Imagina, you’re walking down a dreary street in a rundown part of town, when BOOM: you see a big and colorful mural painted on the side of a building. If you’re anything like me, that piece of graffiti art changes your whole outlook on the entire neighborhood. De la nada, it morphs into a vibrant area, rich with culture and life… all because of that bold mural. An area you might have discarded antes is all of a sudden fascinating and remarkable.
Street art brings me an immense amount of joy. Porque it’s beautiful y porque it pops with color, yes. Alladat. But mostly because it is a representation of the people of the city that you are traveling through! Real people with real ideas, real talent, and real things to say. Street art is, and has always been, a visual portrayal of la comunidad; it’s pulse. It tells a story about who makes up that community, and the things they are living through or struggling with… their identity… their history. All of it.
Es una cosa bella para mi; I find it inspiring to no end. Street art is one of the things that I can’t help but tomar fotos of in every single city I travel to. If you were to scroll thru my camera roll, you’d find it’s about 40% graffitti. What can I say? I’m sucker for the art form. Hablo about this fact often, I’ve even blogged about it before.
So, my gift to you this holiday season, es bella ARTE y’all! Imma take you guys on a visual tour of the most inspiring pieces of street art that I’ve seen on my travels. Estan listos? Let’s GO!
1. “Dos Alas” street mural,
El Barrio, NYC.
In the section of East Harlem called” El Barrio” is where mi amor para street art really began in earnest. My play-prima brought to me to see a piece of art that she thought would rock my world- on East 105th Street. No estaba equivocada; she wasn’t wrong. Socks totally blown off.
The name of this gorgeous piece of art is “Dos Alas Del Mismo Parajo” or Two Wings of the Same bird. It was created to honor Cuban independence fighter Ernesto “Che” Guevara and Puerto Rican nationalist Don Pedro Albizu Campos. Es adornado with the words of revolutionary Puerto Rican poet Lola Rodríguez de Tió. The mural itself was meant as a statement about the similarities that the two islas del Caribe share. The glorious commonalities like: the culture, the music, the food, the shared Spanish/African/Indigenous heritage, y inluso nuestras banderas (our flags). Ever notice that our flags are exactly the same but reversed? Yea, that’s not an accident. The mural also symbolizes the sad bits of similarities tambien, como the oppression, the resistance, and the problematic history with the US.
It’s impactful. Por muchas razones.
The biggest impact for me, though, came on a more personal level. This piece of art represents ME. Joana. A girl who is split in half. One part of her Boricua and the other Cubana. Dos Alas is about ME. I am the parajo with 2 wings that are different but so alike. I will ALWAYS love this piece of street art because when I saw it, I felt SEEN by a piece of art for the first time en mi vida. I’m sure so many others feel the same, and that’s why it still stands… 21 years after it was first painted.
I’ll leave you with De Tio’s beautiful words that inspired this painting.
Cuba y Puerto Rico son
de un pájaro las dos alas,
reciben flores o balas
sobre el mismo corazón …
Have you ever felt SEEN by a piece of street art? What was it? Where?
“Just because it’s not in a museum does not mean it’s not art.”
-Wittle Art
2. Maya Angelou motivation, Asheville, N.C.
“Nothing will work unless you do“.
Maya Angelou is still out here dándonos inspiration even after her passing.
This beautiful mural caught my eye while I was strolling through the streets of downtown Asheville last October. It spoke to my spirit so much, que tuve que parar and let it sit. I just stopped and stared at it for a few minutes. Not only does the portrait of Ms. Angelou radiate eternal beauty but its the fact that she is painted ensima de (on top of) ply wood. Whomever painted este masterpiece (I don’t know who, I couldn’t find the artist no matter how hard I searched) didn’t have much by way of materials. Usaron what they had available to create something that might motivate others. Meager beginnings flourishing into top rate art. It’s beautiful. Y don’t even get me started with how the picture and THE WORDS intersect! ‘CHACHO!!
If you want something, then go after it until you receive it. It’s about proving to yourself that you can do anything if you really want to. And even more than that, the act of *starting* your journey is mas importante than even finishing it. Its about believing in yourself enough to put effort forth, *for yourself*. The artist of this mural did exactly what Maya Angelou encouraged them to do. I think we should do lo mismo.
Try. Work. Lucha. Hustle. Make it happen.
If that aint inspiration, I don’t know what is.
Have you ever seen a message on the street that just inspired you to ACT?
3. “I Love You So Much” mural, Austin, TX.
Austin’s street art scene is DOPE. Escuchame bien, if you have been sleeping on Austin, TX… go for the street art ALONE! And while you’re at it stop by the ” I love You So Much” mural painted detras de Jo’s Coffee Shop on 1300 S. Congress Ave. It’s only the MOST famous piece of street art in the city!
It’s posed in front of by thousands of people each yr… anything for the Gram, verdad? 🙂 But esta frase is much more than a cutesy tourist attraction, guys! It’s actually una declaración de amor! Cue heart burst!
