When I first heard the words “street art”, immediately my head was filled with many negative connotations, of the vandalism and irresponsibility of rebellious artists. Bear in mind that this was not my personal stance, as I personally viewed some of the murals that I had seen in urban cities as pieces of art. Nevertheless, some graffiti did remind the public about violence and gangs.

Upon arriving to the parking lot in Collegetown, and seeing the murals on the parking lot walls, I was amazed by how beautiful and meaningful the paintings were. The guide told us about the backstory for each mural, and it was so interesting hearing the significance of each painting. For example, there was a mural of a worried face with the question of, “do we still have time?”. This mural just transmitted so many emotions, emotions of despair and regret through the eyes of the person. It really strikes me as an image that makes people aware of the impact that each of them have on this Earth. The guide let us know that this mural was painted by fourth graders, with the help of adults. That to me was so impressive, how they could paint with such precision, and how deep it was.

We saw many other parts of the commons that had been painted, countless electrical boxes, and signs. They all made me think of one thing: how some touches of color here and there can really add to the spirit and the livelihood of a city. As the guide was telling us, he works on a board to get artists to come and paint on walls around the city. To me, this fostering of street art really and truly allows for street art to take its best form, as something of which artists can feel proud, not like they have to do it at three in the morning against the law.  It is truly a window for self-expression, and tells a story that can be enjoyed by any passerby.