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| Alex Gagne |
Graffiti is all over our campus. It may be cute and clever, or it may be vile, uncomfortable,
and crude. It could inform you that “The cake is a lie,” or it could cause you to
chuckle (“Anime: satiating potential pedophiles for over 30 years!”).
But every so often, a layer of paint hides it all, and what you see is a plain wall once
again. It seems as though not everyone loves or appreciates graffiti. This is the case in
the Booth (Building 7A) elevator. So why is the paint job being done? After all, many art
students argue that it is their building and that students have the right to self-expression.
Others share a different opinion of what to do with the elevator. Reporter talks to
three concerned individuals.
Randy Vercauteren
Director, Maintenance Services
How long has graffiti been occurring on campus?
In my 23 years at RIT, there has always been
some level of graffiti that Facilities Management
Services (FMS) has been removing from various
areas of the buildings and grounds. I do not
think I can put a start date on graffiti at RIT.
Why paint it over? Why not leave it?
Graffiti is an unplanned and unwanted defacing
of property. In some instances, the graffiti
is intended as a comical display, or in other
instances it may be a lewd graphic or saying.
Graffiti is defacing of property, whether there
is malicious intent or not. It is changing the desired
and planned look of the facility.
Have any serious problems resulted from the graffiti?
There are times when the graffiti is lewd, derogatory,
inappropriate, or hateful and requires
an immediate response to cover it. There have
been times when investigations by Public Safety
have occurred as a result of hate messages contained
within the graffiti.
Do you think this problem could ever be resolved?
I think it is an ongoing issue that does not have
an end in sight. Graffiti is not unique to RIT.
When someone commits acts of graffiti here at
RIT, it is likely that it is not the first time they
have done it. It is a societal problem, not an RIT
problem, in my opinion.
Heidi Nickisher
Professor of Art History
Do you feel that graffiti can be considered art?
I like graffiti. It can be shocking. It can be
thoughtful, silly, knee-jerking, and it can serve
a purpose. And while I understand Maintenance
[Services’] point of view, whenever you
allow somebody to do something, you’re probably
infringing on somebody else’s rights in the
process.
Should it be painted over? Left alone? Should a mural be put up?
No, not painted over. The problem with a mural
is that someone will still come along and start
doodling on it and chances are that a “pretty”
mural will also end up with graffiti on it. You
see it on buildings, streets, schools…You see it
even in grade school! Some would argue that
cave painting is a form of graffiti. Even when
it’s “raunchy,” graffiti is a form of expression.
So who gets to pick and choose? As for attacking
graffiti, I don’t agree with that—especially if it’s
not about a certain person, race, or religion. But
even then, it’s still a personal, subjective point
of view and therefore also free speech.
Since it’s an art building, should students be allowed
to use the space to express themselves or
should the walls be kept blank for the sake of
providing a “clean” image?
Not all the walls. Keeping them all white does
provide a sort of minimalist aesthetic. Some like
it; some don’t. I visited Alfred University a few
years ago, and in the art building there was all
kinds of stuff on the walls. There were drawings
and paintings right on the wall. It actually looked
like an art building.
Caitlin Yarsky
Fourth Year Illustration Major
CIAS Student Government Senator
Editor’s note: Caitlin Yarsky is an illustrator for Reporter.
How do you feel about the graffiti in the 7A elevator? Do you consider it art or vandalism?
I would not consider the elevator artwork vandalism
if people put time and thought into it, but
it is really (kind of) awful. I think if art students
are going to vandalize something, it should at
least be something you want to look at, and no
one I know likes the way it is now.
Aside from a mural, do you know of anything that
could be put on the elevator walls to lessen or
eliminate the amount of graffiti?
Aside from a mural, I think if we just painted it
a lighter, less oppressive color, students would
actually draw more on the walls, which could
be a great thing! And if students started doing
fun things on the walls that got painted over
quarterly, it could be really nice. We don’t want
to stifle creativity, you know?
Are you the head of an organization or committee
working on this problem?
I am not the head of an organization to paint the
elevator; it’s just a project I proposed as senator
to make the school look nicer.
Do you know of any committees or groups attempting
to solve the problem?
Debbie Kingsbury (Assistant Dean of CIAS) and
I have been working with Facility Management
Services, and they’ll be making the walls a lighter
color for us to paint the elevator at the end
of Spring Break, so hopefully there’ll be a cool
mural there by next quarter.
What are some of the ways that students can input
their ideas to you?
I am available for suggestions and concerns
through email (on the Student Government website)
and Facebook, and through office hours at
the SG office by appointment.
So what’s the overall thought? You can’t give art students a “blank canvas” and expect it to be left
that way. They spend most of their college lives in the art building, covered in charcoal, paint, and
ink. Perhaps a mural is a temporary fix, but it will probably need to be repainted just as frequently as
the solid-colored walls, since not everyone will agree with the art chosen, and almost no one likes
a clean, sterile, hospital-like atmosphere. There may be no end in sight to this graffiti situation.
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