It all started from a lover’s spat between the owners of the shop, local musician Amy Cook and her partner, Liz Lambert. The 2 women got in a drunken fight and broke up. Entonces, one of them wrote the “love letter” on the wall so that her partner could see it when she opened the shop the following manaña. They’ve been juntas ever since and rewrite the phrase often to keep it touched up. I mean, me muero! How touching!
That kind of love is inspiring. And that it’s celebrated with every Insta-pic y cada TikTok… even more inspiring. That means LOVE is spreading. Love begets more love. Love never fails!
Have you ever seen a piece of street art that inspired you to love more, love harder? What was it?
“Few people go to art exhibitions. The power of Street Art is that it goes to people’s daily life to be seen.”
–
4. The Gum Wall, Pikes Place Market, Seattle.
Don’t say EW! Ok, you can say EW, pero after, listen! The Gum Wall in Seattle is ART! It’s quite literally street art! The quirkest kind of street art!
It’s gross. Por supuesto! Super gross, but also pretty cool.
It all began in the early 90’s when people would stick their gum up on the street wall out of boredom, as they were waiting for shows at Unexpected Productions- a nearby theatre. The wads of gum crecieron; they just kept growing over the months and years. Cleaning didn’t help, porque el numero de people adding more gum overwhelmed the best of efforts of the cleaners. Eventually, they gave up and the Gum Wall became a “thing”.
The Wall (located in Pikes Place Market) is 50 ft. long and covered in thousands of pieces of multicolored gum. It’s disgusting, stinky, and MUY, pero MUY germy. But what I find inspiring about it is the way it connects us to a large swatch of humanity. Thousands of people a year stick a piece of chicle on that damn wall. That’s a shared experience, mi gente! Each gum wad represents a real life person who stood where you stood, laughed, and just went for it.
Por ese lado, its pretty cool, right? It’s a uniting piece of street art. My giggles are the same giggles countless otra gente experienced. We are one in our ubsurdity! I love that.
What’s the grossest piece of street art you’ve ever seen? Did it make you giggle?
5. Pride Crosswalks, Davie Village, Vancouver.
Most of my adult life, I’ve lived in fairly conservative areas. It’s an unfortunate thing, actually. Es por esto, that we try to travel to more diverse places/cities when we do get a chance to get away. Still though, cuando yo veo something that screams diversity and acceptance whilst on my travels… it gives me all the FEELS! Cue the Pride crosswalks of Vancouver…
During Pride month in 2013, the city of Vancouver unveiled 4 special crosswalks at the intersection of Davie and Bute streets to celebrate it’s LGBTQ+ residents, complete with the vibrant colors of the Pride flag. Fueron pintaron in the Davie village area, which so happens to be home to a thriving Queer community. Los crosswalks fueron a way for the city to say, “Hey, we see you. We celebrate you. This is your home too.” I love it!
They inspire me because, well, have you seen them? Son bellos! The Pride flag really is a burst of colorful joy! But also, because they represent a show of support for a marginalized group within the larger Vancouver population. Now this beautiful community of people tienen una parte of the city that’s for THEM. And it’s jammed packed with color, life, and LGBTQ+- friendly establishments to benefit it’s residents as well as the tourists who come to visit.
And LOTS of turistas come, btw. Lots! The crosswalks are some of the photographed pieces of art in all of Vancouver. True story.
Have you come across a piece of street art the celebrates a marginalized people group? How did it make you feel? Did it change you?
“Everything has beauty but not everyone can see it.”
-Confucius
6. La Virgencita, SoCo, Austin, TX.
For those of you who don’t know, this is “La Virgin De Guadalupe” or as many in the Latinx community like to call her: La Virgencita. Now, yo no soy Catolica, I’m not Catholic, but I know and respect La Virgencita. She’s kind of a big deal.
She represents more than faith para the Latinx community, and for me. She is a symbol of justice because she holds an appeal to the poor, to marginalized people. She stands as a crusader *and* comforter to the oppressed or downtrodden. Ella significa esperanza; she’s hope. And THAT I can get behind.
But I never see her in mainstream American culture, let alone on public WALLS in a popular city center! Never!
That’s why Federico Archuleta‘s depiction of her in the SoCo area of Austin me tomó por sorpresa… it pleasantly surprised me! There she was: unapologetic, beautiful, demanding to be noticed, bursting into view como una explosión de color. A clear representation of Latinx culture. She made me proud. Of my people, of our shared culture, of our art.
Crazy how una pared, one wall, with a beautiful piece of stenciled graffiti art can made you feel so many things. Archuleta, who was at the forefront of street art in Austin for quite a while, knew what he was doing. He created a masterpiece that spoke for a portion of the people in his city.
He gave them a voice and a presence.
Do you relate to religious or spiritual street art, even if it’s not your personal belief system? Do you think religious art can unite people on a level beyond faith?
7. “What Lifts You?” street mural, Nashville, TN.
I lived en Nashville for 5 years before we moved to Florida. Turns out, after we left, THAT’S when Nashville blew all the way up. It got lit as soon as we left it. Cambió para lo mejor; it changed for the better. Nuevos restaurantes, new attractions, and even new art installations started peppering the city. My favorite one: “What Lifts You?” by: Kelsey Montague, located in Nashville’s popular Gulch area.
