Does Graffiti Belong in the Classroom?

Catherine Auten

Artist “Banksy” from the UK gets threatened with arrest on a regular basis. He is wanted for vandalizing the streets of the UK with graffiti. However, many have noticed that his graffiti is more than just someone’s initials on the side of a building or a gang symbol; they are works of art with an array of meaning behind them. The graffiti murals are so popular and respected now, that they are even making their way into the classroom. In a recent publication of Art Education, author Seng Kuan Chung encourages teachers to use Banksy’s art to allow students to reflect critically on the messages and implications that art can carry.

Chung points out that students will be more receptive to Banksy’s work because it is modern and they can relate to it. He suggests that teachers use this to their advantage and get students more involved in a dialogue about art. Chung claims that because Banksy’s art is so controversial and obviously subversive, it forces observers to have specific thoughts and feelings about the piece. This is the perfect starting point for students to begin learning what to look for in pieces of art and how to talk about what they see.

Chung encourages teachers to show students specific Banksy works like “Graffiti Removal Hotline,” “Kissing Policemen,” and “Sweeping it Under the Carpet.” He believes that these pieces have obvious and unmistakable messages, so they are perfect starting points for students. He then gives teachers a list of questions to ask the students about the piece. These questions start with asking students to simply observe the piece of art and report what they see. The questions then ask for some analysis of the piece and then ask questions about what the piece means for the culture they live in.

At the end of the article, Chung suggests that teachers encourage students to make some art of their own. His suggestion is that they draw an image onto a t-shirt and then wear the t-shirt and explain to their classmates the cultural and artistic meaning of their work. The questions and activities that Chung suggests gnaw at the boundaries of legality, art and vandalism and force students to think broadly and critically about the world they live in. Banksy is the perfect artist for this type of dialogue with students. Not only is Banksy “cool,” but he also creates controversial and skilled works of art.


Works Cited

Chung, Seng Kuan. "An Art of Resistance From the Street to the Classroom." Art Education 62.4 (July 2009): 25-32. Art Full Text. Web.