increasing institutionalization, and its potential to foster social change.

This class will not be recorded.

Class #: 24004

Registration opens for OLLI members on Feb. 3. Non-members may register starting Feb. 9.