Since I moved to New Orleans in 2007, the city has become my home. Even when I was traveling in Colombia this past June, I found myself thinking of New Orleans often, wondering how to bring some of the magic I saw in Colombia’s cities back to this spectacular town. An easy first step would be to transform the city government’s relationship with local artists.
On my first full day in Bogotá, I went on a graffiti tour in la Candelaria, the city’s historic district. The tour took us all across the city and introduced us to a variety of artists, styles and thematic elements. Our guide not only explained the beautiful art, but also its relationship with the city. Throughout much of the United States, graffiti has been criminalized and laws even regulate spray-paint purchases. Bogotá, however, exemplified the ways a city government could revolutionize its relationship with street artists to be mutually beneficial.
Our tour guide, Ray, explained that in 2011, Bogotá police shot and killed a young street artist. The killing provided a turning point for the city’s relationship with its graffiti artists. While some public spaces remain off limits and other spaces require special approval, artists can paint on shop owner’s properties so long they have the property owner’s consent. The city has commissioned artwork as well from top artists, legitimizing the art form and supporting the artists. Also, artists who are caught painting without permission have to pay a fine, but are not sent to jail and their jobs or schooling are not jeopardized by criminal charges.
This cultural shift empowers artists to take increased pride in their work and the quality of the work has visibly improved, according to our guide. Bogotá’s artists aren’t in a constant rush while painting and aren’t confined to the night-time hours. They also are working to make their own city a more beautiful space. While work often provides some critical social commentary, the art is generally peaceful and optimistic. It turns the entire city-scape into an art museum of sorts.
Perhaps New Orleans should consider adopting a similar approach. Instead of continuing the antagonistic relationship between police and many local artists, the city ought to follow Bogotá’s lead. By decriminalizing graffiti and establishing a means for street artists to continue painting in publicly-visible spaces without having to resort to vandalism, both the city and its artists will benefit. Artists and business owners can work together to define spaces and parameters for the art. The city itself can sponsor murals to beautify the currently ugly highways and add color to the New Orleans city-scape.
By working in partnership with street artists, New Orleans would also build civic pride. The city’s appearance could be designed by and for the people. Community members would be more inclined to actively respect public spaces if they were beautiful points of pride instead worth respecting. In a town filled with half-finished construction projects, condemned housing and cracked asphalt, we are craving a little more beauty. Why not let the artists make that a reality? Instead of criminalizing their work, it’s about time the city not only encouraged it, but commissioned it.
