When I was in college, at a Liberal Art School with an art department, we learned about and were assigned public art projects. What surprise me with now with Maine College of Art in the center of Portland and and USM just down the road, along with a community college just over the bridge, is the lack of random art popping up.
There has been an increase according to some about graffiti, I’m sure there is some truth to that, but I also think it has to deal with people connecting to it because they have run out of things to complain about. It may be part of the cycle where it is a city problem about every 10 years or so.
But where are the Random Art projects by students? I know when I was at college, we took part in public art. Granted the way our campus was spread out we did more directly on campus. We put up signs for an assignment and rather then making flier size posters I made little drawing scanned it, made a sheet of it, photocopied them, cut them out and taped them all over the place. I made a tail end of a missile and left it on campus. I put up miniature street signs which I played with words changing “Stop” to “Flop” and more. A friend and I painted bed sheets and put them up. I did mine where an old score board was and only the support rods where still there. We went out to two old unused billboards and draped his over them.
So where is any of that in Maine, Portland of all places? I do sometimes think that there are too many people forgetting about the fun part of art. As I was writing this list I will say “Yarn Bombing”, more flash mobs, sculptures just appearing. Where is that from the students? Better yet where is that from the Maine Art community?
I’ll admit I haven’t been doing the best on my end and it’s time to pick up on that. At the same time I have been starting to leave little men with camera heads randomly about. They are a little harder to find, because they are only a couple inches tall. Sometimes small is the most fun, it’s a little harder for people to find. I would like to see this kind of thing showing up more. There is way too much seriousness going on in this world right now and we need more then one Royal Wedding for a day to cheer us up. So go out leave a surprise for people to find and make them smile. It was the summer of love in 1967. Let’s call the summer of 2011 the Art Attack!
