I believe art is a very powerful and influential thing, but there may be limits. In the ted talk “How can public art projects transform rough neighborhoods?” by Dre Urhahn, both of these aspects of art are displayed. Urhahn discussed how a simple good deed using art transformed a neighborhood. Him and a paint crew began painting artwork on houses in a less fortunate area. This brought him and the community together and began to give the neighborhood an uplifting attitude. After transforming this neighborhood in Rio, the painting team was asked to do a similar project in Philadelphia. There were very few limits in doing projects like this. Everyone was thankful for the work and effort put in to improve their community. The painting team also dedicated all of their time to the projects, so the amount of time it took was not a problem. The only problem they ran into was coming up with the money to complete these magnificent and large works of art. As it was a good deed for poor neighborhoods, they weren’t getting paid for their work. To come up with enough funds to complete the artwork, they had to ask for donations from those who could help. Because art can be such a powerful thing, there can always be a way to work around any limits.
Hi Jamie! I enjoyed your unique perspective on “How can public art projects transform neighborhoods?” and thought you views on it were interesting. I also chose to do my post on this TED talk and found their works of art very beautiful and uplifting. My personal favorite was the last one they did with the now bright and colorful neighborhood in Philadelphia. I do agree with you though that logistically, although these artworks have uplifted the community’s spirits, they have not changed the situation that they are in and probably continue to suffer in poverty. I am however an optimist, and like to think that at least the beautiful scenery that now surrounds them will give them joy and maybe for a moment not think about the situation they are in.
Beginning this post with the influential effects that art can have was awesome. In this TED talk in particular the artists explained how they started the projects and then the communities took over. Not only were they trying to encourage the community to change and grow together, but the community felt empowered once the plan was introduced. It’s incredibly inspiring to see how much these artists changed a community with a few intricate projects. I also liked that you addressed the artists inability to find limits on their projects. They continued to do great work and they realized that no project is impossible with the right amount of encouragement. Great post!
As I was reading about how you said the painting team couldn’t come up with enough funds for their project, I started to wonder how the EA’s would feel about the artists asking for donations. They would probably be very disappointed because they would think that if you’re going to donate money to a cause, it should be to charity. They would never donate their money to the artists that painted these murals, because art is pointless in their minds. However, I think that what they are doing is great for the communities they are going to. Art really is an influential and powerful thing, and from what I heard the painting team from this TED Talk improved these neighborhoods tremendously.