Spray Painting Joy at the Center for Creativity

The basement of the Cathedral of Learning is home to a myriad of pipes, flickering lights and, for an hour this Wednesday, a colorful cloud of paint. On Oct. 16, the Center for Creativity hosted an event called “Creating Legends,” a deep dive into the culture and art of graffiti.  The event began with a workshop on street art, where participants learned from graffiti artists Sef.01 and REVER on the skills required to paint murals and graffiti. Participants started the workshop by drawing simple shapes, squares and lines to learn the mechanics of spray paint. They then experimented with color, cultural styles, sizing and font, playing with each and learning the ins and outs of street art under the direction of Sef.01 and REVER.  The pale white walls of the Center for Creativity soon become blurred with color as new artists sprayed letters and shapes on a large piece of plywood. REVER explained to the group the importance of basic graffiti skills and emphasized style within the lesson.  The artists at the event discussed style and its place in different regions of the world in the Q&A event hosted after the workshop. The speakers mentioned Germany and how Germany’s strict...