Street art club helps change negative view of graffiti

Kelsie DeKarver

Staff Writer

Photos by Landon Deltin

A UVU student has started an official street art club in hopes to change the community’s views on street art as well as gain the administration’s support in producing a student mural.

Graffiti is often seen as a negative term. Street art, however, is an art form. Street art is paintings that are seen on the sides of buildings or on sidewalks. It is most commonly created to communicate with the public. Even though artists who produce work in this form still use aerosol paint like graffiti art, it is seen in a different, more positive light.

Street art is “the visual hip-hop,” says Micheal Ulibarri A.K.A. Uli One, a senior at UVU. Ulibarri grew up doing street art in New Mexico and would like to introduce the art form to UVU in the form of a club. He hopes that through this club, the community can engage and be educated in street art.

“This club could help break down the different stereotypes that a lot of people see,” said Ulibarri. His aim is to help people see that this type of art is sensible and not simply vandalism. Ulibarri believes that the club could create change in how the world sees street art; he also believes this form of art is making the world a better place.

The club focuses not only on teaching students that street art is a positive art form, but also instructs on the different methods, such as aerosol art, stenciling and space art. Ulibarri also hopes for the club to have a K-12 outreach program for at-risk youth. This program would provide youth with a constructive outlet to express their selves and instill the understanding that they can love hip-hop and still be upstanding members of the community.

UVU’s 75th anniversary is coming up; along with the new art building opening within the next year. Ulibarri thinks that this is a great time to create a student produced mural at the school’s new art building to further increase the community’s knowledge and understanding of street art.