On our first visit back to Music City as tourists, visitamos “The Gulch” area of Nashville because it was new and booming. Upon arrival, we saw UN MONTON de gente lined up in front of a wall. We discovered that the city had commissioned the artist, Kelsey Montague, to create a work of street art that could be both interactive AND uplifting. See what I did there? 🙂
I absolutely love the piece! I love que it’s interactive art, made para la communidad to take part of and YOU get to be the actual highlight of the piece. It’s there to make *you* soar. (oops I did it again:)
It features wings emblazoned with guitars and music notes, perfect for Music City. Las alas tambien representan: imagination, thought, freedom and victory. How inspiring is that? Especially when you get to be a part of that imagery!
I found out recently that Montague has had new installations showcased in several cities, each portraying specific details that represent that particualr town. How cool, right!?
If a pair could be created for your hometown, what would the wings contain?
8. “Sticker Bomb” street sign, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Edinburgh is super rad. Full stop. It’s historic and charming AND it’s also gritty and grungy. Es todas esa cosas, all at once.
Street art is everywhere. Graffiti art is quite bit more popular there than I thought it would be, actually. Nunca me imaginé, that I’d find so much street art in so many different forms in the UK. Shows how much I know!:)
Have you ever heard of “sticker bombing”? I have seen large collages of stickers before but until recently, no sabía that it’s actually an artform. A really cool one at that.
Sticker bombing (or slapping) is a form of street art in which an image or message is publicly displayed using stickers. These stickers may promote a political agenda, comment on a policy or issue, or comprise a subcategory of graffiti.
So how does sticker bombing inspire me? Well, es la coneción! I mean it can be done by just one artist, that’s true. But most sticker bombing graffiti happens through a collective effort of rebellious artists who each add their own bit of playful, powerful, or political beauty to the public collage.
Each person helps it become something nuevo with their addition. Isn’t that an incredible way to look at it? Connecting to complete strangers through art! I’m here for it!
Have you ever seen sticker bombing? Have you ever done it yourself?
9. Coney Art Walls, Coney Island, Brooklyn.
Y’all, Brooklyn’s Coney Island is a vibe! Yo no sabía! I did NOT know of it’s quirky, awesomeness until 2018, when my play-prima (yes, the same one from the Dos Alas experience) took me to see it for the first time. It was such a treat. Like diving into a very distinct part of American history.
Mi parte favorita was the outdoor museum of street art that we had the chance to walk through. It was called the Coney Art Walls, y fue un art installation that was only open during the summers of 2015-2018. Little did I know that I was getting to experience it’s last yr! Lucky yo!
Basically, it was like the Lourve of street art, folks. Deberas! World-leading street and graffiti artists from around the globe came out to display their work. Cada uno contributing something astonishing to the outdoor museum. Wicked cool!
I loved every single, colorful wall but only 1 me tocó emocionalmente.
Tats Cru created a wall that made all my Bronx childhood memories come flooding back. O sea, THE OPEN HYDRANT! If that aint NYC, I don’t know anything. The mural was playful and comforting, a la misma vez. Good art makes you feel all kinds of things all at once, amiright?
Has any street art invoked memories of your childhood? What was it?
10. Atl. Street Art Collection, Downtown, Atlanta, GA.
Never have I seen more street art in one place than in Atlanta, GA. There are over 1000 murals painted throughout the city by different artists, all chronicled on this site: Atlanta Street Art Collection. No te miento, 1000+ murals! Just the city’s dedication to celebrating the arts in this manner, is super inspiring… and that’s before you even take note of the brilliant art that’s actually on display downtown!
Cada mural me hizo pensar; each mural made gave me pause. Each one helped me SEE the community with new eyes. Each one helped me understand the lives of the people who live in Atlanta… their hopes, their struggles, their cries, their heroes.
That’s inspiring as hell.
Learning about a community by simply looking at una colleción de fotos. That’s pretty poignant because it implies a REAL look at the town. If nothing else, street art is honest. And each of these masterpieces tells an honest story.
The puzzle of trying to dicepher the real meaning behind each piece was fun too! I enjoyed the challenge, cuz the intent is not siempre evidente.
En fin, Atlanta wins the street art game for me. Hands down.
Has street art even given you a pulse of the community around you? Where was it?
Fam! I hope that you enjoyed este tour de mi street art favorito. I sincerely hope that it inspired you to open your eyes to the beauty of art all around you. Es mi intención to make you more aware of the communities you travel through, their beauty… their interests… their struggles. Street art is such an easy way to do that. Not to mention, it is beautiful to behold. AND it gives US all the feels too.
I’d love to hear more about street art that has impacted YOU! Please tag me in any pictures you’d like to share. Me gustaria mucho!
Happy Holidays, sweet fam! Thanks for adventuring with me this year. It’s been amazing! See you in the New Year!
Con mucho cariño,
Joana
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